The Glass Menagerie

This was Tennesee Williams' first major success. It is a haunting, complicated play that is still popular even after all those years since it premiered in Chicago.

It tells the story of a dysfunctional family-the Wingfields. The mother, Amanda, is a woman who dislikes her life and dreams of the past...of what might have been. She has two grown children-Tom and Laura-both who, I think, are in worse condition than she is! Tom is a maniac who doesn't understand his mother and so emotionally abuses her. He is very selfish and emotionally disturbed (this is all pretty much an opinion)because of his distaste for his job and his mother. He goes to the movies to find comfort in his dreadful life, and yet dislikes the movies because he feels he can't do anything...that the fictional characters have all the fun.

His sister Laura is a cripple and feels she is incapable of doing anything-partly because of her emotions about her leg and also because of her mother's dreams of finding Laura plenty of gentlemen callers like Amanda once had. While Amanda vents her emotions on her past and Tom on his movies, Laura vents her emotions on a collection of glass animals, hence the title.

The real climax comes when Tom invites a colleague of his to come to supper. Amanda loves this as her daughter finally has a "gentleman caller." Laura worries for two reasons: she is dreadfully shy and the caller happens to be her high school crush.

While reading this play, I never said "oh my gosh, this play is so great" but I didn't hate it either. Some of the parts bored me and I wasn't too fond of Tom Wingfield. If only for the character of Amanda and to read a classic play, I would suggest people to read it, but then discuss the characters with someone. I find them somewhat disturbing.

The Glass Menagerie written by Tennesse Williams is a very interesting play. Some may feel that it is a bit confusing. Certain events may occure where one might say "Well what does that have to do with anything?". There really isn't much suspense or action or anything, but there is a moral in the end. You learn to give yourself credit and love yourself no matter what shape or form.
I feel the play was okay. I didn't hate it or love it. Still, there is something about it that just seems different. Maybe i can apprieciate it more as i get older. I like it because of the characters and the romance shown. It is what helps you to continue turning the pages. I didn't however, like how things ended. This play builds you up only to let you down. It was such a disappointment. Still, htat is my own opinion.
This play would be great if the ending canged. Something happy and forfilling. There Should also be more of a plot. There should be more details and events here and there. Besides all that, enjoyed reading it. it was different from any other play i have ever read and i'm sure i would enjoy to see it performed on stage.
The Glass Menagerie uses symbolism that kind of gives it a "classy" side to it. It is very elegant, sweet and romantic. I recomend It to anyone who does'nt mind a little romance and an unexpected ending once in a while.

Tennesse Williams struggled for years to get his break as a writer and more specifically as a playwright. Williams finally got his break and came into his own when THE GLASS MENAGERIE was performed at the Civic Theatre in Chicago in 1944. The show was an instant success and finally brought Williams the fame and recognition he had been seeking most of his life. Though there are several differences (for instance, Williams' father never left his family--in fact the family wished he was absent more than he was) the play is a somewhat autobiographical play. The play has just four characters: Amanda Wingfield, the devoted and loving mother; Laura Wingfield, the fragile as glass daughter; Tom Wingfield, the supportive and oppressed son; and Jim O'Connor, Tom's friend and the "gentleman caller" who's visit brings about the play's climax. Williams called the play a "memory play" and that is exactly what it is--a look at time and family and the search for one's identity all through the lens of memory. Even though audiences have changed a great deal over the years, the play still resonates, almost as strong as it did when it was first written. Williams was a playwright, but he wrote almost everything in pure poetry and every line of THE GLASS MENAGERIE is filled with his poetic imagination and genius. As a side note, the play is usually interpreted as a straight drama. However, performed as a comedy, the play works just as well with very little substance getting lost. After all, it's all about memory and sometimes we need to look at something in a different way to remember it a little better.

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams is what many refer to as a memory play about the Wingfield family set in St. Louis during the 1930's. The narration is doused with nostalgia so the reader never receives a true sense of reality when reading the story. The dialogue is simple and easily understandable. The story's message shines through and the general public can relate to the characters because of this very fact.
Williams interweaves symbolism between characters with their surroundings or objects in several instances throughout the play. Whether Williams is comparing Laura's innocence with the fragility of her glass figurines or Jim, "the gentlemen caller", with the hopes and dreams of the whole Wingfield family, symbolism is a key literary device used in the play.
However, despite the symbolism being intriguing and fun to figure out, the social ideals of the time might be hard for younger generations to understand or relate to. One could easily find Laura's extreme shyness and unwillingness to leave the house for school quite perplexing. Also, the way in which her innocence was revered by Jim for being precious might also confuse some readers. Moreover, Amanda's many stories of gentlemen callers and the pressure she puts on Tom to find one for his sister Laura is not a situation most people are faced with in this day and age. However, if the reader can look past these differences and focus on the family dynamic of the three characters I think they'll be able identify better with the story.
I could connect with the character of Laura's sense of awkwardness because of being "handicapped" and also felt sympathy towards Tom's feelings of obligation for his family. I enjoyed this play very much and would recommend anyone to read it. I think any reader could appreciate this play because it is so easy to read and we all have family and friends who we share a dynamic with similar to the ones provided by the characters in the story.

This drama of the Wingfield family is one of the twentieth century's great American plays, and it is no surprise that it is still taught throughout the country as an example of fine theater. The characters are psychologically true for their 1930's setting, and they reveal themselves brilliantly through their dialogue. The story is simple, the symbolism is obvious and readily understandable, the claustrophobic and depressing atmosphere is heightened by the fact that all the action takes place in a small apartment, and the line between reality and dream world, while clear to the audience, is tragically unclear to the players on stage.

Though the play may be structurally and aesthetically satisfying to an older audience familiar with this period, it may be less successful, after sixty years, to a contemporary audience. Amanda is so meddlesome that her good heart, her dreams for her family, and her control over Tom are unrealistic by today's standards. Tom, with his sense of obligation toward the family, sometimes appears personally weak. Most difficult, however, is Laura, so pathologically shy and introverted that she is happy to stay indoors all day, polishing her glass animals and remaining completely dependent on her brother and mother to support and protect her.

This has always been one of my favorite plays, but reading or watching it now feels a bit like watching a costume drama. Though it is brilliantly written, its characters and dramatic situations are so different from our twenty-first century lives, that the play and characters really come alive only when analyzed in conjunction with the social context in which they were originally presented. For a modern audience, Laura may be more pathetic than tragic. Mary Whipple