The Glass Menagerie

By Tennessee Williams (1911-1983)

Main Characters
Laura Wingfield - She is the crippled and very shy daughter f !manda "h #eeps her hard
pressed t finding a hus$and%
Tm Wingfield - !s Laura&s sister' he is als pressed $y his mther t find his sister a gentleman
caller' and t #eep the ($ at the she factry t supprt the family%
!manda Wingfield - She is the mther f Tm and Laura and ften digresses $ac# t memries
f her frmer days n the suthern plantatin farm and her night "ith 1) gentleman callers%
*im +&,nner - -e is a friend f Tm frm the factry "h Tm invites t dinner and !manda
treats as Laura&s first gentleman caller%
Minor Characters
.r% Wingfield - -e is !manda&s hus$and "h deserted the family a$ut 1/ years ag and is nly
seen in the play as a large phtgraph hung n the "all' $ut he is ften referred t%
Settings
The Wingfield huse - This ta#es up mst f the stage and the different rm are separated $y
curtains% There is the living and the #itchen%
The fire escape - This is n the side f the stage and is "hat the characters use t get int and ut
f the apartment%
Plot
Tm $egins $y intrducing the play as a memry play f his "n memry f his past% -e
intrduces the character% The start f the play sh"s the Wingfield family eating dinner% !manda
#eeps telling Tm t che" is fd' and Tm gets thrughly annyed and leaves the ta$le t
sm#e% !manda tells her stry f 1) gentleman callers% The ne0t day' Laura is sitting at her des#
in frnt f the type"riter chart "hen !manda cmes in angry% She as#s Laura a$ut the $usiness
cllege and tell Laura she fund ut that she drpped ut% Laura e0plains that she culdn&t
handle the class and "ent "al#ing everyday% Later !manda sits "ith Laura and as#s her a$ut a
$y she li#ed% Laura pints ut *im in the year$#% Later' Tm gets int an argument "ith
!manda% !manda cannt understand "hy Tm ges t the mvies every night% Tm says he
cannt stand "r#ing fr the family li#e he des% Tm ma#es his speech a$ut $eing an assassin
and leaves t the mvies% -e returns late at night drun#' $ut lses the #ey% Laura pens the dr
and Tm tells her a$ut the mvie and the magic sh" he sa"' giving her a scarf frm the magic
sh"% The ne0t mrning' !manda ma#es Tm "a#e up as usual and prepares him fr his "r#%
Befre he leaves' she as#s him t $ring hme a gentleman caller fr Laura% That night Tm
infrms his mther that he as#ed *im +&,nner t dinner the ne0t day% The ne0t day' Laura and
!manda prepare furiusly fr the dinner getting "ell dressed and decrating everything% !t
night' Tm arrives "ith *im% !fter they eat dinner' the lights g ut and !manda $rings ut the
candles% Laura sits alne "ith *im% They tal# fr a "hile' and *im #isses Laura' $ut regrets it%
-e tells her that he is already engaged' and Laura is devastated% She gives him a glass unicrn
"hich "as $r#en during the night% *im says gd-$ye t the family and leaves% !manda is
angry "ith Tm fr nt telling them that *im "as engaged' $ut Tm insists that he did nt #n"%
Tm leaves never t return%
Symbols
victrla - the escape and the private "rld f Laura%
(n1uils - a reminder f !manda&s glrius past%
magic sh" - the escape s desired $y Tm%
glass menagerie - Laura&s private "rld' and the $rea#ing f it%
fire escape - simply the escape frm !manda&s "rld% Tm see#s t leave it' $ut Laura stum$les
"henever she des%
unicrn - Laura&s singularity' her return t reality' and her return t her retreat $ac# int her
"rld%
candela$rum - Tm&s relatinship (r lac# theref) "ith his family%
scarf - Tm&s attempt t share his magic and desire fr escape "ith Laura%
gentleman caller - the real "rld as ppsed t !manda&s imagined ne%
Style
The rgani2atin f the play is ut f the rdinary% Tm&s rle as a narratr' character' and stage
directr is sme"hat ff the "all' and the use f the screen "here the pictures are pr(ected is nt
cmmn% -"ever' it des serve the purpse "ell as the pictures set the md' and Tm acting
as a character and narratr all"s us t enter int Tm&s mind and his inner "rld and thughts%
Philosophy
The idea cnveyed in this play is that f image versus reality% !manda has a picture f the "rld
and f gentlemen callers $ut "hich isn&t a reality in the ghett&s f St% Luis% Laura has her "n
imaginary reality% !nther philsphy is that f escape% Tm tries t escape' and eventually des
in the ftsteps f his father% Laura is nt see#ing as hard t escape as Tm' althugh it "uld d
her sme gd t escape her "rld and !manda&s% She cmes clse "ith *im' $ut is devastated
and regress $ac# int her "rld' pr$a$ly deeper than she "as $efre%
Quotes
3+n thse ccasins they call me - 4ll 5ia$l6 +h' 7 culd tell yu things t ma#e yu
sleepless6 .y enemies plan t dynamite this place% They&re ging t $l" us all s#y-high sme
night6 7&ll $e glad' very happy' and s "ill yu6 8u&ll g up' up n a $rmstic#' ver Blue
.untain "ith seventeen gentlemen callers69 Tm says this t !manda in a fit f rage%
3But the mst "nderfullest tric# f all "as the cffin tric#%%%% There is a tric# that "uld cme in
handy fr me-get me ut f this : $y ; situatin%9 Tm says this t Laura after cming $ac#
drun# frm the mvies and magic sh"%
3Laura6 Why' Laura' yu are sic#' darling6 Tm' help yur sister int the living rm' dear6 %%% 7
tld her that it "as (ust t "arm this evening' $ut - 7s Laura all right n"<9 !manda tells this t
Laura' *im and Tm at the dinner%
38u #n" "hat 7 (udge t $e the tru$le "ith yu< 7nferirity cmple06 =n" "hat that is<
That&s "hat they call it "hen smene l"-rates himself6 7 understand it $ecause 7 had it' t%
!lthugh my case "as nt s aggravated as yurs seems t $e%9 *im tells this t Laura "hen they
are alne tgether after the dinner%