In Tennessee Williams‘ play The Glass Menagerie, the audience believes that the
menagerie simply refers to a glass collection owned by Laura Wingfield. Laura lives with her
brother Tom and her mother Amanda. Due to her mother‘s desire for her to marry, Jim‘s
introduction to the play is one as a gentleman caller. When Laura describes her glass animals to
Jim, she uses her mother‘s term ―glass menagerie‖ (Williams 414) for them. All of the figures
are glass, but the animals in it vary, and thus fit, one definition of the word. However, there is
another definition to consider: ―an unusual and varied group of people‖ (―Menagerie‖). This
interpretation of the word seems to fit the entire play. Glass takes on many forms: clear, stained,
tinted, broken, vitreous, plain, painted, fractured, faceted, and toughened are just a few. The title
of the play now represents the way that the varied group of people in it portrays the definition.
Tom introduces the audience to the Wingfield family by means of his memories. Since
the play is a memory, Tom‘s interpretation of his family stems from his point of view. He does
not try to make himself out to be any better than the other members are. If anything, his character
seems to have just as many, if not more, flaws as his sister‘s and mother‘s characters do. The
inner conflict he suffers from makes him seem like a piece of stained glass, all separated, and
unable to become one piece. His conflict stems from what he is, what he wants to be, and what
he knows is right. Amanda drives home the latter by asking, ―How do you think we‘d manage if
you were‖ (Williams 395) implying that all of their well-beings depend on him. He holds down a
job at a warehouse, but poetry ...
... middle of paper ...
...r than
let the differences tear them apart.
Works Cited
Holditch, W. Kenneth. ―The Glass Menagerie.‖ Identities and Issues in Literature (1997):
Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 16 Nov. 2010.
―Menagerie.‖ Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 11 Nov. 2010.
Panesar, Gurdip. “Literary Contexts in Plays: Tennessee Williams‘ The Glass Menagerie‖
Literary Contexts in Plays: Tennessee Williams‟ „The Glass Menagerie‟ (2007):1.
Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 16 Nov. 2010.
Tischler, Nancy M. ―The Glass Menagerie: The Revolution of Quiet Truth.‖ Bloom‟s Modern
Critical Interpretations: The Glass Menagerie (1988): 31-41. Literary Reference Center.
EBSCO. Web. 16 Nov. 2010.
Williams, Tennessee. ―The Glass Menagerie.‖ Literature: Craft and Voice. Eds. Nicholas
Delbanco and Alan Cheuse. Vol. 3.New York: McGraw-Hill. 2010. 387-420. Print.
The story is concerned with the conflict between his conception of himself and the reality.
In The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, the glass menagerie is a clear and powerful metaphor for each of the four characters, Tom, Laura, Amanda, and the Gentleman Caller. It represents their lives, personality, emotions, and other important characteristics.
... of hope for rescue and the destruction of their ties to former human society; and the Lord of the Flies, used to represent mankind’s “essential illness”: inherent human evil. Ultimately, Golding’s symbols, simple in appearance yet burdened with the weight of human savagery, violence, and inner darkness, do more than frighten. As these symbols are ingrained into our minds, so, too, is responsibility: the responsibility of recognition, understanding, and action. If we do not take heed of the messages behind Golding’s symbols, then our ignorance may be more than unwise—it may be fatal. For if we do not soon take steps to confront our inner evil face-to-face, we may eventually find ourselves trapped in Golding’s harrowing depiction of human society: one bound only by rules far too fragile that, when broken, lead only to chaos, self-destruction, and total savagery.
In Tennessee William's play, The Glass Menagerie, the character of Laura is like a fragile piece of glass. The play is based around a fragile family and their difficulties coping with life.
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