The Glass Menagerie Essay examples - 1983 Words

Research Paper â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† English 102 Spring 2010 Outline I. Introduction a. Thesis statement- Playwright Williams uses symbolism throughout â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† to illustrate the struggle for happiness that each character faces. II. Symbolism a. The Glass Menagerie b. Escape c. The Unicorn d. Darkness III. Conclusion The purpose of this paper is to introduce and analyze the play â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† by Tennessee Williams. Specifically it will discuss the symbolism and imagery in this play. â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† is a tragic story of the Wingfield family, a dysfunctional family of dreamers who never seem to actually achieve their dreams. Amanda,†¦show more content†¦To escape the raw facts of her lonely life, her dysfunctional family, and her own lack of motivation, she retreats into the past. She continuously looks back on her girlhood and the â€Å"gentlemen callers† who filled her home and admired her. In some pathetic part of her mind, she remains that young, tantalizing flirt, and as long as she immerses herself in those dreams, she can escape the very dull reality of her present life. She is poor; her husband abandoned the family, her son does not respect her, and her daughter is disabled. Escape is the only thing she has that brings her any joy or satisfaction in her life. Another critic notes, â€Å"Amanda represents the ideals of the Old South, the Puritan tradition, and a kind of meaningless conformity that destroys the individual without the consequence of enriching the world† (Crandle 12). Each member of the family uses escape in some way to cope with their unhappiness, but Tom is the only one to make a permanent escape. Critic Harold Bloom writes, â€Å"Thus, while the father still personifies love to the romantic memory of the middle-aged Amanda, he symbolizes another kind of romance to his son-the romance of escape and adventure† (Bloom 34). Escape is in Tom’s blood, and that is clear throughout the play-his major goal is always to leave, symbolizing his father’s role in his life and his need toShow MoreRelatedThe Glass Menagerie561 Words   |  2 PagesThe twentieth century was a century full of memorable events. These events influence most everything going on around them. Tennessee Williams’s play, The Glass Menagerie, influenced twentieth century American theatre and continues to influence theatre to this day. Many unforgettable things happened in the twentieth century. On October 24th, 1929 the stock market crashes (Daniel 375). This sends the country into a panic. In other countries much more is going on such as the Holocaust. On SeptemberRead More Essay on the Symbolism of the Menagerie in The Glass Menagerie1002 Words   |  5 PagesThe Symbolism of the Menagerie in The Glass Menagerie      Ã‚   Tennessee Williams play, The Glass Menagerie, describes three separate characters, their dreams, and the harsh realities they face in a modern world.   The Glass Menagerie exposes the lost dreams of a southern family and their desperate struggle to escape reality. Williams use of symbols adds depth to the play. The glass menagerie itself is a symbol Williams uses to represent the broken lives of Amanda, Laura and Tom Wingfield andRead MoreThe And The Glass Menagerie1597 Words   |  7 Pagessituations can lead to a woman to be too mothering. It is a factor that transcends real life. This conflict causing dynamic is very prevalent in numerous stories, films, and plays. Two plays where it is shown in significance are Machinal and The Glass Menagerie. In both cases, the actions taken by the mother roles in the shows, resulted in some of the character’s roles ending in unfortunate events of some sort. Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal was loosely based and i nspired by the murder trial ofRead MoreEssay on Glass Menagerie722 Words   |  3 Pages Compare amp; Contrast Essay nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams contained well-characterized characters. The quot;Dead Poetamp;#8217;s Societyquot; also contained a great set of characters that were similar to those in The Glass Menagerie. It is fair to say that the characters of The Glass Menagerie and the characters of quot;Dead Poetamp;#8217;s Societyquot; are more similar than different. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Both stories had no main characters;Read MoreGlass Menagerie Essay1390 Words   |  6 PagesGlass Menagerie Written Responses Topic: Discuss how a theme is developed in the play through two characters. Provide 3 pieces of evidence to support the theme as it applies to each character. â€Å" The Glass Menagerie †, a memory play by Tennessee Williams, not only depicts the depressing andRead MoreA Glued Glass Menagerie.500 Words   |  2 PagesA Glued Glass Menagerie. A hopelessly romantic â€Å"Southern Belle†, Amanda Wingfield is said to be the â€Å"most dramatic character of The Glass Menagerie.† Amanda’s part in this particular play is that of an expressive mother who has been brought into the real world by the digressing economy, and new world form. Life as she knew it changed in a powerful way. In Tennessee William’s The Glass Menagerie, Amanda Wingfield is a caring mother who desperately tries to create a perfect world within her not-so-perfectRead MoreThe Glass Menagerie Essay1802 Words   |  8 PagesThe Glass Menagerie-Journal Entry #1 If you could change the outcome of the story, what change would you make? If I could change the outcome of the story, I would have allowed Laura and Jim O’Connor to get married. I would have made this change because then Amanda’s problem would have been solved, and Laura would have had financial support in the future. Another reason I would have made this change is because Jim O’Connor would have been the ideal man for Laura because he connected with her.Read More The Glass Menagerie Essay685 Words   |  3 PagesThe Glass Menagerie Symbolism is a major aspect in Tennessee Williams famous play, The Glass Menagerie. On the surface, the short slice of life story seems to be simple. However, if the reader digs deeper they will find that there are several symbols that give the play a deeper meaning. Each character defines each symbol in a different way. There are some very noticeable symbols that can be analyzed when studying The Glass Menagerie. The first is the actual glass menagerie that representsRead MoreThe Glass Menagerie : An Autobiography1449 Words   |  6 PagesThe Glass Menagerie: An Autobiography Tennessee William’s The Glass Menagerie is, by definition, a memory play. (Southeastern) It’s written from the point of view of Tom Wingfield, and outlines the events that caused him to flee his family, the entire story filled with undertones of guilt, as he regrets leaving his sister, Laura. The entire situation is eerily similar to the life of Williams, with the characters mimicking his real-life family – even similarly named – and the (arguably) main characterRead MoreThe Themes of the Glass Menagerie1300 Words   |  6 PagesThe Themes of the Glass Menagerie Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie is the story of the Wingfield family, Amanda, the mother, Tom, son, and Laura, daughter. The Wingfield’s story is one in which contains many underlying themes that each character experiences throughout the play. This essay will explore in depth looks at the themes, difficulty accepting reality, the impossibility of a true escape, and the unrelenting power of memory, as well as each characters issues with abandonment left