The Glass Menagerie Research Paper

"The play is memory"(pg. 1). Set in the 1930s of struggling America, it depicts a fictional family, the Wingfield, in a St. Louis apartment. This made up family includes-Laura, a sweet, shy girl who thinks she's cripple, Amanda, a nostalgic widow, and Tom, a rebellious, adventurous son. An additional character is added named Jim, a mistaken gentleman caller. These four characters meet in The Glass Menagerie, an award winning and Broadway expressionistic hit play made by Tennessee Williams. The drama portrays Laura's endeavors with her so called "condition", family, and more importantly love. However this changes when Jim comes to the Wingfield residence, changing Laura in an emotional and psychological level. Throughout the whole story we find many themes including love, expectations, reality, and hope. With so many possibilities one portrays the play better than anything, reality; what you see, feel, or expect is different from reality. This statement is proven through Amanda, Laura, and the families expectation of Jim dating Laura. The theme is seen in Amanda because of how
We were told that Tom will be bringing a gentleman caller for Laura, named Jim D. O'Conner. From this sudden announcement, they think that Jim is considering to date Laura. This thought is strengthened when Amanda hears them talking comfortably. Although this is true, we find out that Jim's visit was a misunderstanding. Instead of it being an occasion to meet Laura, it was purely because of the reason being invited to dinner by a close friend. Also we find out that he was already destined for someone else. This is seen in the quote, "We're going to be married the second Sunday in June."(p. 93). This quote underpins the statement because it shows that even though Jim danced, kissed and spoke to Laura, which made us think that he's in love with her, he had a fiancé all