What Does The Glass Menagerie Represent
The Glass Menagerie
The Glass Menagerie, written by Tennessee Williams shines light upon early 20th century society, particularly how women were courted. Laura, Tom Wingfield’s sister is handicapped and has had no gentlemen callers, which concerns her once popular mother, Amanda. This story, being a “memory play” allows Tom to be both a character and a narrator. By telling his story in the present and reliving it in the past, one can infer that Tom is conflicted with the thought of leaving his family, or staying to help them survive after the Great Depression. This desire to escape and the idea of freedom stems from Tom’s narration and how he recalls events, a recollection that must be taken with a grain of salt on account of Tom’s bias. …show more content…
Many examples of symbolism are seen through the stage directions, mainly the lighting. Tom says, “Being a memory play, it is dimly lighted, it is sentimental, it is not realistic“ (Williams 1615). This dimly lit setting reminds one of the twilight zone, a dark and eerie dimension filled with shadows, that takes one back in time to a period in which Tom was not content with himself. This darkness is representative of being in a state of limbo, hindering Tom from moving on in his life. Laura’s “glass menagerie” or collection of glass animals has symbolic reference as well. The fragile nature of the glass is a direct representation of Laura’s fragile state, which is one of the many reasons why Tom stays at home for as long as he does. There is also symbolic reference to the Bible when Amanda, Tom’s mother, tells Tom to “rise and shine” in the morning and get ready for work. This symbolic reference can be traced to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, freeing humanity from their sins, and ultimately arriving in heaven. This escape from sin can be seen as well in Tom’s underlying desire to escape, and yearning for the freedom that would come with it. Jesus died to save us from sin, but tom ironically uses sin and vices to escape from life. When Tom leaves at the end of the story he is freed from the clutches of society and can do as he pleases, with no effect on his
The Glass Menagerie, written by Tennessee Williams shines light upon early 20th century society, particularly how women were courted. Laura, Tom Wingfield’s sister is handicapped and has had no gentlemen callers, which concerns her once popular mother, Amanda. This story, being a “memory play” allows Tom to be both a character and a narrator. By telling his story in the present and reliving it in the past, one can infer that Tom is conflicted with the thought of leaving his family, or staying to help them survive after the Great Depression. This desire to escape and the idea of freedom stems from Tom’s narration and how he recalls events, a recollection that must be taken with a grain of salt on account of Tom’s bias. …show more content…
Many examples of symbolism are seen through the stage directions, mainly the lighting. Tom says, “Being a memory play, it is dimly lighted, it is sentimental, it is not realistic“ (Williams 1615). This dimly lit setting reminds one of the twilight zone, a dark and eerie dimension filled with shadows, that takes one back in time to a period in which Tom was not content with himself. This darkness is representative of being in a state of limbo, hindering Tom from moving on in his life. Laura’s “glass menagerie” or collection of glass animals has symbolic reference as well. The fragile nature of the glass is a direct representation of Laura’s fragile state, which is one of the many reasons why Tom stays at home for as long as he does. There is also symbolic reference to the Bible when Amanda, Tom’s mother, tells Tom to “rise and shine” in the morning and get ready for work. This symbolic reference can be traced to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, freeing humanity from their sins, and ultimately arriving in heaven. This escape from sin can be seen as well in Tom’s underlying desire to escape, and yearning for the freedom that would come with it. Jesus died to save us from sin, but tom ironically uses sin and vices to escape from life. When Tom leaves at the end of the story he is freed from the clutches of society and can do as he pleases, with no effect on his