"The Glass Menagerie"

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how Laura in "The Glass Menagerie" is a tragic figure because she is so dependent upon her family and so desperately afraid of the outside world. The paper looks at the brother Tom who only wants to leave and the mother, Amanda, who is controlling and lives in the past. The paper portrays how Laura is the most tragic character, resigned to a lonely fate.

From the Paper:

"Laura is a tragic figure in this play because even her family admits she is flawed, but they do not help her deal with her fears and distress. Her brother Tom says, "Mother, you mustn't expect too much of Laura" (Williams), which dooms her to failure and allows her to remain tragically alone throughout her life. Her family also never really faces her disability, which is the main reason she is fearful of the outside world. Her mother, Amanda, says, "Nonsense! Laura, I've told you never, never to use that word. Why, you're not crippled you just have a little defect - hardly noticeable, even!" (Williams)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Adler, Thomas P. "The Glass Menagerie." Tennessee Williams: A Guide to Research and Performance. Ed. Philip C. Kolin. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998. 34-45.
• Bloom, Harold, ed. Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie. New York: Chelsea House, 1988.
• Williams, Tennessee. "The Glass Menagerie." Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Sixth Edition. Eds., Laurie G. Kirszner, and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston, MA: Thomson - Wadsworth, 2007.

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