The Glass Menagerie is a play that is very important to modern
             literature. Tennessee Williams describes four separate characters, their
             dreams, and the harsh realities they faced in the modern world. His
             setting is in St. Louis during the Depression-Era. The story is about a loving family that is constantly in conflict. To convey his central theme,
             Williams uses symbols. He also expresses his theme through the characters'
             incapability of living in the present.
             The apartment that Amanda, Laura, and Tom Wingfield share is in the
             middle of the city and is among many dark alleys with fire escapes. Tom
             and Laura do not like the dark atmosphere and their mother always tries to
             make it as pleasant as possible. The two women do not get out much to
             socialize. Amanda sometimes goes to D.A.R. (Daughters of the Revolution)
             meetings, but Laura does not like to socialize at all. She has a slight
             limp and is extremely shy with people. When she does leave the apartment,
             she falls. She is unable to function in the outside world.
             As previously stated, symbols play an important role in The Glass
             Menagerie. Symbols are substitutions that are used to express a particular
             theme, idea, or character. One symbol that is used over and over is the
             fire escape. This has different meanings to the characters. For Tom, it
             is a place where he can escape to. It is where he goes to escape from his
             mother's nagging. He is open to the outside world when he is on the fire
             escape. It is his way out. For Laura, it is where the gentleman caller
             enters and where the outside world is brought inside to her. But to
             Amanda, the fire escape is not only where the gentleman caller enters, but
             where he will come in and rescue her daughter from becoming a spinster.
             Amanda feels that if the gentleman caller comes, then he will
             rescue Laura. The problem is that Jim, the caller, has not even met either
             of the two...