Amanda nags her son Tom about the proper way to chew his food, she reprimands him for going to the movies too much. She returns a book he is reading to the Library because she thought it was inappropriate. She accuses him of being selfish.
But the most important aspect of Amanda's nagging has to do with Tom finding a suitable gentleman caller for his sister, Laura.
When Amanda tells her son that Laura has failed at the Business College, and that she is frightened for her daughter's future, which looks dismal. Tom says:
"What can I do about it? (Williams, p. 35)
She replies:
"Overcome selfishness! Self, self, self is all that you ever think of!"
Tom does invite a gentleman caller for dinner, but on short notice, Amanda goes into a rant.
"Preparations! Why didn't you phone me at once, as soon as you asked him, the minute that he accepted? Then, dont' you see, I could have begun getting ready!" (Williams, pg. 42)
When the gentleman caller, Jim O'Connor, turns out to be engaged to be married, Amanda berates Tom for not knowing this important fact about his friend.
"You don't know things anywhere! You live in a dream; you manufacture illusions!"
"That's right, now that you've had us make such fools of ourselves." (Williams, pg. 95)
It is Amanda's constant nagging that finally pushes Tom out of the apartment for good. He abandons his mother and sister, never to see them again.
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