THE GLASS MENAGERIE TENNESSEE WILLIAMS BACKGROUND Tennessee Williams

THE GLASS MENAGERIE TENNESSEE WILLIAMS

BACKGROUND • Tennessee Williams born Thomas Lanier Williams in 1911, Mississippi • Very close to his sister Rose who suffered from mental illness and had a lobotomy which altered her psychology permanently • He wrote to escape from his mundane existence as a clerk with a shoe company • There autobiographical parallels in the play The Glass Menagerie

CHARACTERS • Laura Wingfield - She is the crippled and very shy daughter of Amanda who keeps her hard pressed to finding a husband. • Tom Wingfield - As Laura’s sister, he is also pressed by his mother to find his sister a gentleman caller, and to keep the job at the shoe factory to support the family. • Amanda Wingfield - She is the mother of Tom and Laura and often digresses back to memories of her former days on the southern plantation farm and her night with 17 gentleman callers. • Jim O’Conner - He is a friend of Tom from the factory who Tom invites to dinner and Amanda treats as Laura’s first gentleman caller.

MINOR CHARACTERS • Mr. Wingfield - He is Amanda’s husband who deserted the family about 16 years ago and is only seen in the play as a large photograph hung on the wall, but he is often referred to.

SETTING • 1930 St Louis (Great Depression) • The Wingfield house - This takes up most of the stage and the different room are separated by curtains. There is the living and the kitchen. • The fire escape - This is on the side of the stage and is what the characters use to get into and out of the apartment.

SYMBOLS victrola - the escape and the private world of Laura. jonquils - a reminder of Amanda’s glorious past. magic show - the escape so desired by Tom. glass menagerie - Laura’s private world, and the breaking of it. • fire escape - simply the escape from Amanda’s world. Tom seeks to leave it, but Laura stumbles whenever she does. • unicorn - Laura’s singularity, her return to reality, and her return to her retreat back into her world. • •

SYMBOLS • candelabrum - Tom’s relationship (or lack thereof) with his family. • scarf - Tom’s attempt to share his magic and desire for escape with Laura. • gentleman caller - the real world as opposed to Amanda’s imagined one. • father’s portrait - reminder of his abandonment of his family and Tom’s desire to follow in his path. • blue roses – Laura’s unique, unusual quality, her fragility.

Religious Symbolism • Christians hope for the Second Coming of Christ • Tom’s photo in The Torch-light of the world • Jim (Irish Catholic origin)-that means fish, symbol of Christianity • Jim’s speech to Laura about self-help echoes Christ’s Sermon on the Mount • Unicorn-Christian symbol of purity • Laura blows out her candles-the service is over • References to ‘martyr’ remind us that Christ martyred himself to save our souls

THEMES • • Escapism/Imprisonment Dreams and reality Time Family relationships

Method of Narration • Tom is narrator and a main character. He tells the story as memory. 1. What does this technique contribute to the play? 2. How does this technique help to convey Williams’ message and ideas? • Describe his character in the play. • Describe his ‘traps’. • What are his means of escape? • Describe his relationship with Amanda. • Describe his relationship with Laura. • Respond to how the play ends in relation to Tom.