"The Glass Menagerie"

After reading the first part of "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams I had many thoughts in my mind.  The reading was very interesting but I also find plays a little hard to read.  Once I got going I discovered many interesting details within the play.  My first thought was what is "The Glass Menagerie".  I came to find out that Menagerie is a collection on glass animals that are kept captive for an exhibition.  This meaning comes into play many times with the sister Laura throughout the readings.  The description of the first scene allows for a full visual perspective on what the apartment looks like.  The use of "interior is therefore rather dim and poetic"(page 3) allows readers to visualize what the apartment looks like inside.  Also, by saying "narrow alleys which run into murky canyons of tangled clotheslines'(page 3) gives the viewer a since of how close the apartments are and shows an earlier time frame.  The word "ineluctably" is used in describing the fathers smile in the picture, which means unable to be resisted.  This shows that although the father is not on good terms with the family from leaving them he is never going to be forgotten.

One of the main characters in the play is Amanda, the mother.  She is very persistent in the fact she wants her daughter, Laura, to find a suitable gentleman.  Amanda was the one who had several gentleman callers at a young age and thinks the same should come from her daughter.  She loves both her son and daughter even though she can be very rude and forceful.  In explaining what was expected of a young lady to get a gentleman caller Amanda says, "needed to have a nimble wit and a tongue to meet all occasions"(page 8).  Nimble means quick and light in action.  In this respect the mother is explaining that to have many gentleman callers you not only have to be pretty but you need to be able to carry a conversation in any situation.  Amanda wants the best for her children and for them to become successful in life.  She learned a lot from her actions in life and does not want the same for her children.  

The next character is Tom.  Tom is the son of Amanda and is the main provider for the family.  Since his dad left he has had to work at the local warehouse instead of following his dreams in life.  He is very unhappy in his situation and ends up blowing up on his mother.  Tom supposedly goes out to a movie every night and also ends up drinking.  Amanda hates this because she does not want her son to turn out exactly like her husband did.  Amanda feels Tom only thinks of himself.  Tom then says, " if self is what I thought of, Mother, I'd be where he is-GONE!"(page 23) this shows Toms true feelings towards the situation at home.  If he did not care about his family he would have already left just like his father did.  During the explosion wish his mother he ends up throwing his jacket across the room which breaks many of his sisters glass menagerie.  After this he feels horrible about the accident and knows that it caused his sister a lot of pain.  He then does as his mother asks and calls on a gentleman from the warehouse for his sister.  Tom chooses someone his sister knew in high school which turns out for the worst.  I feel although Tom needs to change some things in his life he cares a lot for his family and tries his best to provide for them.  In the end he needs to do what he wants to in life and stop living the life his mother sees for him.

The next main character is Laura the sister and daughter.  Laura is a very quite girl who gets nervous very easily.  She suffers from a bad leg which makes her walk with a limp.  Her brother sometimes calls her crippled which does not sit well with the mother.  Although Tom loves his sister he knows she is different from the other girls around.  Amanda comes to find out Laura has dropped out of the community college that she was paying fifty dollars for her to go to.  This devastates her mother.  When asked where she has been going during the school time Laura says " I just went walking."(page 14).  This shows that Laura likes to be alone and keeps to herself.  She is shy and scared of the outside world around her.  She enjoys collecting her glass figurines.  I feel this is her escape in the world.  She found something she really loves and does not have to be shy around.  Laura is just like the glass figurines in the since that she is held captive in her own world and is just like a statue on a self.  Not many people know she is there but she is still interesting in her own way.  All the characters thus far have an interesting background and stay true to who they really are.