Laura Wingfield Symbolism
In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams uses delicate symbols and limits Laura Wingfield’s language to reveal the strong and independent nature of Laura underneath her demure and shy guise. To the reader, Laura Wingfield is a glaring contrast to her impulsive mother Amanda, and her brother Tom who displays an oscillating nature between being caring and cruel. Although Laura feels that she is restricted in life by her handicap and reticent nature, she opens up greatly and exhibits a confident and positive side to her. This unraveling of her powerful nature is accomplished by a variety of subtle, yet poignant symbols, such the glass menagerie itself which captures both Laura’s fragility and her strengths. Throughout the play, Laura’s speech
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is minimal, but her silences and brief moments speak volumes, as it reveals her pain and her battles to defeat them. Laura’s relationship with Tom and Amanda further emphasizes her powerful nature, as she is the glue that keeps her dysfunctional family from shattering. Laura’s restrained and reserved nature can be misinterpreted as weak and feeble, but in reality those characteristics only serve as a facade to her independent personality. Laura’s vulnerability and sensibility is beautifully captured through her silence and terse speech.
Laura’s laconism is a gateway to her powerful soul during her interactions with Jim, the gentleman caller. Laura is head over heels in love with Jim, which naturally elevates her stress to an extreme level. Along with that, Jim accidentally knocks over her most beloved glass animal, the unicorn, while dancing with Laura. This causes an emotional storm to rage up inside Laura. When Jim asks her what they hit while dancing, Laura replies concisely. Her succinct responses covers the emotional turmoil that she is trying to suppress and fight back. This moment shows that she is fully capable of preventing an emotional outburst, and does not let this traumatic moment translate into her actions. Laura is a fighter, battling her emotional damage and succeeding after Jim kisses her and promptly announces he is engaged. As Jim recites his love saga with Betty, Laura is absolutely silent, but her terseness conceals the tumult going through her mind. She fights, struggles, and eventually triumphs when she bravely smiles and offers her prized unicorn to Jim as a souvenir. This scene exhibits Laura’s growth and maturity as her recently experienced shock does not influence her outward actions. Laura uses her silence as a moment of struggling and regaining her composure from the pain of unrequited love and her broken glass piece. In a sense, Laura’s glass pieces represent her, and embodies her strengths accompanied by her weaknesses.
The glass figures, are among the symbols that deftly illustrates Laura’s concealed strengths.
The gracefully crafted glass pieces represent Laura’s gentle and delicate nature. However, glass exposes its power and strength into the vicinity when it shatters into pieces. Likewise, Laura becomes courageous and much more powerful after Jim breaks her heart. Jim goes through the process of making her hopeful and then immediately tarnishes her desires of living a domestic life with him in their short encounter. However Laura emerges as the bigger person by giving him a memento. This scene reveals Laura’s resiliency that is often hidden beneath her taciturn demeanor. The nickname Blue Roses also plays a significant part in divulging Laura’s strengths. Blue roses are not found in nature, which makes them unique. The unprecedented quality of blue roses applies to Laura as well. Her riveting and child-like personality gives her a peculiar nature, but her uniqueness is what makes her powerful. Accompanying their rareness, blue roses also represent regal majesty and splendor. Laura’s nickname being Blue Roses raises her to the level of being a queen or princess. A royal figure is powerful, and likewise, Laura is in full control of her life and her conciliating yet doting relationship with her family further proves
that.
Laura is an extremely significant part of the Wingfield family, as she alleviates the numerous disputes between the conflicting personalities of Tom and Amanda. Laura is the force that keeps their dysfunctional family together. A heated quarrel between Amanda and Tom, which slowly becomes uncontrollable, is only stopped when Laura calls out Tom’s name. Throughout the play, Tom makes many attempts to leave his family, but they are halted when the thought of Laura comes into his mind. In his last monologue, the guilt of leaving Laura haunts him and he cannot travel without that regret weighing him down. Laura is deeply loved by her brother, and her steadfast presence has a prominent influence on him. Laura also assuages the tension between her family by telling Tom to apologize to Amanda so that a peaceful atmosphere can appear. Laura always takes the initiative to bring love and reconciliation between her family so that the repelling forces between them can be appeased.
Laura Wingfield is a strong and loving girl who gives her all into bringing warmth into her family along with treating herself well. Laura does not give up easily, and battles her emotions when they start getting negative. When Jim tarnishes her hopeful dream of marrying him, she is resilient, and considerate by giving him a present. Her speech is concise, but powerful, as it covers her struggles with her inner storms. Laura is someone who bounces back stronger when something breaks her, and her nickname, Blue Roses, elevates her to a royal and authoritative figure. Laura is the peacemaker and diplomat in the family who keeps them in check and prevents a tense atmosphere from developing. In The Glass Menagerie, Laura is beautifully presented as a young woman with a reticent facade but a loving and potent soul.
is minimal, but her silences and brief moments speak volumes, as it reveals her pain and her battles to defeat them. Laura’s relationship with Tom and Amanda further emphasizes her powerful nature, as she is the glue that keeps her dysfunctional family from shattering. Laura’s restrained and reserved nature can be misinterpreted as weak and feeble, but in reality those characteristics only serve as a facade to her independent personality. Laura’s vulnerability and sensibility is beautifully captured through her silence and terse speech.
Laura’s laconism is a gateway to her powerful soul during her interactions with Jim, the gentleman caller. Laura is head over heels in love with Jim, which naturally elevates her stress to an extreme level. Along with that, Jim accidentally knocks over her most beloved glass animal, the unicorn, while dancing with Laura. This causes an emotional storm to rage up inside Laura. When Jim asks her what they hit while dancing, Laura replies concisely. Her succinct responses covers the emotional turmoil that she is trying to suppress and fight back. This moment shows that she is fully capable of preventing an emotional outburst, and does not let this traumatic moment translate into her actions. Laura is a fighter, battling her emotional damage and succeeding after Jim kisses her and promptly announces he is engaged. As Jim recites his love saga with Betty, Laura is absolutely silent, but her terseness conceals the tumult going through her mind. She fights, struggles, and eventually triumphs when she bravely smiles and offers her prized unicorn to Jim as a souvenir. This scene exhibits Laura’s growth and maturity as her recently experienced shock does not influence her outward actions. Laura uses her silence as a moment of struggling and regaining her composure from the pain of unrequited love and her broken glass piece. In a sense, Laura’s glass pieces represent her, and embodies her strengths accompanied by her weaknesses.
The glass figures, are among the symbols that deftly illustrates Laura’s concealed strengths.
The gracefully crafted glass pieces represent Laura’s gentle and delicate nature. However, glass exposes its power and strength into the vicinity when it shatters into pieces. Likewise, Laura becomes courageous and much more powerful after Jim breaks her heart. Jim goes through the process of making her hopeful and then immediately tarnishes her desires of living a domestic life with him in their short encounter. However Laura emerges as the bigger person by giving him a memento. This scene reveals Laura’s resiliency that is often hidden beneath her taciturn demeanor. The nickname Blue Roses also plays a significant part in divulging Laura’s strengths. Blue roses are not found in nature, which makes them unique. The unprecedented quality of blue roses applies to Laura as well. Her riveting and child-like personality gives her a peculiar nature, but her uniqueness is what makes her powerful. Accompanying their rareness, blue roses also represent regal majesty and splendor. Laura’s nickname being Blue Roses raises her to the level of being a queen or princess. A royal figure is powerful, and likewise, Laura is in full control of her life and her conciliating yet doting relationship with her family further proves
that.
Laura is an extremely significant part of the Wingfield family, as she alleviates the numerous disputes between the conflicting personalities of Tom and Amanda. Laura is the force that keeps their dysfunctional family together. A heated quarrel between Amanda and Tom, which slowly becomes uncontrollable, is only stopped when Laura calls out Tom’s name. Throughout the play, Tom makes many attempts to leave his family, but they are halted when the thought of Laura comes into his mind. In his last monologue, the guilt of leaving Laura haunts him and he cannot travel without that regret weighing him down. Laura is deeply loved by her brother, and her steadfast presence has a prominent influence on him. Laura also assuages the tension between her family by telling Tom to apologize to Amanda so that a peaceful atmosphere can appear. Laura always takes the initiative to bring love and reconciliation between her family so that the repelling forces between them can be appeased.
Laura Wingfield is a strong and loving girl who gives her all into bringing warmth into her family along with treating herself well. Laura does not give up easily, and battles her emotions when they start getting negative. When Jim tarnishes her hopeful dream of marrying him, she is resilient, and considerate by giving him a present. Her speech is concise, but powerful, as it covers her struggles with her inner storms. Laura is someone who bounces back stronger when something breaks her, and her nickname, Blue Roses, elevates her to a royal and authoritative figure. Laura is the peacemaker and diplomat in the family who keeps them in check and prevents a tense atmosphere from developing. In The Glass Menagerie, Laura is beautifully presented as a young woman with a reticent facade but a loving and potent soul.