How Is The Glass Menagerie Symbolic English Literature Essay

The 19th century drama, The Glass Menagerie, captures the play and life of the troubled Wingfield household. In the drama, each character struggles with insecurities and hinders themselves in many ways of making certain coveted ends. Amanda, the female parent, is really inexorable in desiring her childs to better themselves. Tom, the boy and brother, has many dreams but is stuck in a world of difficult work and small freedom. Laura, the girl and sister, chiefly keeps to herself and has really small contact with the outside universe. Upon reading The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams the inquiry was raised of “ How is the glass menagerie symbolic in the drama? ” After analysing the drama, the glass menagerie is symbolic in the drama because it describes Laura, Tom, Amanda, and the full household.

The glass menagerie is descriptive of Laura in many ways. Like the glass menagerie Laura is in a delicate province. Williams provinces, “ [ Laura ] [ has ] failed to set up contact with world, [ and ] continues to populate vitally in her illusionsaˆ¦ ” ( 281 ) . She uses her cripple/handicap as an alibi to conceal herself from the universe. She is diffident and thinks everyone is ever focal points on her being crippled. Williams writes that Laura says, “ I had to walk in forepart of all those people. I had to travel cloping all the manner up the aisle with everyone observation! ” ( 318 ) . This quotation mark shows how sensitive and self-aware Laura is. Like the glass menagerie, Laura is stuck in her ain universe. By remaining to herself she hinders herself from holding a societal life and is invariably being told what to make. The glass menagerie can be described in all of these ways which is why it is symbolic to Laura.

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The glass menagerie is compares to Tom in several behaviours. Like the glass menagerie, Tom is stuck. Tom is stuck at a occupation and place that he hates. He is stuck in a place where he takes the function of the male parent and provides for them alternatively of being able to follow his dreams as a poem author. His ways of escaping is by traveling to the films, composing on the occupation, and smoking coffin nails. Williams notes that Tom feels, “ I ‘m right at the point of perpetrating myself to a hereafter that does n’t include the warehouse ” ( 311 ) . This quotation mark shows Tom ‘s desire to make things that he enjoys. Tom says, “ I ‘d instead person picked up a wrecking bar and battered out my brains- than travel back forenoons! ” ( 292 ) . Like the glass menagerie, Tom is crystalline in the ways that he is so blunt when stating that this is non the life he wants and merely wants to get away. The glass menagerie can be described in all of theses ways which is why is symbolic to Tom.

The glass menagerie is symbolic to Amanda, the ma, in many ways. Amanda is stuck in this life without a hubby and unsuccessful kids. Williams writes that Amanda says, “ What is at that place left but dependency all our lives ” ( 288 ) . She wants kids to travel to school, have great callings, and have fantastic households. She wants the success for her kids so severely that she is overbearing to Tom. Williams states that Amanda says, “ My devotedness has made me a enchantress and so I make myself hateful to my kids! ” ( 295 ) . Like the glass menagerie, Amanda is dependent on Tom for everything. Amanda expects so much from Tom, such as money, happening Laura a gentlemen company, and even taking dark categories to better him. The glass menagerie can be described as stuck and dependant, which is why it is symbolic to Amanda.

Finally, the glass menagerie is representative to the full household in legion ways. In the drama everyone is dependent on Tom for everything. Williams writes that Tom angrily says, “ House, house! Who pays rent on it, who makes a slave of himself to- ” ( 291 ) . They need Tom for money and to happen Laura a gentlemen company. All of the characters are stuck in lives they do non see themselves in. They are all endeavoring to better themselves but ever encounter or make reverses. The glass menagerie is dependent on Laura to care for them, stuck in environing they are placed in, and are transparent, which is why they are symbolic to the full household.

To others, the glass menagerie may non typify to the full household or any one individual in the drama. Yes, others may experience that the glass menagerie does non cite Laura, because she give away one of her favourite glass statuettes at the terminal of the drama but she is still quiet and reserved. ( 326 ) Many people may experience that the glass menagerie does non cite Tom because he leaves in the terminal, but he is still believing about him household and misses them. ( 329 ) Yes, others may experience that the glass menagerie does non cite Amanda because she gets Laura to open up by holding dinner with the gentlemen company, but she is still dependent on Tom and feels that it is his mistake that it did non work with Laura and the gentlemen. ( 328 ) Besides, others may experience that the glass menagerie does non compare to the characters in the drama as a household because they all accomplished things at the terminal of the drama that shows growing, but back uping facts show that there could be some significance.

The glass menagerie is descriptive of all of the characters in the drama and of the full household in many similar ways. In the ways the characters portray their mundane lives shows significance to the aggregation of glass statuettes that Laura keeps. The glass menagerie can be described as being stuck, transparent, dependant, and fragile. All of these features that describe the glass menagerie are descriptive of all of the characters individually and as a whole.

Work Cited

Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. Researching Literature: Writing and Arguing About Fiction. Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. Ed. Frank Madden. 4th erectile dysfunction. New York: Pearson Longmon, 2009. 281-329. Print.

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