The Glass Menagerie Symbolism Analysis

The Glass Menagerie is a play written by Tennessee Williams, who introduces the main characters: Amanda Wingfield, Tom Wingfield, and Laura Wingfield. The symbols represent the problematic lives of Tom, Amanda, and Laura. Amanda used her youth, Jonquils, gentlemen callers and past to escape the problems. The symbols that represent Laura from the play are blue roses, unicorn, type writer, light, brace on her leg, candles and glass menagerie. Tom had his own symbols to escape the problems. He used fire escape, movies, and Mr. Wingfield’s photograph to escape from his problems at home. The symbols in the drama present more details to the readers as well as the audience. Each symbol in the play represents many different things and most importantly the deeper meaning of the play. The symbols like props, theatrical devices, and lighting also helps characters to escape from the problems. Williams used a lot of symbols throughout the drama which allowed the readers to learn about the character’s personalities and how they escaped the problems.

Amanda is obsessed with the past which was filled with popularity and prosperity which somewhat helped her escape the problems. Amanda tries to escape the problems of life through her recollections of gentlemen callers. She repeats the story of her past that “One Sunday afternoon in Blue Mountain” she “received seventeen! gentlemen callers!” and “sometimes there weren’t chairs enough to accommodate them all” (Williams 1). She always reminds herself of the past. Her husband left her and she “retreats into the illusionary world of youth” (The Glass Menagerie 1). Audience can clearly see and agree that Amanda loves her children a lot, but because of her “constant nagging, her endless retelling of roman...

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...thful than I intend to be!” (Williams 4). This shows that Tom is guilty for leaving Laura behind. Tom leaving the house reflects back on his father’s photograph which represents the central symbol of The Glass Menagerie.

Each character in The Glass Menagerie had different symbols. The characters in the drama were not able to have the life they wanted and regretted the choices they had made. Each character’s problems were seen through the symbols that Williams used throughout the drama. The symbolism showed that each character had its own flaws. Because of the symbols, the audience as well as the readers were able to understand the personalities of each of the characters and relate to their problems. The use of different symbols throughout The Glass Menagerie shows the personalities of the characters and the how they escape from the problems using these symbols.