Laura has a slight physical defect a limp but she has magnified this limp until it has affected her entire personality. She is oddly beautiful and, like her glass pieces, easy to destroy. If, in the final analysis, she is seen as giddy and frivolous, it is because life has passed her by. The glass menagerie was written in 1944, based on reworked material from one of williams short stories, portrait of a girl in glass, and his screenplay, the gentleman caller. The glass menagerie, an expressionist play set during the great depression, underscores the emotional tension existing. The best study guide to the glass menagerie on the planet, from the creators of sparknotes.
Related posts about the glass menagerie character analysis of amanda wingfield. The setting of the glass menagerie is a cramped apartment in a lowerclass part of st. The glass menagerie serves as a means of fantasy and escape for laura, and an object of eventual scorn for her brother, tom. The glass menagerie summary and analysis of scene 2.
This also means it has been incorporated into the dramatica story expert application itself as an easily referenced. Mar 05, 2019 the glass menagerie is a bit more complicated. They will focus now on one of the plays apparent goals or themes. The glass menagerie study guide contains a biography of tennessee williams, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Tennessee williams uses this play as a definitive embodiment of the dangers of interdependence as well as low self esteem. A short summary of tennessee williamss the glass menagerie. Analysis the fire escape, a physical symbol, is used symbolically to represent various aspects of being trapped or as a method of escape. Louis during the great depression, the glass menagerie is narrated by tom remembering the painful few days before he decides to abandon his family.
If there is a signature character type that marks tennessee williamss dramatic work, it is undeniably that of the faded southern belle. The main plot of the glass menagerie centers on what happens to the wingfield family on one unforgettable evening. Critical analysis of the opening scene of the glass menagerie by tennessee williams. The glass menagerie thesis statements and important quotes. At the rise of the curtain, we see an oldfashioned tenement apartment. So everything that happens on stage is a product of his memories. Literary analysis of the glass menagerie by tenessee. The wingfield apartment is a confining space in both structure and feeling, and is filled with unrealized hopes and dreams. Unlike most of the analysis found herewhich simply lists the unique individual story appreciationsthis indepth study details the actual encoding for each structural item. The the glass menagerie characters covered include. The glass menagerie study guide literature guide litcharts. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on tennessee williamss the glass menagerie. Tom, the the glass menagerie s narrator tells the audience during the opening scene, that the play is a memory play. Wingfield, amandas absentee husband and the father of tom and laura.
Course hero literature instructor russell jaffe provides an indepth analysis of the plot. The glass menagerie is a collection of small glass animals that laura wingfield obsesses over. Toms double role in the glass menagerieas a character whose recollections the play documents and as a character who acts within those recollectionsunderlines the plays tension between objectively presented dramatic truth and memorys distortion of truth. The glass menagerie, in its fragility and delicate beauty, is a symbol for laura. He is an aspiring poet who toils in a shoe warehouse to support his mother, amanda, and sister, laura. Therefore, it is not meant to be a straightforwardly realistic representation of events. Tom wingfield the storyteller and a character in the drama. As williams writes, the huge buildings are always burning with the slow and implacable fires of human desperation. Literary analysis of the glass menagerie by tenessee williams 1462 words 6 pages the glass menagerie by tennessee williams had ordinary people in an ordinary life that closely resembled the influences of williams personal life while having reoccurring themes and motifs throughout the story. A childhood illness has left laura wingfield crippled. Amanda wingfield, laura wingfield, tom wingfield, jim oconnor, mr. Introduction this is a study guide for the book the glass menagerie written by tennessee williams.
The play begins with a currentday 1940s at the time tom explaining to us that the play is his memory 1930s being retold, and has lots of funky memory elements in it like weird lighting and music. The play was written for a small cast of four characters. Does the glass menagerie represent the same thing throughout the play, or does the meaning change. The glass menagerie presentation by chelsea lacombe on prezi. The glass menagerie starts off as tom, the main character. Laura is polishing her collection of glass animals, and amanda returns home visibly disturbed. The glass menagerie, a day in the death of joe egg, and time for ben, i argue that the disabled family dynamic is present, accurately portrayed, and significant to these three plays. And though is seen being comforted by amanda at the end, it is the memory of his sister that haunts tom for the rest of his life. Realism and reality in the glass menagerie by tennessee. Toms double role in the glass menagerie as a character whose recollections the play documents and as a character who acts within those recollectionsunderlines the plays tension between objectively presented dramatic truth and memorys distortion of truth. Tennessee williams describes four separate characters, their dreams, and the harsh. In his opening monologue, tom alludes to many reallife events in order. Jim oconnor character analysis in the glass menagerie.
When her husband deserted her, she found herself faced with an empty and meaningless life. See a complete list of the characters in the glass menagerie and indepth analyses of tom wingfield, amanda wingfield, and laura wingfield. The the glass menagerie quotes below are all either spoken by amanda wingfield or refer to amanda wingfield. The glass menagerie character analysis course hero. The father, whom we never see, has abandoned the family. She then began to fabricate things with which to fill her life. What elements in the glass menagerie make it timeless. Characters we define reality as a world or state of things as they actually exist. According to tennessee williams, the glass menagerie is a memory play. Tom is a character in the play, which is set in st.
It is narrated from the perspective of the character tom wingfield. This guide provides a detailed character study of amanda focusing on her role as a faded southern belle, as well as her relationships with her children, tom and laura. Fragile as escaping into the glass worldanalysis of the. The symbol of glass unicorn in the glass menagerie from. Conflict of the glass menagerie term paper warehouse. The fire escape is most closely linked to toms character and to the theme of escape. The glass menagerie scene 2 summary and analysis gradesaver. The glass menagerie is a play by tennessee williams that was first performed in 1944. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of the glass menagerie.
In an effort to liberate himself both spiritually and financially, williams began writing plays, many of which have a crafted resemblance to his own childhood bray. Wingfield, tom and lauras father, ran off years ago and. Stay connected to your students with prezi video, now in microsoft teams. She possesses a glass menagerie which she cares for with great tenderness. Literature 8 may 2017 the fragile family there have been an increased use of scenery, special effects, visual elements, and costumes to create a realistic effect within theatrical performances. The the glass menagerie quotes below all refer to the symbol of glass unicorn.
Laura retreats into her fantasy worlda glass menagerie that is like bits of a shattered rainbow. Dec 30, 2019 tennessee williamss the glass menagerie explained with scene summaries in just a few minutes. As much as she has harped on the subject to tom, she then begins to put him through a third degree and begins to find fault with tom because he doesnt know enough about jim oconnor. In addition, you can peruse the question and answer and discussion groups under the glass menagerie as there have been some interesting questions asked which may help jump start. A concise biography of tennessee williams plus historical and literary context for the glass menagerie. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the worlds best literature guides. The glass menagerie, pine valley elementary school. Everyone has different standpoints and views and opinions, so it makes it hard to pinpoint what is real and how things actually exist. Abandonment theme in the glass menagerie litcharts. Sparknotes is here for you weve got everything you need to ace or teach. The glass menagerie summary and analysis of scene 7. In the play the glass menagerie, by tennessee williams, the use of spectacle. The glass menagerie is a memory play by tennessee williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted williams from obscurity to fame.
Character analysis amanda wingfield when it is convenient to her, she simply closes her eyes to the brutal, realistic world. The tone of this play is the product of its narrator. Tom wingfield her son who is employed in a shoe warehouse in order to support the family. Tom, a warehouse worker, lives with his mother, amanda, and his sister laura in a tiny apartment in st. Analysis as soon as tom makes the momentous announcement that a gentleman caller is coming, amanda begins immediately to make plans. Amanda, unfazed, continues to be as charming as she can. It takes place in their apartment in st louis, 1937. The father left them years ago leaving tom to support the family. The glass menagerie is called the memory play, not only because the story is narrated through toms memories but also because all of the characters seem to exist in a sort of dream state. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is. Amanda wingfield character analysis in the glass menagerie.
Unlike most of the analysis found herewhich simply lists the. The following analysis reveals a comprehensive look at the storyform for the glass menagerie. She lives partially in the world of her youth and her gentlemen callers in order to escape the brutalities of todays world. Meet the characters tennessee williamss memory play, the glass menagerie, focuses solely on the insular world of the wingfield family. The glass menagerie tennessee williams thug notes summary. Summary read a plot overview of the entire play or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. She spends her time polishing and, well, obsessing, using the menagerie as a retreat from the real world. Amanda wingfield the mother whose husband deserted her years ago leaving her with a son and daughter to raise. The glass menagerie was tennessee williams first real success. In general, a tennessee williams faded belle is from a prominent southern family, has received a traditional upbringing, and has suffered a reversal of economic. Amanda wingfield, the antagonist tom wingfield, the protagonist laura wingfield jim oconnor there is a fifth character mentioned, but this character doesnt appear onstage in the play. Not only is the disabled family dynamic accurately portrayed in the plays, each of these plays precedes disability research in the issues that it presents. Learn all about how the characters in the glass menagerie such as tom and amanda contribute to the story and how they fit into the plot.
Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the glass menagerie, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. An analysis tyson evans university of phoenix the glass menagerie offers a beautifully developed glimpse into humanity and more specifically familial dysfunction. On the edge of illusion and reality the glass menagerie is a family drama play that was written by tennessee williams in 19411943. She uses various escape mechanisms in order to endure her present position in life. And she has withdrawn from the world a withdrawal from what is real into what is makebelieve. Character analysis of the glass menagerie free essays. The glass menagerie is a fourcharacter memory play by tennessee williams. Read a plot overview of the entire play or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. The glass menagerie mother amanda wingfield dramatic question in the glass menagerie.
Analysis of drama the glass menagerie free essay example. She lights candles and asks jim to check the fuse box. Literary analysis of the glass menagerie by tenessee williams. We are also introduced to a large screen that williams uses to project images and pictures on as the play progresses. The the glass menagerie quotes below are all either spoken by jim oconnor or refer to jim oconnor. Evidence of the importance of the glass menagerie is found in the fact that tennessee williams names the play after it. Before beginning this summary and analysis of glass menagerie by tennessee williams, it is important to point out that this play is not happening in the narrators toms present, but it is based on his memories. Initial ideas stemmed from one of his short stories, and the screenplay originally. The glass menagerie is a memory play narrated by the main character and son, tom wingfield. The male characters in the play all abandon amanda and laura. Dim lights keep details from being seen, for details fade from the memory first. Unlike the other characters, tom sometimes addresses the audience directly, seeking to provide a more detached explanation and.
The story is about a loving family that is constantly in conflict. Williams worked on various drafts of the play prior to writing a version of it as a screenplay for mgm, to whom williams was contracted. Detailed analysis of characters in tennessee williamss the glass menagerie. It too represents her freedom from reality, but in a much more clearly unusual, perhaps even pathological, way. The glass menagerie is a memory play, and its action is drawn from the memories of the narrator, tom wingfield. He is a poet by nature and feels that his environment is destroying.
In writing the play, williams drew on an earlier short story, as well as a screenplay he had written under the. The glass menagerie study guide from litcharts the creators of. He works in a shoe warehouse, a job in which he hates and wants to leave, but cant. Because the glass menagerie is a memory play, the setting is dimly lighted. With this being said, the narrator in the play, tom wingfield, resembles tennessee williams himself. Because tom tells us about the play by looking back from a rather sad. Thesis statement for the glass menagerie write my essay. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. The glass menagerie scene 7 summary and analysis gradesaver. Tennessee williams the glass menagerie jim as a representative of the american dream and the ideology of optimism and progressivism. This study guide and infographic for tennessee williamss the glass menagerie offer summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text.
To defend andor refine and to extend the analysis students began in lesson 1, have them work with their partners on worksheet 2. Analysis of the play the glass menagerie 1107 words 5 pages. The glass menagerie study guide contains a biography of tennessee. Half an hour later, as dinner is finishing up, the lights go out. The glass menagerie is a play that is very important to modern literature.
The glass menagerie scene 1 summary and analysis gradesaver. The importance of the glass lies in the way laura mirrors its delicate beauty and fragility. The glass menagerie resources movie or tv productions. It is an explicit tragedy that introduces us to a dysfunctional family of three. From the analysis, it can be safely drawn that cognitive grammar is conducive to literature interpretation and can serve as a handy tool in literature criticism. The wingfield apartment is in a lowermiddleclass st.
The glass menagerie character analysis of tom wingfield. The glass menagerie is a four chapter memory play written by tennessee williams that reflects upon his own unhappy and dysfunctional family. Keywords cognitive grammar, encyclopedic, the glass menagerie, gentleman caller, the fireescape 1. Laura stumbles on the escape, while tom uses it to get out of the apartment and into the outside world. The setting takes place in the winter and spring of 1937 in st. Toms maturity is demonstrated by his final decision to leave the family, a decision that is made with the awareness of the inevitable clash. Through the dim lighting, the audience first sees the apartments fire escape, then the living room which features a typewriter, a display case with glass animals, and a blownup photograph that the stage directions explain is of the absent wingfield father. The glass menagerie, by tennessee williams, 1944 scene 1 the wingfield apartment is in the rear of the building, one of those vast hivelike conglomerations of cellular livingunits that flower as warty growths in overcrowded urban centres of lowermiddleclass population and are symptomatic of the impulse of this largest and. The glass menagerie is described by the playwright, and by tom wingfield, the narrator, as a memory play. In writing the play, williams drew on an earlier short story, as.