The Glass Menagerie Summary How It All Goes Down The play begins with a current-day (1940s at the

ti e! To e"plaining to us that the play is his e ory (19#0s! being re-told$ and has lots o% %un&y e ory ele ents in it li&e weird lighting and usic' (e are also introduced to a large screen that (illia s uses to pro)ect i ages and pictures on as the play progresses' To e"plains that his %ather happily abandoned the years ago' (e see To ha*ing dinner with his other$ A anda$ and his sister +aura' A anda e"presses a desire %or +aura to ha*e ,gentle en callers, (a'&'a' dates! as she used to$ bac& when she was a -outhern .elle' +aura describes a boy na ed /i she used to ha*e a thing %or in high school$ and we see her glass enagerie obsession' A anda gets angry at +aura %or dropping out o% a typing class due to her pain%ully shy nature' The con%lict with To is 0uic&ly established1 he is at odds with his other because he hates his )ob and wants to lea*e$ but has a duty to support the %a ily' His other calls hi sel%ish %or his constant reading$ dancing$ drin&ing$ and escaping to the o*ies' +aura encourages the to a&e up$ which they do 2 ostensibly' .ut the issue is unresol*ed' A anda as&s To to get a gentle an caller %or his sister$ which he does 2 one o% his %riends %ro wor& that turns out to be the /i that +aura had spo&en o%' A anda gets all e"cited and prepares the house' (hen +aura %inds out that it3s /i co ing to *isit$ she hides in the li*ing roo ' /i $ howe*er$ tal&s to her and gets her to open up' They bond1 they &iss1 /i is engaged to so eone else' He ta&es o%%$ +aura gets sad$ and A anda yells at her son and then co %orts +aura during To 3s closing speech to the audience' To re*eals to us that he abandoned his %a ily shortly a%ter that night$ but has been haunted by +aura$ the sister he abandoned$ e*er since' The Glass Menagerie Theme of Freedom and Confinement In The Glass 4enagerie$ To %eels con%ine ent %ro being stuc& in an uninspiring )ob$ cra ped into a s all apart ent with his %a ily$ and unable to see the world or ha*e ad*entures' A anda is si ilarly con%ined to her thoughts o% the past$ and +aura traps hersel% in a world o% glass ani als' 5scape can ean two things here6 escape %ro reality into an alternate world$ or escape %ro a trap or con%ine ent' This play hints at the oral ra i%ications o% so e &inds o% escape$ as&ing the 0uestion o% who is le%t behind and what happens to the when you lea*e' The Glass Menagerie Theme of Duty In The Glass 4enagerie$ duty and responsibility largely arise %ro %a ily' The play e"a ines the con%lict between one3s obligations and one3s real desires$ suggesting that being true to one ay necessitate abandon ent o% the other' (e also see that duties are gender speci%ic$ and arise largely %ro the e"pectations o% societal nor s'

The Glass Menagerie Theme of Family In The Glass 4enagerie$ %a ily eans obligations' This play raises 0uestions o% duty and responsibility to your other %a ily e bers$ and %or the ost part in gender speci%ic roles' (e see that it is the )ob o% the ale to bring ho e oney$ and the daughter to loo& pretty and get arried' This also %eatures the notion o% abandon ent$ as a %ather lea*es the %a ily behind' There is also the notion o% children ta&ing a%ter their parents1 To lea*es the %a ily )ust as his %ather did$ and A anda wishes her daughter were as popular as she used to be' (e see %ighting between other and son o*er both tri*ial atters$ such as dinner eti0uette$ and larger issues$ such as wor& and li%e goals' +astly$ this play e"a ines the relationship between sister and brother$ as To %eels both protecti*e and later guilty with regards to his sister +aura' Laura Wingfield Timeline and Summary +aura has a tension-%illed dinner with To -he re ar&s that her and A anda' aid'

other thin&s she will be an old

+aura polishes her glass collection but then pretends to ha*e been typing when her other approaches' (hen con%ronted$ she ad its to ha*ing dropped out o% her typing class' -he discusses her shyness and crippled leg and plays the 7ictrola obsessi*ely' -he discusses /i $ who ,.lue 8oses', she had a thing %or in high school$ and his nic&na e %or her$

-he sits de urely on the stage getting bathed in light while the others tal&' +aura %lips out when To accidentally brea&s so e o% her glass ani als' and they discuss his other' other who wishes on the oon' o*ie-going e"perience'

+aura hangs out with a drun&en To -he encourages To

to apologi9e to their

-he goes out on the %ire escape with her

+aura is %orced to get dressed up in preparation %or the gentle an caller' -he disco*ers that the /i rallies' co ing to *isit is the sa e one she used to %awn o*er at pep

+aura re%uses to answer the door' +aura answers the door and then runs away to the 7ictrola' -he spends dinner lying out on the couch'

-he and /i status'

discuss high school$ her crippled leg or lac& thereo%$ and his de igod

-he discloses that she dropped out o% high school' +aura as&s about /i 3s old girl%riend' +aura shows /i the unicorn$ her %a*orite piece o% glass'

-he dances with /i and they brea& the horn o%% o% the unicorn1 she belie*es it to be ,a blessing in disguise', -he is &issed by /i ' +aura %inds out /i is engaged and gi*es hi the unicorn as a ,sou*enir', gi*es his closing speech'

-he is co %orted$ silently$ by her

other$ while To

8ight on cue with To 3s line about candles$ +aura blows the candles out' Tom Wingfield Timeline and Summary To introduces hi sel% as the narrator and e"plains the e ory nature o% the play'

He gi*es the bac&ground in%o about his %ather ha*ing le%t the ' He %ights with his other at the table' other3s desire %or his sister to be a o*ies'

To hangs out on the %ire escape and discusses his house wi%e' To

argues with A anda about his reading +awrence and going to the

He wa"es poetic about his desire to lea*e and:or be dead rather than wor& in a shoe %actory' To deli*ers a sarcastic tirade about the e*il things he does when he clai s to be at the o*ies' To hurls his coat in anger and accidentally brea&s so e o% the glass ani als' o*ie-going

He co es ho e drun& and bu ps into +aura$ telling her all about his e"periences' To To To discusses the notion o% escaping %ro apologi9es to his a co%%in'

other on +aura3s re0uest' other'

drea s about ad*enture 2 out loud$ to his

He tal&s about the drea y ;aradise Dance Hall across the street'

To To

re*eals to A anda that he got a gentle an caller %or +aura' goes to the o*ies'''again'

He s o&es on the %ire escape and tal&s about /i He shows up with /i To and tal&s to hi about ad*enture'

con%esses that he did not pay the light bill'

He endures dinner with A anda and /i ' He %inds out /i To is engaged %ro o*ies' A anda and gets yelled at %or it'

ta&es o%% %or the

<arrator To gi*es his closing speech and re*eals that he le%t his %a ily shortly a%ter that night$ see&ing ad*enture and other non-boring acti*ities' To a&es it clear that he always %elt guilty about lea*ing +aura$ and couldn3t get her out o% his ind' Amanda Wingfield Timeline and Summary A anda %ights with To at the dinner table

-he recalls her glory days as a young -outhern .elle and wishes +aura had gentle en callers' -he is upset at +aura %or ha*ing dropped out o% her typing class' A anda distresses about being on the poor side o% things' -he denies that +aura is crippled and daydrea s about her -he a&es hu iliating phone calls trying to sell issing husband3s char '

aga9ine subscriptions' o*ies'

A anda argues with To

about his reading +awrence and going to the

-he accuses hi o% not actually going to the other debauchery' A anda re%uses to spea& to To -he as&s To -he calls To A anda

o*ies$ but participating in drin&ing and

o*er brea&%ast'

to %ind a gentle an caller %or +aura$ one that doesn3t drin&' sel%ish' ore hu iliating aga9ine subscription phone calls'

a&es so e

-he is super e"cited to %ind that To

got a gentle an caller %or +aura and obsesses

about the appearance o% the house' -he calls +aura out to the %ire escape to wish on the A anda gets all dolled up %or the gentle an caller' A anda stu%%s +aura3s shirt with powder pu%%s' A anda insists that +aura answer the door' -he acts all -outhern .elle-ish around the two boys and dinner' -he sends /i out to the li*ing roo to see +aura' a&es the say grace at oon'

A anda drea s (aloud! about the great ti es they will all ha*e together' -he %inds out /i -he yells at To ' A anda co %orts +aura while To gi*es an ending speech' is engaged'

Jim OConnor Timeline and Summary /i shows up at the (ing%ield apart ent with To the door' /i chills out on the %ire escape with To public spea&ing %uture' He has dinner with A anda and To ' He goes out to see +aura in the li*ing roo ' He and +aura discuss high school$ her crippled leg or lac& thereo%$ and his de igod status' He signs +aura3s progra ' /i /i He says he3s not with his e"-girl%riend any ore' discusses his plans %or the %uture and tells +aura to ha*e a&es +aura dance with hi ore con%idence' and greets +aura when she answers

and discusses his a bitious plans %or his

and brea&s the horn o%% o% her unicorn'

He hits on +aura and &isses her' Then he re e bers he has a %ianc=e and tal&s about how in lo*e with her he is' He re*eals to A anda that he is engaged'

/i

lea*es'

The Glass 4enagerie -etting

Where It All Goes Do n The (ing%ield apart ent in -t' +ouis' Tennessee (illia s a&es a big deal out o% telling us all about the apart ent' He wants us to &now how the buildings are all stac&ed up li&e a beehi*e$ so we get the sense o% dehu ani9ation and con%ine ent to wor&ing roles' .ecause the action ><+? ta&es place at the apart ent$ we can sense To 3s %eelings o% being trapped$ the %act that he is contained in only one location along with his %a ily' The %ire escape$ o% course$ is crucial$ being a eans o% escape and all' It &ind o% hangs out there li&e a constant %oreshadowing o% To 3s e*entual escape' It3s also$ %ittingly$ the place where narrator To does a good deal o% his narrating' This a&es sense 2 narrator To has already escaped$ so he spea&s to us %ro outside the apart ent' The Glass Menagerie !lot Analysis 4ost good stories start with a %unda ental list o% ingredients6 the initial situation$ con%lict$ co plication$ cli a"$ suspense$ denoue ent$ and conclusion' Great writers so eti es sha&e up the recipe and add so e spice' Initial -ituation +aura is pain%ully shy$ A anda li*es in the past$ To %ather' hates his li%e$ and they ha*e no

(ow$ things co pletely suc& to start o%%' As with any initial situations$ we get the idea that things ha*e been going on li&e this %or a long ti e 2 To 3s been going to the o*ies and getting scolded %or it$ +aura3s been allowing her shyness to run her li%e$ and A anda3s been narrating about her past as i% e*eryone in the world cared as uch about )on0uils as she did' @on%lict A anda insists that +aura ust get arried1 To hates his li%e and wants to lea*e'

<ow we ha*e this end goal to shoot %or 2 %ind +aura a husband' The con%lict part$ or the why-is-this-di%%icult part$ has to do with +aura3s shyness and %ragility' (e wonder i%$ in this rough process$ she will brea& li&e a piece o% glass' >h$ and then there3s To 3s con%lict$ both with his other and with the li%e he is leading at the o ent' @o plication To gets a gentle en caller %or +aura$ but it turns out to be the /i %ro her past'

?es$ that does co plicate things' 5specially since +aura is ridiculously shy with nor al people and inhu anly shy with high school heroes she used to be in%atuated with' @li a" The gentle an caller connects with +aura$ &isses her$ brea&s the horn o%% her glass unicorn' How did we &now this was the cli a"A (ell$ (illia s does call it ,the cli a" o% her secret li%e$, with the Bher3 being +aura' That3s sort o% a tip o%%' Also$ this is what we3*e been building towards the whole ti e 2 we &new the gentle an caller had to co e at so e point$ and we &new with all this %ragile glass all o*er the place that sooner or later so ething was going to brea&' -uspense /i turns out to be engaged1 A anda yells at To '

/ust when we thought things were going well' (e %eel suspense here because there3s this panic&y sort o% ,>h noC (hat do we do nowAC, 5"cept not ,we, so uch as A anda and +aura' Denoue ent To re*eals to us rather anticli actically that he lea*es his %a ily shortly a%ter'

This is B%alling action3 because it doesn3t gi*e you that sense o% building towards so ething' (e3re bac&ing away %ro the big dra atic scenes o% yelling and &issing and brea&ing and instead are loo&ing at the a%ter ath' @onclusion Although he separated hi sel% %ro his %a ily physically$ To always haunted by the e ory o% the sister' re*eals that he was

Ti e to wrap things up' >r$ in this case$ ti e %or narrator To to re*eal he was ne*er really able to wrap things up' This conclusion sort o% esses with us$ because we thought once To le%t the %a ily that would be it' .ut now we reali9e our big %inal end point doesn3t really ha*e such a note o% %inality to it'