Abstract
This paper provides an explanation of Amanda Wingfield's accusation of her son in the last scene of Tennessee Williams' 'The Glass Menagerie' with respect to the passage's dramatic irony in the context of the play in its entirety.

From the Paper
"Just prior to Tom Wingfield's long-foreshadowed desertion in the last scene of Tennessee William's 'The Glass Menagerie' Amanda Wingfield hurls a departing accusation at her son which is in the context of the play both a statement of the obvious and a dramatic irony. When Amanda angrily proclaims You don't know things anywhere You live in a dream you manufacture illusions she is besides berating her escapist son for his idealism restlessness ..."

Tags:Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie, dramatic irony, fantasy, illusion

Abstract
The Glass Menagerie was written by Tennessee Williams in 1944, and follows the lives of those within a single-parent family in 1930s St. Louis, Missouri. Williams' portrayal of this family and a family acquaintance is compelling and disturbing, as each of the characters possesses tragic flaws. Each of the characters has serious issues surrounding the lives that they live: Amanda's major flaw is that she lives in the past and through her daughter, Laura; Tom lives in a fantasy world to escape the reality of his arduous life and "career"; Laura believes she has physical defects that she must overcome, which leaves her feeling helpless; and Jim is unfulfilled although he has high hopes and continues to strive for a better life. Although these characters interact with one another and the Wingfields reside in one small apartment together, they are each encapsulated in their own little worlds, yet "eventually find that they can never quite succeed in breaking the bonds of the world" (Bluefarb 513). The flaws of each character are significant because they represent human toil and strife that every human being must endure when making serious decisions that will have lifelong ramifications.

From the Paper
Mahsa Farshchi Professor Schamp English March 21, 2008 Inherent Flaws: The Tragic Personalities of Major Characters in The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie was written by Tennessee Williams in 1944, and follows the lives of those within a single-parent family in 1930s St. Louis, Missouri. Williams' portrayal of this family and a family acquaintance is compelling and disturbing, as each of the characters possesses tragic

Tags:english, glass menagerie, tragic

Abstract
This eleven-page undergraduate academic paper discusses Tennessee Williams and how his personal life parallels and reflects the lives of the fictional characters in his play "The Glass Menagerie".

Tags:williams, glass, menagerie

Abstract
This paper introduces, discusses, and analyzes the play "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams. Specifically it highlights the character of Laura in the play and what she represents. The paper's author describes Laura as afraid of everything, including life. The paper also examines the relationship between Laura and her mother.

From the Paper
"Laura Winfield is a grown young woman who still lives at home with her mother and brother. One of her legs is shorter than the other and so she wears a brace on her leg, and she is very self-conscious about it. She thinks it makes her unattractive and people make fun of her because she wears it. That is not the truth, however. In reality, her brace is not really that noticeable. Laura is handicapped, but it is not the brace that is her handicap. The way she lives her life is really her handicap, and it makes her a recluse and afraid. She is afraid of life and of really living life, and so, she uses her handicap as an excuse not to have to really participate in life."

Tags:Tenessee, Williams, Glass, Menagerie, South

Abstract
This paper explores one of the main themes of "The Glass Menagerie," namely reality vs. illusion. The paper deals with uses of fantasy and examines how the main characters deal with the disappointments of their lives.

From the Paper
In Tennessee Williams' classic American play; "The Glass Menagerie," the main characters all struggle to deal with the disappointing realities of their lives. Indeed, Laura, Tom and Amanda Wingfield all turn to comfortable illusions in order to combat the loneliness and desperations of their daily lives. Thus this conflict between reality and illusion becomes the central theme of Williams' play as he uses his characters to depict the way in which one can use fantasy to escape an unpleasant reality."

Tags:glass, menagerie, williams, theme, reality, illusion, laura, tom, amanda, fantasy

Abstract
A paper on the drama " The Glass Menagerie". It discusses the use of symbolism/imagery in the play.

Tags:glass, menagerie

Abstract
This paper discusses the character of Amanda Wingfield in Tennessee Williams' play "The Glass Menagerie". It shows Amanda as an embattled mother who, along with her two children, lives in a world of illusions.

From the Paper
"Amanda Wingfield described by Preston Fambrough as an embattled mother is a woman desperately anxious to ensure that her daughter Laura will ensnare a suitable husband and that her son Tom will provide the support that Amanda needs for herself and for her family. The entire Wingfield family lives in a world of illusions or hopes. The thesis to be addressed herein is that in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie there are many different personalities living in ..."

Tags:Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

Abstract
This paper explores how, in Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie", a mother's solipsism and self-absorption have destroyed the relationship between her and her children. The author points out that, like pieces of a glass menagerie, the family members are stuck in grid they really cannot escape from. The paper relates that the irony is that the tighter the mother clings to her children, the more distant they become.

From the Paper
"Tennessee Williams' famous play, "The Glass Menagerie", is a remarkable rendering of the human experience. This paper will explore human experience as it is presented in Williams' master-work. Specifically, this paper will talk about the tragedy visited upon the family by a mother who cannot let the past go and cannot bear to confront the present. By retreating to tyrannically control those things she can -chiefly her children - she ensures that they will not be able to escape the past, either. With that in mind, this paper turns now to Tennessee William's haunting masterpiece. In the preface to the play, Williams describes Amanda Wingfield as `not paranoiac, but her life is paranoia' (5). She is a petite women of 'confused vitality' clinging pertinaciously to a world that no longer exists (Williams 5)."

Tags:williams, menagerie, abandonment

Abstract
This paper explains that, although "The Glass Menagerie" centers its attention on Tom, another character, Laura Wingfield, Tom's sister, emerges as a powerful individual in the story. The author points out that establishing Laura's character takes more than physically describing her deficiencies, such as her being crippled. Laura is also characterized as a woman who has lost all hope of attaining a wonderful life in being a wife and mother. The paper relates that author Williams achieves self-actualization through Laura's character in the same way that Tom and Laura finally free themselves from their emotional burdens in the play, "The Glass Menagerie".

From the Paper
"Laura's low regard for herself is not only developed within her but also by the people who are with her, especially Amanda, her mother, and Tom. This observation is expressed among critics who have illustrated Laura's character as "symbolic", i.e., laden with hidden meanings meaningful only to Williams. Indeed, she is identified as the character who is "burdened by self-consciousness", experiences a "sense of worthlessness", and "yearning for " ideal or mystical beauty and spiritual or romantic love" absolute emotional and artistic fulfillment". The third symbolic description of Laura, which pertains to her inherent likeness for "mystical beauty" is symbolically represented by her fascination of her glass collection, considering them as objects that compensate for her imperfection."

Tags:glass, crippled, self-actualization, emotion, burden

Abstract
This paper discusses the story behind the play, "The Glass Menagerie". The focus is on explaining the symbols used in the play. Some of the symbols explained are the fire escape, the use of irony, the glass menagerie, the search for a man by both Laura and Amanda. The paper concludes by suggesting that the family in this play is dysfunctional and explains the reasons for this suggestion.

From the Paper
"Amanda is obsessed with her past as she constantly reminds her children of "one Sunday afternoon in Blue Mountain" when she received seventeen gentlemen callers (Williams 32). Amanda refuses to acknowledge that her daughter is handicapped and refers to her disability as "a little defect (that is) hardly noticeable" (Williams 45). Only for brief moments does Amanda ever admit that her daughter is "crippled" but then quickly reverts back into her state of denial. Amanda doesn't see anything in realistic terms. She believes that the gentleman caller, Jim, is going to be the one man who will rescue Laura, even though she has never seen or spoken to him at this point. Again, she is wrapped up in her own fantasies and delusions about men, who must act as saviors to all young women."

Tags:wingfield, woman, figurines, family, depression, tom, fragility, glass, music, jim