Literary Analysis of The Glass Menagerie by Tenessee Williams

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The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams had ordinary people in an ordinary life that closely resembled the influences of Williams’ personal life while having reoccurring themes and motifs throughout the story. The play has been done by many with some variations in the scripts and setting while still clinging to the basic ideas of the original play.
Amanda Wingfield was a complex character that encompassed many facets of her personality. She longed to have the life she had as a girl and young woman with gentleman callers and being the center of attention; her reality though, was a much more dismal existence with a son who worked at a factory making little money at a job he despised and a daughter that was as emotionally and physically as fragile the glass figurines her daughter collected. She was a caring mother that wanted to see her children succeed and lead what she believed to be a meaningful and secure life, although her techniques and visions in achieving this were misguided and overbearing. During the play’s snapshot of life, the Great Depression had taken its toll on the family which made Amanda reminisce about her past as a southern belle to escape the pain she felt in her present. She was in constant denial of her daughter’s defect and personality (Roberts). She could not grasp why her daughter was not more like herself in her younger years. She continually badgered Tom to become what she envisioned a man to be and not to chase what she considered silly dreams of adventure. She also had unrealistic expectations that would not be realized for Laura by expecting her to be an outgoing person with a steady stream of gentleman callers (Odak). Amanda’s consistent high expectations made the situation the family was en...

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...elia. Study the Character of Amanda Wingfield in the Glass Menagerie. 4 November 2013. .
Roberts, James L. CliffsNotes on The Glass Menagerie. 04 November 2013. .
SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes on The Glass Mnagerie. Ed. SparkNotes Editors. 2003. 30 October 2013. .
The Biography Channel website. Tennesse Williams.biography. 2011. Website. 6 November 2013. .
The Glass Menagerie. By Stewart Stern and Tennesse Williams. Dir. Anthony Harvey. 1973.
Williams, Tennessee. "The Glass Menagerie." McMahan, Elizabeth, et al. Literature and the Writing Process. Boston: Pearson, 2014. 767-807.

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