and when are un aware of the dangers in the real world. Teenagers do not realize how well they have it and do not have to worry about true responsibility. As they grow old, people tend lose that childlike wonder and the free spirit of being a teenager. Few in this day in age tend to make the most of their life and the time they are given. Aside from the fact that stories can influence reality, reality can have a major impact on the author or the characters.
Stories about war, social change and even personal events that occur, can affect the plot of a literary work. A great example of this is The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, which describes a family who is concerned for their relative’s future. The Wingfield family is concerned with Laura’s future and her disability. She wears a brace on her leg, which gives her some restrictions in life. Her brother Tom and mother Amanda are worried for her, due to the fact the United States is at the end of the great depression and the start of World War II (Williams, pg. 1378-1379, 2017). Laura’s family is troubled by the thought of her struggling with finances and not having a spouse to support her. In this time, women had already gained the right to vote, but were still not considered equals by many. This made is extremely difficult for them to find employment, much less getting paid enough to get by. Her relatives try to find her a suitor to take care of her in her conditions. In the end the find Jim O’Connor, Tom’s old friend and Laura’s crush from high school. They have a great time at dinner but, unfortunately she finds out that Jim is in a very serious
relationship. In more common cases, stories or writings such as The Glass Menagerie tend to have a very monotonous feel to them. The reader tends to wonder off and begins not to concentrate on the characters. As it progresses it becomes more redundant and the audience loses interest completely. Another passage that people could consider not to read again is the story of The Necklace by Guy De Maupassant. Many choose not to re-examine the plot of a woman who is in need of jewelry. This series of events outlines what happens when a woman loses her friend’s necklace, due to the fact that she attended a party the night before. This simple idea of how a small item can cause a huge problem is very predictable in literature. One is quick to lose curiosity while reading and will begin to loath the activity. These types of stories follow the same ‘cookie cutter’ formula when being written. Also, they contain the same cliché ending of how the object had no importance to the owner or was not as valuable as stated before. Tennessee Williams had pour judgement when attempting to engage the viewer into his work. Just as there are authors that lack prudence; there are the few who are the ‘Michelangelo’ of fiction, such as Edgar Allan Poe.