Glass Menagerie Essay

A story often described as a memory, written by Tennessee William, projects realism as it reflects the hardships experienced face to face growing up during the Great Depression. The Glass Menagerie is no doubt the book that closely related to his family during this time period. Within this book, characters are a mirror image of his often abusive and aggressive father, his mother, a preacher's daughter who is loving and strong, and his sister Rose, who suffers from mental issues. Williams uses a variety of literary elements along with his memory and illusions to ultimately define imprisonment, relationships, fragility, while portraying realistic views of the American Dream.
Likewise in the Glass Menagerie, Tennessee WIlliams grew up in Columbus,
Mississippi in 1911 during the Great Depression. The Great Depression was a period of poverty, which struck physically on his family growing up. The Great Depression was often referred to as a vision of a better, deeper, richer life for every individual, regardless of the position in society which he or she may occupy by the accident of birth. Many times throughout the play, visions are loss sight of, and potentials are failed of being lived up to. Though the American Dream is something Amanda,Tom, Laura, and Jim all long for, only one is able to completely fulfill and define what the American Dream mounted for.
Within the Wingfield apartment, there is an fire escape root built in. “The apartment faces an alley and is entered by a fire escape…. for all of these huge buildings are always burning with the slow and implacable fires of human desperation.” ( Williams 3). The fire escape is in sync with Tom’s escape from his mother's constant agitation, as she hopes that he would find a “gentleman caller” for his sister Laura. It is clear that Tom considere his humble home to be as a coffin, as actions state when he and Laura watch a magician show. Amanda frequently states that he “fell in love with long distances”, creating an imaginary reason as to why he abandoned her. Tom himself converts the pain of his father leaving to humour jokes he makes while reviewing the picture hangin on the wall of his father; also, his mother’s former “gentleman caller”.
Amanda often speaks of the “gentleman callers”(Williams 5) , which reflects her dreams of an ideal man. “All of my gentlemen callers were sons of planters and so of course I assumed that I would be married to one and raise my family on a large piece of land with plenty of servants.”(Williams 64) This was Amanda’s vision of the American Dream for her daughter Laura, after falling short of her once previous dream of success and graduating business school. While anticipating a gentleman caller, Jim arrives as a guest by Tom. Amanda's expectations for Jim were high, and she and Tom began plotting a convene for Laura and he. Shortly after devoting his time to breaking Laura’s shell of shyness, he builds up the grit to kiss Laura. A turning point in the plot is formed, but not for the good. He kisses Laura only to break her heart, and destroy every ounce of hope Tom and Amanda had for Laura and a “gentleman caller.”(Williams 5) This takes a tole on Amanda due to the fact that she has devoted her life to reassure her children’s happiness. "I know so well what becomes of unmarried women who aren't prepared to occupy a position."(Williams 16) Amanda puts effort to prevent the same replay of events that happened to her life, to happen in her offsprings. Amanda cannot take back her past or relive it, therefore she has placed herself into her children's life. She wants Laura to marry a gentleman caller, her original dream for Laura, but it is based off of her own dreams disregarding Laura’s dream for herself. Fabricating the reality that after her husband of six years abandoned her, her children are the only physical items worth value in her life, as she is afraid that Tom will do the same.
Being that Jim arrived with Tom, it shows that Jim was too, another factory worker. Jim had great success in high school and was one of the guys who had everything handed to him on a silver platter due to his parents fortunes. When around Laura, Jim often has flashback to his high school days, which he become so enticed with his memories he actually believes that he can still accomplish and do things as he could previously. Jim describe himself as an “ordinary young man”, and he refuses to remain trapped inside of the factory working as a shipping clerk. With this mind set he is currently in school majoring in public speaking and radio engineering. Greatly different from high school, Jim finds out that reality of the real world “ much tougher than he might have expected.” Laura WIngfield presents herself as a shy, quiet girl who is content with her imagination.
DUe to her handicappedness, Laura goes to her imagination because it is a place where she feels complete serenity. She holds glass figurines dearly and with strong passion, because she herself is so fragile and weak. “Tom smashes his glass on the floor. He plunges out on the fire escape, slamming the door. Laura screams in fright”( Williams 73) which shows her reaction to hearing a single glass break. Laura often compares herself to the glass menageries. She quotes “I don’t have favorites much. It’s no tragedy, Freckles. Glass breaks so easily. No matter how careful you are.”(Williams 80) The traffic jars the shelves and things fall off them.” COntrasting this quotes to Laura’s situation, she began to realize instantly that she is not too different from something she think is beautiful. “It doesn’t matter. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.”(Williams 86) Laura states as the horn breaks off of one of the unicorns of her menagerie. While accepting the reality of her situation, it soon blossoms through her actions when she and Jim dance when she states “The horn was removed to feel less—freakish! Now he will feel more at home with the other horses, the ones that don’t have horns.”(Williams 86) Thus creating a point in which Laura begins to gain security in herself; as well as, assimilating with her
situation.
Tom Wingfield strives for adventures as he flees his apartment through the fire escape. Tom explains to is mother that “man is by instinct”; unfortunately, like all things else she ignores and rebutes his opinion. Actions such as these are the main reason behind Tom alienating himself from his family. Becoming more intolerable with the arguments, Tom dispatches himself gradually as the novel progresses. Because Amanda disregards the actual means of self freedom and individuality for success, Tom’s ambition and anxiety for freedom and creativity arises drastically. Tom understood and sensed how his values and worth were being muffled by his single mother’s wants and dreams. Connecting once again, Amanda living her life throughout her children. Amanda and Laura lived in a world of imagination, while Tom himself was a man of reality. “I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusions.” (Page 4) He saw things that they did not and to leave his family and apartment became inevitable. Being a character of the realistic point of view, Tom also seen Laura’s worth despite her dangerous situation, and proceeds to explaining her as one “whose inner beauty is too delicate to be disclosed to the world”. Ironic how William would quote a description of Laura, while she aims for seclusion and finds comfort in their apartment.
Amanda Wingfield is a believer in illusions and make believe, as she forces success on her children. Laura adored serenity while being enclosed in her apartments captivity, and Tom has “fell in love with long distances”, just as his father. Although this is what Amanda strived to avoid, it became inevitable for Tom. One can conclude that Amanda herself may be the reason as to why her husband and Tom left. Tom and Laura did not communicate as they should, but she soon became the force of Tom’s memory as he chased his dreams. Laura remained in Tom’s head, and she became the memory in which he would never escape.