Fire Escape Symbol - Janie

I think the escape theme was further accentuated with the fire escape, which was a symbol that was different for each character. For Tom, I think the meaning of the fire escape was most obvious and most relating to the theme; it was literally an escape, from his home, his family, his troubles. For Amanda, the fire escape was more of an opportunity, as she was always longing for gentleman callers to come knocking. And for Laura, the fire escape was the passage to the scary outside world, which is why she really never went out there during the course of the play.