Symbolism In Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie

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Recommended: Sketch the character of Amanda from the Glass menagerie

Tennessee Williams wrote The Glass Menagerie in a poetic and symbolic manner. For example, the glass menagerie is a symbol for how fragile Laura is, and the fire escape is a symbol for Tom’s hope to escape his dysfunctional household. Amanda is very poetic when she speaks. For example, "Oh! I felt so weak I could barely keep on my feet! I had to sit down while they got me a glass of water! Fifty dollars’ tuition, all of our plans – my hopes and ambitions for you – just gone up the spout, just gone up the spout like that." (2.16, Amanda).

"I couldn’t go back there. I – threw up – on the floor!" (2.25, Laura). Laura is a terribly shy young woman. Her mother is furious when she comes to find out that when she thought her precious daughter was
He wants to leave, but isn’t like his father who left. Tom values family over self.

"Resume your seat, little sister - I want you to stay fresh and pretty - for gentlemen callers!" (1.14, Amanda). Amanda has convinced herself that Laura will attract many gentleman callers as she did when she was Laura’s age. However, that is not the case as Laura is too shy and fragile for gentlemen callers to come. It makes Laura highly dependent on her brother and mother for support.

“The scene is memory and therefore nonrealistic. Memory takes a lot of poetic license. It omits some details; others are exaggerated according to the emotional value of the articles it touches, for memory is seated predominantly in the heart. The interior is therefore rather dim and poetic.” (stage directions, 1.3). The Glass Menagerie is a memory play, and is therefore, unrealistic and untrustworthy. The nature of a memory play is that it requires a theme which affects the way the play is presented to the audience.

Tom Wingfield has a double role in The Glass Menagerie, he serves as a character and the narrator. Since The Glass Menagerie is a memory play, details are left out and stories are told from one viewpoint. Tom, being the narrator, can affect how this story is
She relates to the biggest symbols in the play. She is a piece of glass in her glass collection, too fragile to survive in the real world. Laura is just as rare as a blue rose, which is Jim’s nickname for her in high school.

Jim O’Connor seems like an ordinary guy, who just happens to be interested in Laura. Laura and Jim went to high school together. Jim breaks what has left Laura “crippled” to the audience. He is a symbol for what we expected from the world.

Mr. Wingfield is the character to never physically appear in the play. He abandoned Amanda, Tom, and Laura a very long time ago; however, his picture remains on top of the fire place. He was a long distance kind of guy who fell in love with long distance. Amanda doesn’t want Tom to turn out like his father,

The fire escape is literally an escape for Tom and Laura from the dysfunction of their household. Tom goes to the fire escape frequently throughout the play with the hope of one day escaping. Laura slips out to the fire escape in scene four, which highlights her inability to escape her

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