Commentary on The Glass Menagerie Essay

The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerieanimal collection, in which she had great care for. Laura was nearly crippled with her bad leg and because of her self-consciousness of her leg; she dropped out of high school. Laura wasnt a very popular girl, unlike her mother Amanda, who told stories of her 17 gentlemen callers. Amanda wanted Laura to find a nice gentleman caller so she took matters into her own hands and asked her son, Tom, to bring one home for her. The following day Jim OConnor came for dinner. When the two get the chance to talk alone, they seem to hit it off, and Jim even kisses her. Then he tells her a little about his past and how he was previously engaged. This really upset Laura and when Jim left, she returned to her glass animals. is a play written by Tennessee Williams. The play is told by the memory of Tom Wingfield and takes place at the Wingfields home in St. Louis. Laura Wingfield, who the story is mainly about, is a young girl who most people would see as lonely. Laura however didnt see herself that way. She had the company of her glass

The history of this play goes back to the 1940s where it was first premiered in Chicago. The author of the play is Tennessee Williams (Thomas Lanier Williams). He was born in Columbus, which is now known as Mississippi, in 1911. Many people say the play was written based on the authors life because there are characteristics linking Tennessee and the boy from The Glass Menagerie (Tom). More characters also resemble some of his family members, such as Laura and his disturbed sister. This play has won New York Critics Circle Award for the best play of the season. The Glass Menagerie was one of his finest plays.

The authors purpose for writing this play was to represent a familys way of escaping their reality. Tom wasnt happy with the job he had in the shoe warehouse. He tried to escape his reality by going to the movies every night and maybe having a few drinks afterward. Laura of course deeply cherishes her glass animals, this takes her away from real world problems. Laura and Toms mother is even trying to face the reality that she is not as young and popular as she once was. I think the author did reach the point he was trying to get across.

One of many literary devices used in the play was a symbol. The meaning behind the title, The Glass Menagerie is very essential to the story. Its referring to Lauras glass collection of animals. The glass symbolizes Laura, a not-so-stable person. Instead she was delicate and scared to face the world. When Jim breaks one of her glass animals, it shows Laura isnt just in her own little world, shes in it just like everyone else. This literary device adds meaning to the title and gives the reader something to think about. It helps the reader stay interested and to keep them guessing.

I personally would recommend reading this book because everyone has their own way of dealing with problems. This story shows a family who dealt with insecurity and wanting to get out. Laura had her animals to help relieve her of those problems. Her glass animal collection gave her comfort and made her feel like she wasnt alone. People all over the world might not share those same problems, but I think its safe to say we all have different methods of escaping reality when it seems to bother us.