Tennessee Williams' plays were influenced by the events of his life, which include his illness, his sister's breakdown, his family relations, his reaction to fame, and also his relationships with men and women. The personal events that took place in his life were depicted in his setting, events, themes, and characterization in his plays. To many Williams' is just another playwright, but to others he's a playwright with interesting views. One author says, "I am convinced that Williams is the most important playwright writing in American today," (Kahn, Pg. 71) while another disagrees and says, "Williams' writing reflects a continual preoccupation with the same themes, the same kinds of characters." (Weales, Pg. 19) While Williams' life has an influence on his plays, it has a negative and positive influence. Williams plays are a torrent of his emotions and frustrations reenacted; yet it is also the truth on how the pragmatic world is. While Williams' plays are "continual preoccupations with the same themes," they are full of pragmatic ideas, which help the reader realize the truth about life.
             "It was in Clarksdale that Tom was struck by a serious illness which affected his life in a strange way." (Gould, Pg. 226) At age five, Tom suffered from Diphtheria, which left him week kidneys and paralyzed legs. (Gould, Pg. 226) Because of this illness Tom withdrew from the world. He couldn't play sports like his father wanted him to, which led to a bad relationship with his father, so he was forced to his books and the world of imagination. At age eleven he also withdrew from his family except for his sister Rose and he started writing stories. Tom's illness led him to the characterization of his play A Glass Menagerie. In this play one of the characters, Laura, suffers also from the same illness as Tennessee. She is crippled, and walks with a limp and a brace....