Glass Menagerie Essay

Glass Menagerie Essay
In the play The Glass Menagerie, written by Tennessee Williams, a realism style drama is still
being performed 50 years after its debut in New York. The plotline and title both center on Laura
Wingfield's glass menagerie collection. William's used glass as a tool to represent fragility, both of
individuals and of the Wingfield family. The evidence regarding importance of the glass menagerie is
found in the fact that Tennessee Williamsnames the play after it. Through the title, individual
characterization, and family dynamic, Williams intertwines the theme of fragility to tell the tale of
the Wingfield family equating them to glass, which is both beautiful and fragile like all people.
The play is introduced to the audience breaking the 4th wall by Tom, who is the narrator and
protagonist. There Tom details that the play is based on his...show more content...
This world is similar to the glass in that it is "colorful, but based on fragile illusions" (Palmer).
Laura uses this world as a way to shield herself from her unhappy realities of an overbearing mother
named Amanda, and her brother Tom who is clearly burdened by Laura. "The collection embodies
Laura's imaginative world, her haven from society. The old–fashioned, somewhat childlike, timeless
nature of the menagerie further highlights Tom's depiction of Laura as a figure who exists outside
the traditional confines of time and space" (Oppenheimer).
In her collection Laura has a favorite figure, the glass unicorn. Her choice in the unicorn and the
item of the unicorn represents Amanda's uniqueness. Even Amanda's own mother Laura
recognizes how unique her daughter is as she describes her to her guest as, "She is like a piece of
her own glass collection, too exquisitely fragile..." (Williams 14). Amanda's choice to favor
something out of the order shows the value she places on being unique and is a telling feature of her
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In the play, The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams addresses the hardships of a small,
lower–middle class family in St. Louis. The family's future is controlled by the Amanda but, Tom
will accept that no longer as he strives for independence. With their absent father, Amanda is placing
the weight of the world on her children's shoulders as she continuously comes up with ways her and
her family could potentially get ahead in life. Tom feels the pressure of being the man of the house,
as he's responsible for the family's income and works daily to provide for his mother and sister. After
analyzing the characters, one might say that Tennessee Williamshas used the title The Glass
Menagerie to directly relate to the children being held captive...show more content...
In reading the play, the reader can see by Tom's hurtful comments to his mother that his fear of living
without intention makes him ambitious and aggressive to seek his own life.
Defining the word menagerie, the reader can conclude that Tom feels much like an animal being held
captive Amanda. In efforts, to escape his mother's hovering shadow, Tom explores out to the movies.
The fun is short–lived as he eventually returns home where he is back to reality and back with his
annoying mother. Growing tired of living the way his mother wants him to live Tom begins to carry
around aggression towards everything because he is unhappy. After an argument begins with mother
in scene three Tom begins shedding light on how he really feels by saying to his mother,
"Look!–I've got no thing, no single thing– in my life here that I can call my own..."(Williams 130).
After reading the comments it becomes clear to the reader of Tom's ambition. Although Tom works
to support his mother and sister, he really wants to get out the house to explore life on his own
without being under the supervision of his mother. Shortly after Tom expresses his feelings he tells
his mother, "It seems unimportant to you, what I'm doing–what I want

Growing up, Tennessee Williams' had a modest mother along with a loud and abusive father. Many
children today grow up without their father being around. The outcome of being a child of a single
parent could be great, but it is up to them to choose not to let one conflict get in their head. In
Tennessee Williams' play, The Glass Menagerie, the author creates two characters, Tom and Laura
Wingfield. Tom struggles to concentrate on occurrences that are right in front of him, learning that
he will later regret his decision of leaving his family behind exactly like his father did, while Laura
has trouble finding confidence, she comes to understand that lacking that confidence will only stop
her from better preparing herself for the future.
Primarily, Tom recognizes his life now, from his life when living with hismother and sister, and
realizes that he the reason he abandoned them was to fulfill his needs. Specifically, Tom argues with
his mother about his life choices: "Why, listen, if self is what I thought of, Mother, I'd be where he
is – GONE!"(3.79–80). Here, Williams reveals a side of Tom that as readers we have never seen
before. We can infer that Tom is more interested in doing...show more content...
Particularly, Laura informs Amanda about why she could not go back to school: "It was the lesser
of two evils, Mother. I couldn't go back up. I – threw up – on the floor!" (2.76–78). Here, Williams
uncovers Laura's dread to go back to school. By Laura getting sick in class, it made her feel
uncomfortable. Not only did Laura feel out of place but... Relating this to people in the world
today, if someone were to throw up in class they would not just stop going to school, they might be
a little embarrassed though. Laura's incident at school reveals that Laura is a person who is
extremely shy, which is where the lack of confidence comes

The Glass Menagerie Essay examples
Research Paper
"The Glass Menagerie"
English 102
Spring 2010
Outline
I. Introduction
a. Thesis statement– Playwright Williams uses symbolism throughout "The Glass
Menagerie" to illustrate the struggle for happiness that each character faces.
II. Symbolism
a. The Glass Menagerie
b. Escape
c. The Unicorn
d. Darkness
III. Conclusion
The purpose of this paper is to introduce and analyze the play "The Glass Menagerie" by
Tennessee Williams. Specifically it will discuss the symbolism and imagery in this play. "The
Glass Menagerie" is a tragic story of the Wingfield family, a dysfunctional family of dreamers
who never seem to actually achieve their dreams. Amanda,...show more content...
To
escape the raw facts of her lonely life, her dysfunctional family, and her own lack of motivation,
she retreats into the past. She continuously looks back on her girlhood and the "gentlemen
callers" who filled her home and admired her. In some pathetic part of her mind, she remains

that young, tantalizing flirt, and as long as she immerses herself in those dreams, she can escape
the very dull reality of her present life. She is poor; her husband abandoned the family, her son
does not respect her, and her daughter is disabled. Escape is the only thing she has that brings
her any joy or satisfaction in her life. Another critic notes, "Amanda represents the ideals of the
Old South, the Puritan tradition, and a kind of meaningless conformity that destroys the
individual without the consequence of enriching the world" (Crandle 12). Each member of the
family uses escape in some way to cope with their unhappiness, but Tom is the only one to make
a permanent escape. Critic Harold Bloom writes, "Thus, while the father still personifies love to
the romantic memory of the middle–aged Amanda, he symbolizes another kind of romance to his
son–the romance of escape and adventure" (Bloom 34). Escape is in Tom's blood, and that is
clear throughout the play–his major goal is always to leave, symbolizing his father's role in his
life and his need to

Glass Menagerie
Written Responses
Topic: Discuss how a theme is developed in the play through two characters. Provide 3 pieces of
evidence to support the theme as it applies to each character.
" The Glass Menagerie ", a memory play by Tennessee Williams, not only depicts the depressing and
unhappy lives of the Winfield family at St. Louis around 1930's, but also highlights the obstacle for
Tom to pursuing his dreams under the family obligations; the obstacle for Laura to overcoming
shyness and inferiorities to interact with the...show more content...
Standing on the fire escape outside the apartment and "getting a cigarette" allows Tom to
temporarily find peace from Amanda's nagging inquisition and commands, as he said, "I'd rather
smoke" when Amanda complains to him about smoking too much. Through Amanda's sighing, "A
fire–escape landing's a poor excuse for a porch", it reveals more clearly that the fire escape has
already been a route where Tom could readily escape from the world of Amanda to a world of new
dimensions. Other than Amanda, Tom is also trapped in the responsibility of supporting his mother
and sister who are dependent on his wages to live, as he complained, "Who pays the rent on it, who
makes a slave of himself to... For sixty–five dollars a month I give up all that I dream of doing and
being ever!" Furthermore, Tom despises the tedious job at the warehouse that stops him doing his
own interests, as he cried out, " You think I'm in love with the Continental Shoemakers? ... I'd rather
somebody picked up crowbar and battered out my brains – than going back mornings!" All of these
situations cause Tom to have an even stronger will of escape. Hence, going to movies or having
drinks in the bar every night has been another way that Tom uses to escape and seek adventure to
compensate for his dull and depressed life. In Scene Four, Amanda asks, "Why do

The Glass Menagerie Essay
The Glass Menagerie Symbolism is a major aspect in Tennessee William's famous play, "The
Glass Menagerie." On the surface, the short slice of life story seems to be simple. However, if the
reader digs deeper they will find that there are several symbols that give the play a deeper meaning.
Each character defines each symbol in a different way. There are some very noticeable symbols that
can be analyzed when studying "The Glass Menagerie." The first is the actual glass menagerie that
represents the fragility of the Wingfield's dreamlike existence. The second is the fire escape, which
reflects each character's tendency to escape from reality in their own ways. The third is the yellow
dress, which represents youth and the past....show more content...
Now it is like all of the other horses. The unicorn losing its horn is a symbol. The unicorn in its
original state symbolizes something different. It is delicate, beautiful, and precious in it's own
unique way. This could symbolize Laura has natural beauty in an "unearthly way" that is hidden by
her shyness and limp. When Laura starts to talk to Jim, she gets more confidence in herself and
realizes that she is not that different from everyone else in the world. The horn symbolizes a
difference, an obstacle to be overcome and admired.
The fire escape is a major symbol in this play. It represents a different symbol for each character.
For Amanda, the fire escape is a way for her to be protected from the outside world, or reality. She
cannot live in the present, and the lack of a front door makes it easy for her to avoid real life. She
convinces herself that she isn't capable of leaving the safe haven she has created by locking
herself inside the strange apartment. She has become trapped by her memories. Laura uses the
fire escape as a symbol in a similar way. She, too, is protected from the outside world by the fire
escape, and she is also limited by it because of her handicap. It will require an extra effort for
Laura to overcome her limp and get out into the world using the fire escape, symbolizing how her
life is more difficult because of her handicap and her delusional mother. Tom

Essay On The Glass Menagerie
Tennessee Williams, an American playwright, his famous works are "The Glass Menagerie" and
"A Streetcar Named Desire" Tennessee Williams creation of drama is directly related to own
personal life and experience. He has a sister Rose Williams she is diagnosed with schizophrenic.
In The Glass Menagerie it is talking about a memory play in the 1940s talking about Tom
Wingfield in the 1930s, Tom is the narrator and the major character in the book. The other three
characters are Amanda the mother, Laura sister of Tom, and Jim the gentleman caller. Laura in the
book is like a reflection of Rose; they both are disabled in some parts of their body. In The Glass
Menagerie's, Laura is crippled and in real– life Rose has schizophrenic. As the book has been a
classical collection of Tennessee Williamsa lot of people have read it from around the world by
westerners and also easterners. The context of the book is talking about the United States classic
low class families. For easterners, they might not be well...show more content...
In The Glass Menagerie, Amanda has an aggressive characterization, she is holding on to her son
and daughter. "Oh! I felt so weak I could barely keep on my feet! ...Just gone up the spout like that"
(Williams 13). From this quote we can see that Amanda is making Laura do something that she didn't
want to do and when the command is not done she turns upset. Back in the 1940s mom being
aggressive is a very common thing that happens, the adults take control over the family. But now
days, in the modern world children have more of their own opinions of what to do. Readers who
are reading back in the 1940s will think that Amanda is being a normal mom that is teaching their
own children what to do, for readers in the modern world Amanda would become a mom that cares
too much for their own children which will make them feel

The most important symbol in this play is the title itself, The Glass Menagerie. A menagerie is a
collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition; in this case it was Laura's collection of
glass animal figurines. The little figurines, especially the unicorn, represent a number of elements
about Laura and the entire play itself. The glass is a symbol of fragility, which is also a key facet
to the overall symbolism in this memory play.
Like the Menagerie, Laura is unique, delicate, and somewhat childish. Laura Wingfield is the
daughter of Amanda Wingfield, an overbearing mother who is stuck in the past. She is also the
sister of Tom Wingfield, who wants to escape the responsibilities of thefamily and start his own life.
Laura lives in the past, because she physically and emotionally crippled. Due to a childhood illness
Laura's leg is shorter than the other making...show more content...
According to Jim, unicorns are "–...extinct in the modern world" (Williams, 2013) and similarly to
Laura, she is unable to survive alone. Because of its horn, it is a divergent from the other horses in
her collection of menagerie. This excerpt ". . . You see how the light shines through him?"
(Williams, Scene 7, 2013) is has a very important symbolic meaning. Laura is like this translucent
piece of glass and when touched by light she shines with beauty and grace, taking on whatever color
she desires. These elements of her little glass unicorn are exactly like Laura and making her an
aberrant woman.
There is glimmer of hope for Laura in scene 7, she and Jim, the "gentleman caller," dance and he
accidentally knocks over the little glass unicorn, causing its horn to break. She gracefully says
"Horn! It doesn't matter. . . . [smiling] I'll just imagine he had an operation. The horn was removed
to make him feel less–freakish!" (Williams, 2013). For a moment, it seems like Laura has a chance
to finally be like other girls her

The Opening of Glass Menagerie Essay
The Opening of Glass Menagerie The opening of Glass Menagerie is key in establishing themes,
relationships, dramatic conventions character symbolism and style. Discuss. The opening of the
play 'Glass Menagerie' let the audience know about various elements of the play such as themes,
relationships, characters and dramatic conventions. This was done by detailed description of the
setting and the narrator, Tom informing the audience. The main themes of the play could be found
in the opening. The fact that the play was about memory had been made clear in the beginning with
the line, "the scene is memory..." Once again confirmed very clearly by Tom who said, "the play is
memory." The audience could easily interpret that...show more content...
Amanda was the obvious case of denying it. When Laura told her "I don't believe we're going to
receive any" gentleman callers she frantically yelled "not one gentleman caller? It can't be true!"
Escaping was another main theme of the play which was introduced in the beginning. This theme
was mostly related to Tom who always wanted to escape from Amanda and his hopeless, tedious and
meaningless life. Tom addressed the audience in the beginning of the play standing near the
fire–escape. The fire–escape was used to enter the apartment but to Tom, it was more than that. His
frequent outing to the movies, which was his means of escaping from Amanda and his depressing
life, was all done through the fire–escape. However, the audience were made aware of the fact that
his escape in the end was not so delightful as the thought of leaving Laura haunted him after he left
her. "Oh Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you behind me, but I am more faithful than I intended to be."
Maybe Williams was trying to say such thing, as a true escape did not exist in the first place.
Relationships between the main characters and the characteristics of them were established in the
opening. The most prominent ones would be the relationship between Amanda and Tom and
Amanda and Laura. These two were contrasting due to the

Glass Menagerie Essay

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