Though Amanda blames her children alone for relying on false illusions, she too carries this fault. Although it is obvious that the glass menagerie represents Laura because of her frailty, Tom, Amanda, and even Jim are exemplified too. They all concentrate their powers in illusions, only in different ways. More specifically, the glass menagerie unravels the character of Laura and lets the reader into her true personality. The glass menagerie “embodies the fragility of Laura’s world, her search for beauty; it registers sensitively changes in lighting and stands in vivid contrast to the harshness of the outer world which can (and does) shatter so easily'; (Stein 110-111).
Thus leaving the mothers character in a lack of hope for a better future. Because the mother is living in a world of depression a dark wall has wrapped itself around her. Worrying solemnly about the life of her daughter, the mother is neglecting to appreciate the positive attributes her daughter is presenting. Emily is a gifted comedian, "Where does it come from, that comedy?" (p.159) being a comedian during the Great Depression is almost as rare as finding water during an extensive drought.
Stella’s older sister, the fading princess of the south, Blanche Dubois, weaves a world of imagination around herself to protect what little she has left from her shattered life. These three... ... middle of paper ... ... of being honorable and respectable. His wife Stella Kowalski who lives in a world of reality yet replaces what she strongly disagrees with her own ideas, which eventually leads her to losing her sister. The final character Blanche Dubois became so engulfed in her own lies and stories, because of all that she lost and from the pressure of living with Stanley, that she lost grasp between the real world and that which she had made up. The play displays the idea of illusion very strongly, showing how each individual uses their own fantasies to create solutions for their faults.
By analyzing the actual meaning of a glass menagerie and breaking down several significant moments in William’s play, it is apparent that the menagerie represents Laura’s inescapable preparation for her life on display throughout the entire play and she will lose who she truly is. In matters of faith, this type of controlling environment that Amanda has created for her children does not allow for them to experience God’s grace. To begin, the actual meaning of a glass menagerie perfectly encompasses how Ms. Wingfield runs her household. First, the adjective used to describe the menagerie implies that it is delicate and fragile. The fact that the menagerie is made of glass gives the impression that it breaks easily and one must be cautious around it.
A Brother and Sister Relationship in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams In the play, "The Glass Menagerie", the characters and relationships between them are very unique. Two unique characters that have a very strong relationship are the brother Tom, and his sister, Laura. Tom is a confused, young man who supports his sister. Laura, his sister, has very low-self esteem and does nothing but sulk around the house all day. Their mother Amanda, is absolutely a lunatic.
She believes that this gentleman caller, Jim, is going to be the man to rescue Laura and she hasn't even met him yet. She tells Laura when Laura is nervous about the gentleman caller, 'You couldn't be satisfied with just sitting home', whe... ... middle of paper ... ...he major characters in this play are so warped and their lives so distorted and perverted by fantasies that each is left with only broken fragments of what might have been' (Davis 205). Works Cited Thompson, Judith J. Tennessee Williams' Plays: Memory, Myth, and Symbol. New York: Peter Land Publishing, Inc., 1987. Davis, Joseph K. "Landscapes of the Dislocated Mind in Williams' The Glass Menagerie."
Sam Boehm Instructor Brett Roscoe English 205C Mailbox #0066 14 February 2014 Shattered Glass Glass, although beautiful, can break with even the slightness of breath. Behind beauty, there is fragility and Tennessee Williams represents this idea in his play, “The Glass Menagerie”. Williams infuses symbolism into the play by incorporating the glass menagerie, to portray the underlying fragility of the Wingfield family. The glass menagerie symbolizes fantasy and escape for Laura, a distraction from reality for Amanda, and is the object of eventual scorn for Tom. Through the symbolism that the glass menagerie signifies we are able to uncover the fragility, vulnerability, and need for escape that is apparent within the Wingfield family.
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams -Joseph K. Davis, " Landscapes of the Dislocated Mind in Williams' 'The Glass Menagerie'," in Tennessee Williams: A Tribute Tom and his sister Laura is symbolically the actual glass menagerie, the play belongs to neither of them. The play belongs to their mother, Amanda, as substantiated by the above quote from Joseph K. Davis. Amanda indulges herself in memories of the past and refuses to accept the present. The play is also hers because it is her "tragedy". It is about how she behaves after her husband leaves her and her reaction when her son shows signs of doing the same.
. .” (VI.55,56,59). The loneliness Laura has is carried out through the play, especially when she comes to find out that Jim is engaged to another woman and cannot be with her. She goes back to her own little world so that no one can hurt her and she can protect her glass menagerie. Laura’s physical and emotional sensitivity can be seen throughout the play of The Glass Menagerie.
In Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie, the readers get a true look at a dysfunctional family. Amanda, Laura, and Tom Wingfield are a typical family struggling to get by. They encounter several problems with each other and are not able to overcome these problems due to the lack of communication and concern for one another. They are the exact opposite of what a family is considered to be. Each character lives in their own mind.