The female voice in “The glass menagerie” is highlighted essentially through the character of Amanda and her nostalgia towards her past life. In the play Amanda uses speech when she talks about her past life she maintains that she had a lot of gentlemen callers “seventeen! –Gentlemen callers!” she explains, a day that has been recounted so many times. The use of speech demonstrates to the responders Amanda’s voice through her evocative attitude about her past. As the play continues Amanda’s voice and her nostalgia towards her past life is demonstrated through music. The stage directions She stops in front of the picture. Music plays this is used to enhance the feelings of regret that Amanda’s voice shows. Amanda’s feelings towards her past are linked with the theme of the play, appearance and reality. Amanda fluctuates between illusion and reality, recalling days of her youth, as it is her only defence against the boredom and emptiness of living. Through Amanda’s voice it is indicated that she hasn’t accepted her reality and clings to her views from the past. Williams uses Irony when Amanda accuses Tom of living in a dream ‘you live in a dream; you manufacture illusions’. The use of Irony demonstrates that Amanda is the one who is living in the dream since she can’t move on from her past ways and life. Williams uses Amanda and her nostalgic feelings towards her past life to identify how the female voice is shown throughout the play.
As well as through Amanda’s nostalgic feelings towards her past life the female voice is also emphasized through establishing the tone of the text. The tragic and bleak tone represents the Wingfield's lifestyle both internal and external of their household. The housing in the neighborhood of St. Louis is described as "warty growths" and the people as "one interfused mass of automatism". This implies that the Wingfield's are a part of a tedious and monotonous lifestyle. Within the Wingfield household the inanimate tone of the text is also presented. Amanda's dominating personality has prompted their family to live in a state of tension. This tension has had a great effect on Tom and Laura's relationship with Amanda as they have become distant and deceptive. This is evident after an argument between Amanda and Tom, resulting in Tom aggressively stating that he is going to the movies. Amanda responds "I don't believe that lie!". This exclamatory phrase reveals the lack of trust and communication within their deteriorating family. Thus the composer has used tone to convey the female voice in which has effectively ruined a positive family affiliation.
Before I Fall, written by Lauren Oliver similarly conveys the female voice to the responder through the use of pathetic fallacy. By attributing human emotions or characteristics to nature, the responder is able to anticipate a change in the mood of the text. Pathetic fallacy is apparent in the novel when Sam says" The sound of the rain is louder than I thought and it startles me", implying that the weather is enraged and creates suspense for the incident that follows. By doing so, the responder develops an instinct that tragedy or hardship is inevitable. The use of pathetic fallacy reveals the female voice of Samantha to a great extent as it creates an image of her emotions and situation and reflects this through the weather.
Lauren Oliver's representation of Samantha Kingston in Before I Fall closely explores the female voice. Samantha's character is conceited and insensitive which is a catalyst for her death. After being given a second chance the composer uses various tones to explore the overall emotions in the text. The tragic and nostalgic tone represents the sorrow and misery connected to her death. Samantha reminisces upon her past memories and experiences with her sister when she says, "I want to see you grow up and Don’t ever change" Sam realises that she never appreciated or cherished these moments prior to the accident. This establishes the melancholic tone and emotions conveyed through the female voice. in addition, the tragic tone is expressed through the statement, "suddenly the car is flipping off the road and into the black mouth of the woods" which clearly represents the misfortune that has occurred, affecting the female voice significantly. Therefore, the composer's effective use of tone has represented the female voice and her feelings and emotions attached to her death.
The composer has used literary techniques in order to exhibit the characteristics of the female voice of Samantha Kingston. Throughout the novel Sam feels various emotions that contribute to the audience's understanding of her character. This is evident when Samantha experiences " a bubbly feeling like someone has shaken my insides up like a coke bottle ". Through the use of the simile, Oliver has likened samantha's joyfulness to the effervescence of a coke bottle. On another occasion, Samantha confesses that time can "slide like coins through your fingers". This simile initiates a nostalgic tone, as Sam informs the responder that time is valuable and could end at any moment. This contrast of emotions portrays the female voice of Samantha who experiences difficulty in re-living her life without regret. Overall, the effective use of similes has also created imagery allowing the audience to visualise the different emotions of the female voice over time. Through the use of the first person narration, the audience is given an insight into the feelings of samantha allowing the audience to empathise with her. Thus the composer has used techniques intrinsic to the form in order to convey the characteristics of samantha.
In conclusion, composer's have utilised techniques both literary and dramatic effectively in order to convey the female voice. In the text The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, the female voice of Amanda Wingfield has been expressed through tone, irony and symbolism in order to represent her inability to distinguish between illusion and reality. Correspondingly the text Before I Fall, composed by Lauren Oliver, conveys the female voice of Samantha through the tone, pathetic fallacy and similes which presents the nostalgic emotions associated with reliving her life again.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The southern colonies were probably some of the most deceiving colonies of the original thirteen. They got people to do hard labor for them. The colonists I guess you can say were like “supervisors.” They would sit under some shade sipping on ice cold water while they watched their slaves and servants sweat and maybe even bleed by doing things the owners were capable of doing but were just to lazy to. Deceiving because they say they will give you land and freedom which is true, but in the end they wouldn’t give you the exact same rights the colonists did.…
- 597 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The Glass Menagerie, by Williams, Tennessee is set in 1937 in the city of St Louis. The narrator is Tom Wingfield who supports his sister, Laura, and mother, Amanda. Tom acknowledges that he is the only man in the family and he strives to take care of the two women. Laura is a shy girl who drops out of school due to the challenges that she faces because of her shyness. The relevance of the narrative is deeply engraved in the use of the symbolism of the unicorn whose horn was later broken to resemble a normal horse due to its association with the conversion of the disillusioned Laura into a normal minded woman. Laura keeps the unicorn and other glass animals to be distracted from the normal daily activities that provoke her painful shyness. This paper analyses the use of symbolism in the play The Glass Menagerie.…
- 1088 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
In the novella, ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens, we see the change that the…
- 549 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
While reading the play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, the reader quickly learns of a, sadly, typical tale of family strife. In this play a family struggles to find the way out of their secluded, seemingly solitary life. Amanda Wingfield, the mother of Tom and Laura, only craves for the best for her kids. However, this ostensibly adoring mother puts Toms needs at the bottom of list. As a family without a father figure Tom, being the only boy, steps up to help his mother and sister. Striving to live up to his father’s memory, Tom helps by paying for the rent while putting his personal goals on hold. The Wingfield family goes through much trouble and strife portraying the sad truth of what goes on in the everyday family and home.…
- 892 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Almost all characters in the book "The glass Menagerie" are not ideal citizens of the original American dream, as they do not put action in to their dreams even if their aspirations lack virtue. In the story "The glass menagerie" the character that comes closest to a role model of an ideal citizen who is living out the American dreams of some sort is Jim. Jim has the most motivation in his aspirations to become successful, he also puts actions into his dreams and morally goes about achieving it"I believe in the future of television! I wish to be ready to go up right along with it. Therefore I'm planning to get in on the ground floor. In fact I've already made the right connections and all that remains is for the industry itself to get underway!"(Williams,…
- 501 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The Glass Menagerie and A Doll House have connections, with how the writers utilized the characters, and the symbolism to illustrate key ideas of the female characters, and the direct connection that each character has with the symbols.…
- 413 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
“The Glass Menagerie” by the famous American playwright Tennessee Williams is well-known for its lyrical tone and poetic power. The play is about love and understanding, inner isolation and desire to escape, when the main characters have their own paths to follow. Tennessee Williams depicts a true-to-life picture of the family survival with their mutual care and tenderness, but at the same time pressure and home violence. The events are presented by one of the main characters, Tom Wingfield, who lives with his mother and a crippled sister, and because of their father’s financial problems it is Tom who has to take care of others. In fact, he dreams to quit his tiring job at a shoe warehouse and become a poet, but being unable to do it, he starts…
- 369 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The Vietnam war was a civil war between the Vietcong and South Vietnam. Until the U.S. intervened. The U.S. sent troops over because they thought that if the Vietcong won the war it would affect the U.S. The U.S. sent troops and resources over to Vietnam in 1965. The U.S. withdrew their troops on March 29, 1973.…
- 414 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
In Tennessee Williams play The Glass Menagerie the narrator Tom Wingfield (Sam Watterson) is the protagonist. Although Tom's interest are in literature and poetry he supports his mother and sister at a mediocre warehouse job and spends much of his time dreaming of adventure and a life outside of the dank and dismal apartment he shares with Laura (his crippled sister) and Amanda (his mother). Throughout the play Tom is struggling with the decision to join the Merchant Marines and embark on an adventure that does not include his mother or his sister. He is tormented by guilt for considering leaving his disabled sister Laura behind and alone with their overbearing mother Amanda (Katherine Hepburn). Tom’s guilt and regret is evident from the beginning of the play when he hears his sisters voice softly calling his name.…
- 599 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
From having unfulfilled desires to abandoning loved ones, Tennessee Williams encompasses both aspects in his most successful piece of literature that will be examined for generations to come. The struggles of Laura are displayed perfectly by Tom’s memory in respect to her shyness and incapability of forming into society because of a disability yet this play is much more than just finding likely suitors. In The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, the characters Tom and his father are compared with each other in a fight against destiny. Both characters are faced with the struggles of a transitioning South being revolutionized into an industrial movement sweeping the world. Confronted by the same struggles of a typical Southern…
- 873 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The Glass Menagerie and Fences have been deemed one of the most influential texts that have come to be favored by many. The plays demonstrate the struggles of family life and the outcome of these circumstances. Each character within the two productions find their place within in their worlds. However, the plays differ from one another when reality comes into question. In the end of each play conclude on an optimistic manner that permits each party to grow from their experiences together.…
- 3985 Words
- 16 Pages
Better Essays -
"The Glass Menagerie" is a play written by Tennessee Williams. The play is semi-autobiographical, told from the point of view of the writer. It is a memory play set in the home the Wingfield family. The play is about a young man, Tom, who lives with his mother, Amanda and his sister, Laura. The play explores the various struggles of each individual during the great depression. The characters all have their flaws and motives which help us to understand them and sympathise or agree with them. All the characters in the play behave in some sort of obsessive manner; however, Amanda behaves most strongly this way.…
- 1131 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
D. Amanda went from having it all to struggling to help her children succeeded so they could one day have a better life…
- 1519 Words
- 7 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Tennessee Williams’ play The Glass Menagerie gives readers a look into a truly dysfunctional family. At first it could seem as if their lives are anything but normal, but Amanda’s “impulse to preserve her single-parent family seems as familiar as the morning newspaper” (Presley 53). The Wingfields are a typical family just struggling to get by. Their problems, however, stem from their inability to effectively communicate with each other. Instead of talking out their differences, they resort to desperate acts. The desperation that the Wingfields embrace has led them to create illusions in their minds and in turn become deceptive. Amanda, Tom, and Laura are caught up in a web of desperation, denial, and deception, and it is this entrapment that prevents them, as it would any family, from living productive and emotionally fulfilling lives together.…
- 3127 Words
- 13 Pages
Better Essays -
The play, "The Glass Menagerie", birthed Tennessee Williams into the world of the successful. This was a life of luxuries, vanities, and a sense of dependency on the worlds "unsuccessful" to clean all of life's dirty diapers. To some this may sound ideal, but Williams found that this life was numb to reality and did not bring the happiness and fulfillment ever so advertised as a product of success. He discovered that abrupt success did not lead to "happily ever after" like Cinderella convinced us all to believe. Williams writes of his dealings with success in his essay, The Catastrophe of Success.…
- 528 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays