It is not what the author says, but what he or she whispers, that is important. In this quote, Logan Pearsall Smith comments on the importance of underlying themes in a piece of literature. The quote implies that thoughts expressed openly may be less important than those in an understated way. The whispers of the play provide insight into what the author has to say about personality. These observations can be found in such works as The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. The author uses symbolism to convey the importance of the principal theme.
According to most English dictionaries, the word symbol is defined as one that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object representing something invisible. In most, if not all literary works, one might find such objects or even characters which can hold a special, sentimental meaning or value for a character or the work itself. The play The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, Williams uses many symbols, which represent many different things. Many of the symbols used in the play try to symbolize some form of escape or difference between reality and illusion. Each character can be found with symbols that best represent them.
The first symbol, presented in the first scene, is the fire escape. This represents the "bridge" between the illusionary world of the Wingfields and the world of reality. This "bridge" seems to be a one-way passage. But the direction varies for each character. For Tom, the fire escape is the way out of the world of Amanda and Laura and an entrance into the world of reality. For Laura, the fire escape is a way into her world. A way to escape from reality. Both examples can quickly be seen: Tom will stand outside on the fire escape to smoke, showing that he does not like to be inside, to be a part of the illusionary world. Laura, on the other hand, thinks of the fire escape as a way in and not a way out. This can be seen when Amanda sends Laura to go to the store: Laura trips on the fire escape. This also shows that Laura's fears and emotions greatly affect her physical condition, more so than normal people.
As the play informs us, the glass menagerie or collection of animals is the play's central symbol. Tennessee Williams Whispers that Laura's collection of glass animal figurines represents a number of facets of her personality. Like the figurines, Laura is delicate, fanciful, and somehow old fashioned. Glass is transparent but when light is shined upon it correctly, it reflects its true colors, It does shine! (1293). In the same manner, Laura
is quiet and dull around strangers and a multifaceted delight to those who choose to look at her in the right light. The menagerie also represents the imaginative world to which Laura devotes herself, a world that is colorful and enticing but based on fragile illusions.
The glass unicorn is Lauras favorite figurine and it becomes a symbol for her. Tennessee Williams Whispers it represents her peculiarity. As Jim, her prospective husband points out, unicorns are "Extinct"(1293) in modern times and are lonely as a result of being different from other horses. Laura is unusual, lonely, and trapped in an imaginary world in which she lives. What happens to the unicorn is a small scale version of Laura's fate in the last scene. When Jim dances with her and then kisses Laura, the unicorn's horn breaks off when it hits the floor, and it becomes just like any other horse. Both Laura and the unicorn are fragile and Jim "Breaks"(1294) them both when he tells her that he is Engaged to another girl (1298). Jim's advice allows Laura to discover facets in her life, making her seem more like just another girl, but the advice cannot help Laura become normal without somehow shattering. Eventually, Laura gives Jim the unicorn as a "Souvenir" (1295). Without its horn, the unicorn is more appropriate for him than for her because the broken figurine represents all illusions that he has taken from her and destroyed in her.
As Pearsall suggests, we must listen carefully to the Whispers in a piece of literature. Moreover, it allows the reader to appreciate what the author means and the types of techniques he or she uses to convey their meanings. Tennessee Williams was able to Whispers and convey his ideas using the literary technique of symbolism,
allowing the reader to see the different facets in on personality.
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