Category: The Glass Menagerie

The play is set during the nineteen-thirties, it appears to be nothing out of the ordinary, even now to modern perspectives. The Southern setting supplements more to the storyline of the conflicts arising in the play. The Glass Menagerie written by Tennesse Williams displays the Wingfield’s family with an innocent mask, through this memory play numerous conflicts happen to the family from the beginning. Within the play, each of the Wingfield family members interiorly grows as each conflict collides by the end. They each affect one character to another and how the story is portrait. Through his writing, the author, Tennesse William, illustrates that each member of the Wingfield family is subtly “crippled” throughout the play.

Though Mr.Wingfield is not a character that is briefly spoken about and the audience does not discover or know a lot about, his departure from his own family displays that he was fatigued with them and decided to leave. Mr.Wingfield discloses by his actions that he is fantasized about traveling rather than being with a father figure. In the Glass Menagerie, it states, “He was a telephone man who fell in love with long distances; he gave up his job with the telephone company and skipped the light fantastic out of town… a message of two words: Hello – Goodbye!” ( William 1397). Amanda covers her husband’s departure by stating that he has simply found a new hobby and interest in long distance. The father can be considered to be “crippled” due to his disappearance of the family. He decided to leave his wife, son, and his daughter who has a disability. Disconnecting from his children and Amanda without justification can be considered he was not and did not want to understand the concept of responsibility and taking care of others.

Amanda Wingfield, the mother, desires for her daughter to have a man to that purely takes care of her. She carries out a planned future she wants Laura to have and is motivated to do everything in order for her handicapped daughter to have a happy life. “They knew how to entertain their gentlemen callers. It wasn’t enough for a girl to be possessed of a pretty face and a graceful figure…I mean that as soon as Laura has got somebody to take care of her, married, a home of her own…” ( Williams 1398, 1409). Amanda recites about her young life to her son and daughter, mostly targeted towards Laura as for her mission is to get her a husband. She wants Laura to be like her but obtain a man that is better than her own father. Because she believes Laura is in need of one because she is going to need some to protect her. Therefore, she gives Laura her role as a woman that she needs to achieve in order to get someone in the future. Amanda pressures Laura to find a man and get married, as Laura neglects her decision, she takes it upon herself to scout her a gentleman caller to love Laura without thinking of the consequences. Her motive is seen to take over her, not allowing her to realize certain things that occur right in front of her eyes that cause tension among herself and her son.

Tom Wingfield, the breadwinner of the family, attains great eagerness to do as his father did and leave his home. From the burden that he believed he had mostly from his mother about his sister, he wished to leave and have the liberty to do as he pleased. “I don’t want to hear any more!… Yes, movies! Look at them- All those glamorous people-having adventures-hogging it all, gobbling the whole thing up!” (Williams 1403, 1419). Tom has viewed multiple movies that he now observes them as an escape that he is fascinated with, he is envious of them along with what his father was capable of doing. Tom can also be viewed as “crippled” by the situation he is in, cornered in his own home with no escape. Taking care of his mother and most importantly his sister became the priorities for him. One can say that his anger caused him to be jealous of how easily his father was able to leave his family and he is not.

Laura appears to be the only normal one within the Wingfield family but is viewed weirdly within the whole play by her mother and brother. Laura avoids interacting with others and tends to be more on the fragile side. “It isn’t a flood, it’s not a tornado, Mother. I’m just not popular like you were in Blue Mountain. . . . [Tom utters another groan. Laura glances at him with a faint, apologetic smile. Her voice catches a little.] Mother’s afraid I’m going to be an old maid…The horn was removed to make him feel less-freakish ” (William 1399, 1430). Laura understands that she cannot be like her mother and is trying to prove to her that they are not alike. She collects animal glass ornaments to which she has conceived a small world of her own. Apart from being handicapped from her legs, she is stuck with the illusion and tension from her mother to get a gentleman caller. The glass collection displays how delicate she is, but how she views herself as well, strange and unloveable. Blinding her worth causes her to be easily hold backed by her own mother. She traps herself in her fantasy avoiding to make any self-growth throughout the story. Laura has to go through the struggle of living with her physical crippleness and deliberate imagination neglecting the outside world.

Through other perspectives, the manner of some of the members of the Wingfield family has a different meaning behind them. For instance, a few speculate that Amanda was simply trying to help her daughter like any mother would in any situation. Some suggest that Tom’s real problem or intentions were to be a trader that was overly desperate for freedom. Laura is viewed as the normal one and that her only issue was her physical one. However, the mother caused pressure and no support towards her son, Tom, therefore he began to fantasies about his own escape and took over his mindset. As well as causing her own daughter, Laura, to create her own abstract world. The mother has created almost a domino effect on her family, adding up to her husband leaving her and then in the future her son. Contradicts the views of the other people in virtue of her actions caused her family to disfunction through the play.

The Wingfield family members are very distinct in their own aspects they all displayed their “crippled” personality in the play. Each member portraits that the characteristics within them are the same, a desire and need. All throughout the story, each character odd passion towards something is discovered. Laura, herself and Amanda both proceed to be delusional about Laura’s future life. While resulting in Tom’s wish to escape through the fire escape in the household. Each member’s “crippleness” contributes to generating a flawed family. Tennesse Williams has brought in small elements through the storyline, applying them hard to or faintly to be discovered by covering them with a problem that is usually within a family. Though they are not physically crippled such as Laura, all still take in that aspect of having a disability of some sort within their own world and mindset.

The Glass Menagerie” is a modernist play written by Tennessee William and was published in 1944. This era was very well known for all the changes in literature and society. In his work, the writer presented post- modernistic characteristics through the need of society to break all conventions and to run away from the harsh reality of the war. Society no longer wants to conform to rules given by institutions, and families are broken. Plus, literature has seen a different style of writing and experimentation. Similarly, this play presents chattered characters, unable to live realistically. They live through illusions that they create for themselves. So, this essay will present these changes such as the pessimistic attitude, the use of symbolism and the broken families.

This play is quite dramatic and there is a lot of pessimism, an alienation and a sense of despair. It is represented through the setting of the house in which the characters are very gloomy and sad. The music is soft at the beginning then suddenly changes when Tom fights with his mom on Laura’s condition. ‘the music changes to a tango that has a minor and somewhat ominous tone’. In fact, all the elements of the setting establish the sad mood. The tone is sad and regretful as well because of the use of the dim light. Plus, the critical tone is clear through all the criticism that the mother gives to both Tom and Laura. Such constant critique creates a painful tension that none of the members of the family can break. This technique of combining setting effects such as dramatic music and decor to create drama in accordance to the character’s feelings is very proper to the 20th century plays. The writer experiments and the dramatic effects used are very much new. All the rules of writing are being reviewed and there is creativity and innovation to find new ways of expressing drama.

Another modernistic feature is the extensive use of symbolism. This movement started under the umbrella of the 20th century. the most meaningful symbol in the play is the glass menagerie, also used as a title. The glass menagerie is in reference to Laura’s collection that she keeps polishing to escape from the harsh reality that she lives in. It reflects Laura’s fragility, as she does not want to go to school because the outside world scares her. The fire escape is yet another powerful symbol. Tom smoking near the fire place suggests that he wants to escape and is tired of having to face responsibilities. As for Jim, he calls Laura “the blue roses” symbol of her beauty because Laura is known for her gorgeousness. However, it could symbolize her loneliness and retreat from the outside world because blue roses do not exist. The coffin is yet another symbol for the house, in which Tom wants to break free from the ties of his mother. The characters are dissatisfied with their reality just like modernists rejected realism. All these symbols are a way to portray the emotions of the characters used by modernist writers.

All members of the Wingfield family are living in the same house, but are unable to communicate and to understand one another. They are so close physically but their mental state suggests that each character has a distinct illusion that he created for himself. If we consider Amanda, her obsession with the past when she was a young desired woman haunts her in her life. She doesn’t understand her daughter Laura and there is always this inability to fully communicate. As for Laura, not only is she always in her room, but she also rarely talks to her family. Her world of perfect glass dolls blinds her from everything else. Tom isn’t content and doesn’t want to take responsibility for his family. He simply wants to escape which is the reason why he leaves the house to go to the cinema. Along with Laura, their worlds are real only in arts including the movie he watches, the poetry he reads and his obsession with Shakespeare. This sense of inner self is proper to the 20th century. People are no longer concerned with the masses. Each person is free to do whatever she sees fit. The same thing happens in the play. Even when being in a same house, to each his own.

Finally, the changes in society are clear in the play because of the pessimistic attitudes of the characters who are looking for an escape from family ties and society’s rules. We could add to it the displayed setting such as the music and the décor who go in accordance with the events and establish the mood. The changes in literature include the use of extensive symbolism to portray a certain character psychologically or to tell about his temperament. modernistic features used in this play show that each character is independent to the point where there is a dysfunction and constant misunderstanding. The modernism was quite an experimental period were writers wouldn’t hesitate to perceive life differently and to live more freely.

In the play, ‘The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams is a play about a dysfunctional family who all have different fantasies, and all want different things. Williams explores this in the play through the theme of delusion as Amanda wants her son, Tom, to become a successful businessman and at first, she wants her daughter, Laura, to enrol in a typing class at a college. However, when this falls apart, she wants Laura to emulate her past self, receiving many men coming round to her house wanting to go out with her. Tom in the other hand wants thrill and adventure away from home life he tries to satisfy his needs by going to the movies and writing poetry. Laura wants to simply stay at home avoiding all human contact that isn’t her family staring at her glass menagerie and playing songs on her vinyl player as she uses these as tools to escape her reality and live in her bubble of peacefulness without any responsibilities. Tennessee presents the theme of delusion through characterisation and symbolism and it is important to the readers understanding of the play as a whole as it shows the characters lust for a different life and when they cannot accomplish that or reality is too desolate they use other means of quenching that thirst.

Amanda’s delusions are desperate attempts to escape the sadness of the reality of her life, which blinds her to reality and the desires of her children. She insists that Tom will fulfil her vision of him succeeding in life by working hard in the warehouse “What right have you got to jeopardize your job – jeopardize the security of us all?”. Williams uses dialogue in this quotation to emphasise that Amanda believes that Tom must be the sole breadwinner for the family which entraps Tom as Amanda reminds him that they are completely dependent on him. This is where the theme of delusion links to the theme of entrapment as Amanda thinks Tom needs to continue working hard at his job as something will eventually come of it, however, Tom feels trapped as he longs for escape and freedom yet he is pinned down by the needs of his family. This delusion says a lot about the character of Amanda as she seems to be sat in her own glass house throwing rocks out of it towards Tom as she expects him to do everything for the family when it comes to financially supporting it and do amazing things with his life whereas all she has done with hers, is marry a drunk who deserted her.

Another delusion Amanda has about her children is that they are “bound to succeed” since they are “just full of natural endowments”. The fact is that Tom is close to losing his job at the warehouse and has decided to become a merchant seaman to escape his life as a warehouse worker and when the dream of Laura in business school falls apart, rather than see reality Amanda constructs a new fantasy life for her daughter in the realm of gentleman callers and marriage prospects. This can be seen when Amanda says, “Resume your seat, little sister, I want you to stay fresh and pretty for gentleman caller!” This quotation shows Amanda convincing herself that the gentleman caller Tom has invited for supper is a remarkable young man who will be a fine suitor for Laura. She believes that if she makes Laura look pretty and attractive, if she alters one of her old dresses to wear herself, shines up the three remaining pieces of wedding silver, recovers the furniture, gets a new lamp, and if she plays the role of a charming, youthful Southern girl, Laura’s gentleman caller will be so captivated that he will become a frequent caller and will eventually marry Laura. The fact is that Jim O’Connor is only just an average guy, whose moments of popularity and success are fading memories of his high school days. He seems to feel sorry for Laura as an old friend not as a potential lover. In addition to this, Jim is engaged and when he makes this announcement Amanda’s delusion is shattered and Laura is left feeling empty as she has just had one of the best moments of her life as she is kissed by her lifetime crush but then the rug is swiftly yanked from beneath her as Jim realises what he has done and takes it all back confessing his love for another woman.

While observing the Wingfield family in “The Glass Menagerie,” it is quite apparent that all members of the family exhibit the quality of “crippled.” Amanda is a very demanding mother with a crippled sense of reality, Laura is a crippled young woman who is very fragile both physically and emotionally, and Tom is a young man full of crippling guilt and sorrow. The Glass Menagerie is full of instances where these troubled individuals face everyday responsibilities and it evokes the contrast of fantasy and reality. Author Tennessee Williams cleverly builds this contrast within the play right from the start, as the entire play is based on Toms memories that lead into complex characters and symbols.

Firstly, Williams is able to write a very dramatic and intimate play as the reader knows it is from the perspective of Tom Wingfield; the son of Amanda Wingfield and brother of Laura Wingfield. The very fact this play is based on Tom’s perspective makes the contrast of fantasy and reality much more apparent, as the reader views this entire story unfold from a character’s dream-like memories. It is this type of writing that keeps the reader in the mind of Tom and allows them to see his life play out in what he would’ve seen, felt, imagined, and overall experienced. What he may remember might not be exactly how everything played out in the past but then again, the perspective shifts from past to present, so there must be a clear change in sentiments as he is very integrated into the story in some scenes and in others, very reminiscent of what occurred. In scene one, Tom states, “But I am opposite of a stage magician. He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion” (1396). What Tom is saying here is that these events did happen but that it may appear in the form of an “illusion” as he is well aware of the fact that it has been a long time since these actual events occurred. This means some aspects about each event or scene might be dramatized, giving the reader no real distinction to what is real and what is not real. However, the core of the story and each character are still ever present, just slightly dramatized.

Additionally, as the play progresses, we are given insight on very complex characters that give way to their own personal struggles which give more of a profound sense of fantasy and reality. As mentioned earlier, this family is crippled in some sort of specific manner but the best way to sum it up, is that they have a void in their life and need to fill it with something or someone else. Amanda is stuck in the past so she tries to have gentlemen callers come over for her daughter, Laura has a very crippled body and social life so she plays with glass figures, and Tom has to carry his absent father’s responsibilities when he wants a life of his own, so he constantly goes to the movies to distract himself. The Wingfield family is so focused on what they want, when responsibilities and the real world hit them, they don’t know how to react properly. A prime example of this would be the character of Tom, who works diligently to provide money for his family, but constantly smokes and goes out to the movies everytime he is either stressed out from work or finished arguing with his mother because he wants to live his own life. This would amplify the contrast of fantasy and reality as we have characters, like the Wingfield family (Including the father), who want to live in a world they have made up but are hesitant to embrace the reality of it all, which entails hard work and responsibilities, aspects of life they all want to outrun but inevitably can’t.

Undoubtedly, the entire character of Laura symbolizes both reality and fantasy. This contrast is at its highest point when Laura is involved in a scene, most definitely scene seven. Up until this point, Laura has been so focused on her glass menagerie that she never really took the time to live in the real world. She, very much like the glass figures, are fragile and stiff which is why she prefers their company over anyone else’s, which is what concerned Amanda the most about her daughter. But with the help of Tom, Amanda arranged the gentleman caller Jim to arrive which is when Laura comes out of her shell to express herself to a potential husband. When Jim accidentally drops the unicorn figure, it loses its horn and Laura states, “It doesn’t matter. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise” (1430). Jim’s revelation that he was engaged with someone else after he had just kissed Laura was indeed a shock to the reader and Laura alike, but it is the breaking of this unicorn’s horn which makes it no different from the other horses, that symbolizes Laura freeing herself from her small glass world to the real world, where she no longer feels different from another woman despite her crippleness. This whole visit, despite it being an utter failure at getting a husband, was a blessing in disguise. Laura no longer needs her brother Tom to protect and look after her as she feels capable of doing so herself; She has become stronger. The heavily focused contrast of fantasy and reality, which was developed throughout the play, was most apparent in the character of Laura and the very dramatic, scene seven. After all, she blows her candles out at the end of the play as Tom says goodbye to his sister to pay off the fact she went from a very passive and fragile character to someone, through bad experience, has learned the harshness of reality and accepted it, unlike their father. Tom senses this and even though the house is now empty, he knows that deep down in his heart, his sister let go of her glass menagerie that night.

In conclusion, Williams is an author that wrote the play “The Glass Menagerie” knowing he could fit in contrasts such as reality and fantasy while making a very intimate and personal story full of dynamic characters such as Tom and Laura. It is this rich storytelling and great buildup of themes/contrasts from Williams that makes “The Glass Menagerie” a sorrowful play with a “blessing in disguise” as it discusses facing reality in both the right and wrong ways for many readers and viewers to take something from it altogether. The contrasts of the past and present are clearly presented in this play, as well as a person’s right to be happy and their responsibilities but it was important to highlight a contrast that may have been underlooked, which is reality and fantasy. This contrast, ever so present within the play, is cleverly developed and used as a plot device and driving force within each of these characters to not only build a world for these characters but to give them personality and depth. While this isn’t as poignant as Shakespeare, “The Glass Menagerie’ is certainly able to tackle facing reality in a very realistic way, albeit in a fictitious world with fictitious characters.

“There is a time for departure even when there’s no certain place to go,” Tennessee Williams once said. Throughout the play, there are many situations where Williams shows times where the characters have to let a part of them or something go. Most of the Wingfield family have trouble relating and connecting to reality, each member of the Wingfield family goes into a separate world with their own fantasy. Not everyone follows the social norm or the status quo, everyone is different and thinks differently from reality. However, in the play, it gets to the point where some of the characters live in a total fantasy. In the play, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams shows the Wingfield’s family deeper. The Wingfield family has gone through many hard times, but the most impenetrable was when Tom’s father had abandoned their family. “A saga of hatred abandonment, abuse, self-sacrifice, and endurance,” following John Lahr’s article. He rarely communicated with them after his sudden disappearance. Ever since his father left their family, Tom has been supporting his mother, Amanda, and his sister, Laura, he began working at a shoe warehouse, which he hates. Over time, Tom realizes he wants to live his life, and not continue to support his family because he knows he won’t be doing it forever. However, Tom would feel guilty about abandoning his family, since it is like following in his father’s footsteps, Tom believes it’s for the better or worse. In The Glass Menagerie, William’s advocates his opinion on how you can’t always live your life like everyone else, sometimes you need a break from reality and have the freedom you wish to have always. This theme of breaking away from the real world and having freedom is an idea developed throughout reading the play.

Throughout The Glass Menagerie, Williams gives the idea of breaking away from reality and having freedom. In the play, there are several instances where Amanda, Tom’s mom, pays too much attention to him and babies him. It is clear that Tom doesn’t want his mom to constantly baby his every move. However, he feels the guilt whenever he has to stand up for himself and tell his mom to lay off and give him a break. When Tom comes home from work he doesn’t want his free time to be consumed by his mom controlling what he does, he is an adult and should have the freedom to do whatever he wants to. Especially after all Tom is doing for his family. Tom wants freedom and for his mom to not care for him, he is a grown adult who is 24 years old. His mom constantly annoys him even when he is eating… Tom says, “I haven’t enjoyed one bite of this dinner because of your constant directions on how to eat it. It’s you that make me rush through meals with your hawklike attention to every bite I take. Sickening — spoils my appetite–all thin discussion of–animals’ secretion–salivary glands–mastication!” (Williams 6). Tom has difficulty showing his emotions on how he feels he should be treated like a grown up since he is 24 years old. Tom wants freedom and space from his mom who doesn’t take an eye off of him. Most men Tom’s age would be married, meanwhile, Tom was living with his mom and working at a shoe warehouse that he would prefer not to work at, but he has no other option unless he wanted to suddenly abandon his family as his father did. After his father’s split from the Wingfield family, Tom has had to take charge it is a very hard job to make everything go right all the time, but he tries his best. When times like these where his mom pays attention to his every move, it makes Tom remember he isn’t a little kid anymore he is a grown man who deserves his freedom and respect. The only place Tom feels free from his family is when he goes to either the movies or the fire escape. Tom goes to the movie for his adventure, which the movies are usually referred to as the time when he goes drinking and spends his time having a fun time as a normal 24-year-old would. However, he didn’t want to continue going out to get a break from his family. “Yes, Movies! Look at them– (a wave toward the marvels of Grand Avenue) All of those glamorous people–having adventures–hogging it all, gobbling the whole thing up! You know what happens? People go to the movies instead of moving!” (Williams 61). After many nights spent at the “movies” Tom has concluded it is time to move away from his family and start his own life. Tom uses the movies as breaking away from reality and goes out to do occasional drinking to avoid making situations even worse at his house. Tom chooses the times when his mom gets enraged by some of his actions when he decides to leave. At first, Tom went to the movies not very often but then he starts to go more often where it gets to the point Laura, Tom’s sister, starts to get concerned and has a conversation to him about how she knows he isn’t going to movies and that he is drinking. Laura becomes very concerned for Tom because he had never acted in this way, the Wingfield family isn’t used to this behavior. Soon Tom’s mom gets involved because she is concerned for him too, although she didn’t know that he wasn’t going to the movies until it was too late to change what he had already done. Not only are the movies an escape for Tom to have freedom, but the fire escape in his house is another place where he has a break from his family and all the troubles they bring to him. Tom feels the temptation to go outside to the fire escape and smoke until he has to leave or his mom gets frustrated and mad at him for smoking since it isn’t healthy. “The apartment faces an alley and is entered by a fire escape, a structure whose name is a touch of accidental poetic truth, for all of these huge buildings are always burning with the slow and implacable fires of human desperation. The fire escape is part of what we see–that is, the landing of it and steps descending from it.” (Williams 3). The fire escape is represented as a place for Tom to go to, to think about his escape plan from his family, he can’t go through the pain of telling them his departure and why he feels the need to leave. Tom would also feel guilty, even though he will no matter what because of what his dad did to them. The fire escape is shown as Tom’s break away from his mom’s demands and his sister. Tom feels as if he is trapped in a box and can’t get out. He would have been out of the apartment already if his father hadn’t already abandoned them. The fire escape is where Tom figures out and plans his soon to be, escape route to run off from his family. Williams uses the movies and the fire escape as very symbolic points where Tom tries to break away from reality and in return have freedom.

Throughout The Glass Menagerie, Williams gives the idea of breaking away from reality and having freedom. Laura, Tom’s sister, retreats to her glass collection of animals and her Victrola. She goes to her glass unicorn which means the world to her. Everyone has that one prized possession that they can’t live without and that is the glass unicorn to Laura. She is abnormal to other people outside in the real world and she acts like it too. Laura knows she stands out from most people but that’s why she plays her Victrola. The Victrola is Laura’s freedom away from reality, she can just relax and listen to any music she wants to without there being a fuss. However, when Jim, Laura’s high school crush, came to the Wingfield house, he had made her feel insecure about her glass collection since that takes up most of her time. Which makes her different from other girls her age. “You know what I judge to be the trouble with you? Inferiority complex! Know what that is? That’s what they call it when someone low-rates himself! I understand it because I had it, too. Although my case was not so aggravated as yours seems to be. I had it until I took up public speaking, developed my voice, and learned that I had an aptitude for science. Before that time I never thought of myself as being outstanding in any way whatsoever!” Jim explains, (Williams 80-81). Jim continuously makes Laura’s confidence go even lower than it already was. Jim ruined Laura’s freedom which she felt was watching her glass figures. He is pointing out that she is very unusual and different than everyone else, not to forget special. The glass figures hid her from reality and were her way of escaping to freedom, the glass figures brought her joy. However, Jim says everything but anything positive, which sure doesn’t make her feel free from reality. Jim is trying to explain its like Laura is living in a different world than everyone around her, it’s like she is living in her own dream. Laura likes to believe she lives in her own world, but when Jim came to her house, he basically crushed her dream. Laura allowed Jim to hold some of her glass figures.

LAURA: Go on, I trust you with him! There now–you’re holding him gently! Hold him over the light, he loves the light! You see how the light shines through him?’

JIM: It sure does shine!

LAURA: I shouldn’t be partial, but he is my favorite one.

JIM: What kind of thing is this one supposed to be?

LAURA: Haven’t you noticed the single horn on his forehead?

JIM: A unicorn, huh?

LAURA: Mmmm-hmmm!

JIM: Unicorns–aren’t they extinct in the modern world?

LAURA: I know!

JIM: Poor little fellow, he must feel sort of lonesome.

(Williams 83).

Jim is exposing Laura’s inner self by saying that unicorns must be lonely. The unicorns are similar to Laura, which practically means that if the unicorns are lonely than Laura must be lonely too since the unicorns symbolize Laura’s unusual self. Laura knows a lot about the glass unicorns, they are her most prized possessions and all she cares about in the world. As Alice Griffin states in her article, “Jim draws Laura out of her shell to speak about her glass collection and even to trust him holding the unicorn.” She takes little offense to Jim saying that the poor unicorns are lonely, little does he know at first that Laura watches them every second of her life. Jim is very hypocritical to Laura over the glass unicorns, even though nobody in their free time would spend time watching over figurines, however, it’s Laura’s happy place that is peaceful for her. However, when Jim was teaching Laura how to dance, they bumped into a table, the table had the the glass unicorn on it. The horn on the unicorn had broken off, Laura wasn’t upset at the moment because Jim was there, although he was asking if she was okay because how important it meant to her. Right before Jim left her house, Laura decided to give Jim the horn that broke off the unicorn after the hit to the floor it took. E.E Cummings poem mentions, “The power of your intense fragility; whose texture compels me with the colour of its countries, rendering death and forever with each breathing.” Once Laura’s fragile glass unicorn broke, Laura panicked for a second before she hears Jim voice. Laura gave the unicorn to Jim because he had changed Laura into a normal girl after he kissed her, much like the unicorn who turned into a normal horse after the horn broke off of the body of the glass unicorn. This shows how symbolic and important the glass unicorn meant to Laura, however now that it’s not a glass unicorn and just a normal horse she doesn’t need it to break from reality and the real world to have freedom and feel free, now she can be her normal self.

Throughout The Glass Menagerie, Williams gives the idea of breaking away from reality and having freedom. Amanda, Tom and Laura’s mom, retreats to the past in the south to get away from the present reality with an absent husband, crippled daughter and unhappy son. As a mom, I can imagine it must be a hardship to have to take care of 2 kids, in this case. Amanda is trying her best to make the best of her situation, especially after her husbands’ sudden absence, therefore making Amanda nonstop think about positive thoughts from the past. Laura struggles to move or do anything when she heard Jim O’Connor was going over to their house. “Jim comes into the dining room, carrying the candelabrum, its candles lighted, in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. The door of the kitchenette swings closed on Amanda’s gay laughter; the flickering light approaches the portieres. Laura sits up nervously as Jim enters. She can hardly speak from the almost intolerable strain of being alone with a stranger.” (Williams 70). Laura’s incapability to be able to speak to Jim shows her crippled self. Jim was her high school crush who gave her the nickname of “Blue Roses”. This shows that Laura gets really shy to the point where she can’t move, and as a mom, Amanda has the job to avoid problems like these and make sure Laura doesn’t look stupid in front of other people because that would show she doesn’t really supervise her kids if they have any problems that need to be dealt with. Jim notices Laura is much different than most people he has met, he points it out to Laura after he taught her how to dance and after she shows him the glass unicorn. On the other hand, Tom is depressed because he has to work at a shoe warehouse and provide for his family after his father’s disappearance and he has had a lot of pressure put on him that he can’t handle. Tom says, “Listen! You think I’m crazy about the warehouse? You think I’m in love with the Continental Shoemakers? You think I want to spend fifty-five years down there in that–Celotex interior! With–fluorescent–tubes! Look! I’d rather somebody picked up a crowbar and battered my brain–than go back mornings!” (Williams 23). Tom shares his emotions on working at this shoe warehouse to his mom. She can’t tell him not to work there because someone needs to provide and support their family after his father’s absence, so Tom has to take one for the team and get through the day whether he likes it or not. Amanda has been having trouble taking order and making Tom and Laura follow rules since they are grown ups and should be able to do whatever they want. Williams shows Amanda’s struggles to get her present into happy, positive times like it was in the past, but that is very hard to do with an unhappy son and a crippled daughter.

William’s advocates his opinion on how you can’t always live your life like everyone else, sometimes you need a break from reality and have the freedom you wish to have all the time. This theme of breaking away from the real world and having freedom is an idea developed throughout reading the play. Tennessee Williams’ shows Tom’s journey to freedom, Laura’s journey to freedom, and Amanda’s attempt to freedom. Tom gets his freedom by abandoning his family, Laura gets freedom by the glass unicorn breaking and turning the unicorn into a normal horse which makes Laura a normal person, and Amanda trying to retreat to her affluent past in the south to get away from the current time where she is a single mother taking care of two kids, which are really two adults since Tom is 22 and Laura is 24 years old. The Wingfield has been through a lot, especially their father’s sudden absence, but they all had to adjust to the new scenery without him being there, and Tom had to step up and bethe man of the house and get a job he hates with a passion but does it for his family.

Before entering a discussion concerning truth, one must first establish the definition of truth. For this, I offer the definition simply as reality. For example, we can prove that the existence of gravity is a truth using experiments, observations, and calculations. Truth is synonymous to reality. It can be proven through logical deduction, and should be predictable, or at the least traceable. Any deviation from this is a deviation further from the truth. Furthermore, total truth is unattainable. Since our reality is limited by what we can detect, we can assume that we don’t know the extent of what actually compromises our world. Therefore, truth is a goal that should be strived to achieve, but just like perfection, can never be attained. With that in mind, the value will be that the Glass Menagerie presents truth more than it undermines it.

Tom refers to the glass menagerie as a “memory play”. But just because it’s a memory play does not mean that it’s inherently untruthful, and the development of his narration is evidence of this. At the start of the play, he’s calm, sober, and speaking directly to the viewer, but as the play progresses, notice that Tom starts to drink. It’s clear to see that this memory is deeply traumatic for Tom. He simply cannot continue without the comfort of alcohol, forcing the memory from him and letting go of all inhibitions. When one drinks, they tend to tell more of the truth than if they were sober. They forget what their roles are, and have less concern of what others think of them. There is simply no motive to lie when one is drunk. Furthermore, towards the end there’s significantly more distance from the viewer, almost as if he is talking more for himself than for the viewer. There’s less eye contact which results in less connection and more distance. From here, we can make two opposing conclusions. A) That because he is doing this for himself, he is being untruthful so that he can live with his past actions, or B) That what Tom has told us is true. He feels guilty for leaving his family, and as such, would not tarnish their memories by portraying them in this light. Believing that Tom feels guilty is the only viable option, as he makes an active effort to bring out the truth, and had he wanted to trick the viewer, he would not have portrayed Amanda as a mother who, at the end of the day, cares deeply for her kids.

Extending the discussion of portraying characters, Tom portrays himself as a villain in his own memory. Not only does he seek vengeance upon characters for previous actions, but he also follows a personal utilitarianism philosophy, willing to make sacrifices at any cost for his own personal benefit. We see this over and over again, and one example of this is Jim and Tom’s private conversation on the balcony. Tom has just revealed his plans to Jim, who’s reaction is “You will regret it when they turn the lights off (Williams 67)”, to which Tom casually responds with “I won’t be here (Williams 67)”. Tom has no consideration for what happens to his family, and the state of the house has no impact on him if he isn’t living under its roof. Furthermore, he likens himself to his father, saying that he was “just like his father. The bastard son of a bastard! (Williams 68)” Just as Mr.Wingfield impulsively left his family with no consideration of consequence, so did Tom. Just as Mr.Wingfield fell in love with long distance, Tom fell in love with adventure. By likening himself to his father, Tom has shifted the hate the viewer may have for Tom’s father to Tom. This can only be truth, as there’s no reason to present himself as worse than he was, and because this memory is so personal to him, we can establish him as a reliable narrator.

Finally, look to the impact family has on Tom. Family is something special to humans, and Tom is no different. To start, he simply wouldn’t be recounting this memory if his family didn’t have a significant impact on him. Despite everything he says, the truth is that he cares for Amanda and Laura, and cannot get over his past actions. Note that throughout the entire play, the only things we learn about are Amanda, Laura, and the warehouse where he works, even though these are the very things he seeks to escape from. It’s a testament to his love, but also to his impulsiveness. Go further with the nation that Tom loves his family, and it can be argued that he reflects himself onto his mother. He is bound by guilt to his past actions, just as Amanda is shackled to the past by nostalgia. They both live in their own worlds, reflecting how Tom forces his own character upon Amanda.

It’s worth restating here that truth is unattainable, and that the claim is not that Tom is entirely truthful. But because Tom has shown characteristics of being a truthful person to the best of his abilities, the memory as a whole contains more truth than anti-truth. And as a memory play, it is certainly wading in the mud of nostalgia and perspective, but even through that veil of illusion, the truth shines through in Tom’s actions, from his narration to his reflection on the characters. It is as if he was a magician, giving you “truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion (Williams 2)”.

The play ‘The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams focuses on the life of Amanda along with her son Tom, and “weakling” daughter Laura during the year 1937 at St. Louis. Having been left by their father, Tom, as the eldest son, was forced to work for the family (Bigsby, 1988).

The characterization, the lines used, and the symbolisms frequently used in the play make up for one whole interesting and heartwarming play. Moreover, the feelings of isolation, disappointment, entrapment, and/or expectations coupled with failed dreams are all highlighted in this story, written in a very dramatic and effective way enabling the readers to easily relate to the feeling of each of the characters.

First, there are personality differences. This occurs in the three most important characters in the play – Amanda, Laura, and Tom. Tom, as the sole breadwinner of the family, attains a strong personality along with a great determination to keep on living, not only for himself but also for the people who only live because of him. During the day, he is seen working at the Continental Shoemakers warehouse, but at nighttime, he seems to be always out, watching movies (Bigsby, 1988). Tom is a lot different from Amanda, the loving yet nagging mother, who is frequently in word fights with Tom because of her habit to meddle over her son and daughter’s lives. Her past story with her “bad” ex-husband kept on bugging her as if reminding her how she chose badly when it comes to men. And Tom is also a lot different from Laura, the frightened and shy daughter of Amanda, and his younger sibling. Her lame foot and poor self-confidence makemake herdepictedas a “burden” for the family. This is the reason why upon knowing that she has no guts to finish her class in Rubicam’s Business College, she is pushed by her Mom to look for a possible husband (Bigsby, 1988). However, Laura seldom goes out and is always seen holding and taking care of her glass menagerie, that is why Amanda entrusted to Tom the duty of finding a guy for Laura.

The main problem in the play started when the father and the husband left his family. That made Amanda’s life miserable resulting in an equally miserable life for their sons and daughter. All the problems encountered by the family such as Laura’s indifference and lack of confidence in herself are just part of the results of what happened to Amanda. And with this, the solution for their problem should also start with Amanda. If only she restrain herself from thinking and burying herself with the memories of the past… if only she just encourages her son and daughter to live a happy life, advice them of what is good, and teach them how to avoid those that are not good instead of full interference with their lives even to the point of pushing her daughter to marry the guy Laura doesn’t know personally… if only she knows how to show love and concern for her family and to put a happy environment with their home, maybe their lives could be a lot different and maybe Tom will not leave them and Laura will not be that ashamed of herself.

With the story plot and the major characters stated above, it became very clear that the major theme of the play is all about moving on… continuing your life … and making it more productive despite every negative thought and/or bad experience you may have had. The feeling of failure makes epicted to Amanda’s personality. Her way of nagging her kids is the best sign that she really felt bad about what had happened to her love life. That could be the greatest failure for a woman. Failing to maintain a complete family – one which has a responsible father, a loving mother, and respectful children – seems to be the heaviest burden on her shoulder. Tom, on the other hand, feels isolated. He feels that he became the sole responsible for his family; with no help whatsoever from his sister nor his mother. That makes him thinks and feel that nobody is depicted as there for him… that nobody has been backing him up. Moreover, because of his mother’s problem, he then feels that he was trapped inside the web of his own family. This is because he feels trapped and obliged that he should provide for his family. After all, it is only him who has the means to do that. The feeling of disappointment is what is in Laura’s mind and heart. She is disappointed towards her physical appearance… her being lame (Bigsby, 1988). She is extremely disappointed with her family’s way of life, in general, which she thinks is responsible for why she can’t find a good guy to marry her.

Indeed, this is one good and carefully written story… a story that is about a family and really for the family. Every family member could reflect his or her life on this story. Every family member could get some lessons on this story… lessons which she/he could use in managing his/her own family life in the end.

Reference:

Bigsby, C. W. E. “Celebration of a Certain Courage.” Modern Critical Interpretations: Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1988, 89-99.

Introduction

The Glass Menagerie is a play written by Williams who started writing at the age of fourteen as a way of escaping from the life situation that he faced. It has seven scenes that express a narrative speech. The play has five characters that include; Amanda Wingfield, Laura Wingfield, Tom Wingfield and Jim O’Connor. “The main aim of the script is not the action but rather the revelation of the characters” (Williams, p. 10).

Amanda’s withdrawal into the past

According to the play, Amanda is a mother to Tom and Laura. She was abandoned by her alcoholic husband when the children were young (Williams, p. 14). Therefore she brought up her children alone but was helped by his son Tom to support the family. She appears to be harsh especially to her children but it is because she cares for their future. She has a desire for her children to live independent life. This is confirmed when she is motivating her son to work hard in the warehouse. Amanda’s character is mostly influenced by her Christian values and morals (Williams, p. 55). She persuades her son to ensure that he does not become a drunkard in the future.

In most instances in the play, Amanda kept withdrawing from her past. One of the instances is when she compares Tom’s character with that of his father. She comments” more and more like his father, drinks, smoke, and bring home books” (Williams, p. 40). This character or behavior annoyed her mostly because her husband who abandoned her had the same characters but not because of her Christian morals.

Other than bad memories, Amanda also had good memories of her past. This is evident when she tells her children of how they used to entertain in the gentlemen callers (Williams p.9). She explains to her daughter Laura how a girl was supposed to behave and she was also worried because her daughter was not yet a spinster (Williams, p. 5).

In addition, she also remembers her youth days. For example, she remembered the fervor that surrounded she called ‘Gone with the wind’. In her youth memories, she comments, “I’ve seen such pitiful cases in the south- barely tolerated spinsters… Eating the crust of humility all their life” (Williams, p. 51). This memory made her help her daughter to escape from becoming an old maid. Tom’s nights in the movies reminds her of her wayward husband.

Amanda’s withdraw to the past suggests that she does not want anybody else and especially her children to go through the bad experiences she had in the past. For example, in the case of Tom’s drinking habit, she does not want him to live a life like that of his father. Her memories in most instances help her to advise and encourage her children.

Conclusion

In the play, Amanda’s character is the best for a parent. This is because she is using her past to guide her children because she wants them to have a better future than hers. That is why she is encouraging Tom to work hard in the warehouse and Laura to take typing course. She also does not want her son Tom to be a drunkard like his father.

Works Cited

Williams, Tennessee. The glass menagerie. Oxford: Heineman, 1996. Print

William Tennessee’s book ‘Glass Menagerie’ focuses on the moral dilemma facing Tom Wingfield as he tries to choose between pursuing his interests, or remaining in his drudge job at the shoe warehouse, which he needs to provide from his mother and sister (Williams 23). Both choices could have advantages and disadvantages. Living at home is very difficult for him as he is literary driven crazy by his mother with her constant demands of him as well as unrealistic expectations. He is the breadwinner for the family.

However, his mother does not appear the least grateful; she describes him as a self-centered and selfish person despite his efforts to do all that he is requested at home. She constantly tries to make him feel guilty whenever he tries to do anything for himself. This is apparent when he says he will go to the movies. Although he works in a shoe factory, he enjoys reading and writing poetry (Williams 34). However, his mother does not like her lifestyle. She complains about the lifestyle, and she later contributes to his loss of a job.

He partially wants to stay at home and look after his family because he is morally obligated to do so (Williams 36). The advantage of the action is that he supports his mother and sister. The disadvantage of staying at home, on the other hand, is manifested during the time he has been with them; he is mean and sometimes even cruel.

He does not respect his sister Laura. Even when he breaks her glass toys, he does not apologize or say anything about it (Williams 45). This is probably because he is unhappy for sacrificing his life and happiness for their sake.

On the other hand, he partially wants to run away and pursue his dreams and happiness. This would be an advantage because he would be free to live and do what he wants without anyone interrupting him.

Also, he hates his job and he would enjoy his reading and writing. Conversely, the disadvantage of this choice is that he would end up feeling guilty for abandoning his responsibility. Ultimately, even if he had decided to stay, the decision would still have been a difficult one. Probably, he would be required to take more time to think about the choice he should make, which would make him happy and comfortable.

Works Cited

Williams, Tennessee. The glass menagerie. New York, NY: New Directions Publishing, 2011. Print.

Introduction

The play “The Glass Menagerie” is a melancholy family drama written by Tennessee Williams. Laura is the daughter of Amanda Wingfield and sister of Tom, the narrator. She is described as “Six years out of high school. Incredibly shy and introverted. She fixates on her collection of glass figurines”. Laura suffers from a deformed foot. But she is more mentally fragile and is a weak girl who does not have the courage to face reality. She is happy to live in a closeted world and is not ambitious or confident to carve her own future. In the words of her brother: “…in the eyes of others—strangers— she’s terribly shy and lives in a world of her own and those things make her seem a little peculiar to people outside the house”. Overall, the character of Laura can be described as childish, shy, and possessing a low self-image.

Main body

Laura’s childish nature is seen through her playfulness, imagination, and creativity. She plays with her glass animals and enjoys her victrola but is unable to cope with typewriters, offices, flirtations, and strangers. Laura is the gentle portrayal of a girl fixed forever in childhood. At the age of twenty, she believes that stars are five-pointed because they are represented as such on the Star of Bethlehem which she fixes on top of her Christmas tree. She treats the characters in her favorite book as real and responds to her gentleman caller not because they had shared the same high school, but because in her mind, he resembles a character from her favorite book. Laura reveals her subconscious thoughts when she suddenly addresses Jim as Freckles, the protagonist of the novel which is no longer alluded to. Her playful conversation with Jim brings out the child in her. Talking about her favorite glass unicorn Laura says playfully: “He stays on the shelf with some horses that don’t have horns and all of them seem to be along nicely together” (221). In short, when Laura is not pretending, she is playing and remarkably her play involves imagination too. Laura’s playfulness stands in sharp contrast to all of the other characters. Laura indicates that she is secretly spending her time creating dialogic make-believe. She is creating plays involving her glass characters. Thus one finds that Laura is like a child: playful, imaginative, and creative.

She is too shy for this world, too withdrawn and sweet. Although the other characters rush around making plans for her success, she seems to have no ambitions regarding her future. Williams describes her as “a piece of her own glass collection, too exquisitely fragile to move from the shelf” (129). Seemingly happy with her collection of glass, Laura tends to her miniature animals, and listens to old records; during the day she walks and looks at the animals in the zoo (Gross 43). Her shyness is also reflected in the way she talks, at her own pace, using simple vocabulary, refusing to respond to usual signals, and is marked by her quiet withdrawal (Tischler 35). Her shyness gets her in the midst of conflicts between Tom and Amanda and makes her indulge in a world of dreams. Amanda forces her to join a young people’s church group where she might meet some nice boys. Because Laura won’t or can’t talk, the girl is humiliated. She is shy to the point that she becomes physically ill when forced to meet strangers. The Gentleman Caller scene in The Glass Menagerie provides a perfect example. She lets go of her inhibitions very slowly in the company of Jim.

Laura is a woman with a very low self-image. She does not have the confidence to meet the plans her mother makes for her. During her final semester in high school, she becomes nervously ill, fails her final examinations, and does not graduate. When her desperate mother spends fifty dollars on a secretarial course, Laura becomes nauseated during the typing speed test. Her reluctance to socialize is also indicative of her low self-image. Laura had been in love with Jim’s pictures in her high-school annual but did not have the courage to express her feelings probably due to fear of rejection. Her low self-image may be attributed to her crippled leg.

Conclusion

Thus, in the play “The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams, Laura comes across as a sweet and shy girl, self-conscious about her deformed foot. She is inwardly a charming trusting child who is playful, imaginative, and creative.