"The Glass Menagerie"

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how Tennessee Williams uses symbolism throughout "The Glass Menagerie" to illustrate the struggle for happiness that each character faces. The paper focuses on the central symbols of the glass menagerie itself, escape, the unicorn figure and darkness. The paper highlights how the symbolism makes the play richer, more believable and even more tragic in the end.

Outline:
Introduction
Symbolism
Conclusion

From the Paper:

""The Glass Menagerie" is a tragic story of the Wingfield family, a dysfunctional family of dreamers who never seem to actually achieve their dreams. Amanda, the mother, is domineering and lives in the past, Laura, the fragile daughter is disabled and cannot face reality, and Tom, the son, is dissatisfied with his life, his family, and his future. Together, the family is dysfunctional and dissatisfied, and each one attempts to escape reality in some way, which is one of the richest symbols in the play."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bloom, Harold, ed. Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie. New York: Chelsea House, 1988.
• Crandell, George W., ed. The Critical Response to Tennessee Williams. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996.
• Timpane, John. "Gaze and Resistance in the Plays of Tennessee Williams." The Mississippi Quarterly 48.4 (1995): 751+.
• Tischler, Nancy M. Student Companion to Tennessee Williams. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000.
• Williams, Tennessee. "The Glass Menagerie." Ed. Haskell M. Block, and Robert G. Shedd. Masters of Modern Drama. New York: McGraw

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