The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee William: Based on the Memories of Tom Wingfield
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams is one of the most iconic plays of the 20th century. The play takes place in St. Louis in 1937. The play tells the story of the Wingfield family. The family is inclusive of Amanda Wingfield-the somewhat unstable mother; Laura Wingfield-the daughter of Amanda; and Tom Wingfield-the son of Amanda and the narrator. The play also features Jim, a friend of Tom and also a prospective gentlemen caller for Laura. The story is interesting and is often characterized as a memory play because it is based on the memories of Tom Wingfield (Themes, Motifs & Symbols). Tom Wingfield's character seems to care for both his mother and sister, however some of his actions are suspect and he seems to have a difficult time expressing his emotions. Throughout the play he says things that are rather cruel to both his sister and his mother. Tom's sister Laura is a peculiar girl that also has a physical ailment. Although
The fire escape is representative of the desire of both Laura and Tom to escape their situation of having to live with a mother that is unstable. Just as glass is fragile and delicate so was Laura as she was extremely shy (Themes, Motifs & Symbols). However, Laura gives the broken unicorn to Jim as a souvenir. One of the most apparent factors in the play has to do with the symbolism that is presented. Laura is peculiar she seems to be rather intuitive and seems to be the kindest and most selfless person in the Wingfield household. Although Laura was quiet and shy she also had depth and considered the feelings of others. The following away of the horn makes the unicorn a normal horse (Themes, Motifs & Symbols). Both Laura and Tom spend time on the fire escape. Finally, Amanda is the most out spoken or flamboyant member of the family; she also suffers from some mental instability. Finally the nickname "blue roses" was given to Laura by Jim and came about because he failed to properly pronounce a condition that she had which was pleurosis (pleurisy). Instances of symbolism include the glass menagerie itself, blue roses, and the glass unicorn. At one point in the play the glass unicorn is dropped and the horn falls off (Williams). This symbolized Laura's desire to be normal. Laura uses it to escape the musings of her overbearing mother and Tom uses it to plot his escape (Themes, Motifs & Symbols).
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