The Glass Menagerie Literary Analysis Essay

“The Glass Menagerie” written by Tennessee Williams is a dramatic play that employs meaningful literary elements to guide viewers deciphers the true meaning of the plot. The writer utilizes several literary elements, but the vital elements are characterization, setting, and theme. Literature is tedious to decipher, therefore it is imperative that the audience understand how to analyze literary elements to completely understand the true meaning of literature plot; for instance, if Tennessee Williams did not utilize literary elements, the plot of this play will be monotonous.

The play employs three key characters, but Tom Wingfield is the prime character. Not only is Tom the most-important character, but he is also the narrator. The audience needs to be mindful that Tom is the narrator, because this changes the entire theme of the play. For instance, Tom is a miserable character that is recollecting past events that involve his mother, Amanda and sister, Laura. His relationship with his mother is turbulent and demonstrates this early in the play by stating “I haven’t enjoyed one bite of this dinner because of / your constant directions on how to eat it. It’s you that / makes me rush through meals with your hawk-like / attention to every bite I take. Sickening-spoils my / appetite – all this discussion of animals’ secretion- /

The narrator describes the alleys as “murky canyons of tangled clothesline, garbage cans, and the sinister latticework of neighboring fire escapes.”(1386) according to Patterson, this statement shows the audience “strong contrast to idyllic life Amanda describes from her youth and are in conflict with Tom’s vision of a life of high adventure.” Coupled with the apartment, this is also an unpleasant stimulus that will ease Tom’s decision to leave everyone behind. The audience must understand and analyze the setting to thoroughly understand the theme of the