Tennessee Williams’ play The Glass Menagerie gives its audience a glance into the life of a family that can only be described as the definition of dysfunction. At the beginning of the play, the Wingfield family is introduced to us as the typical family, just struggling to get by. Delma E. Presley, an English professor at Georgia Southern University, even describes Amanda’s impulse to preserve her single-parent family as something that is as familiar as the morning newspaper (53). But as the story continues, we see this family’s issues rise to the surface. Almost immediately, we are introduced to each character’s difficulties and how they escape the entrapment of their unhappiness. In this play, it is made clear that the source of their problems…
Everyone wants to escape what is the reality they live in, but are not always successful. One main escape theme is the fire escape in the play. The fire escape is a symbol of a future escape and since of imprisonment, but everyone in the play uses it differently. Tom uses the fire escape to have the opportunity to get away. His mother is constantly bothering him and on his case about certain things that he sometimes just needs to step out and get away. Amanda Wingfield uses the fire escape as a way in for her gentlemen callers to enter her and Laura’s lives. Laura on the other hand does not have the best of luck on the fire escape as she slipped on the fire escape when she was on which could be a symbolism as to how hard it is for her to escape her situation, but instead of using the fire escape as some type of escape from reality, Laura tends to escape reality by staying in the apartment hiding instead of trying to get out. Laura sees the fire escape as something that can be safe yet dangerous. The safe part for her knows what is beyond the fire escape, but at the same time of the dangerous part of not…
On the other hand, although many may look for acceptance in society, some people end up sacrificing all they have for the wrong things they value. In the play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, the author gave his audience an insight on what it looks like for a person to give up his or her responsibilities in the quest to find passion. Blanche, Williams’, the main protagonist in this play, gave up absolutely everything for passion and desire. She also had no choice but to deal with internal and external conflicts as consequences for her bad decision-making. Tennessee Williams’ main focus seems to revolve around showcasing the fact that not all sacrifices are worth making when the values are not as beneficial as one thought. After losing the love of her life, Blanche felt empty and felt the necessity to go in search for passion, desire, and comfort. However, after possibly finding the man she’s always dreamed of being with, all her past responsibilities she sacrificed came after her to ruin all possible illusions she had left. “Yes,” she says, “I had many intimacies with strangers. After the death of Allan-…
Maggie was so traumatized from her house burning down that she became a timid and under appreciated little girl. Maggie is so self conscious that her mom says she walks like a dog run over by a car: “chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle, ever since the fire that burned the other house to the ground.” This shows that Maggie’s lack of self-confidence makes her scared to make eye contact. She thinks that if she cannot see the people around her, then they cannot see her. In addition, Maggie’s noticeable scars have an effect on the way she carries herself. According to Mama, when she was pulling Maggie out of the fire, her arms were sticking to her, “her hair was smoking, and her dress was falling off her in little black papery flakes.” This is significant because it shows how much the fire actually physically scarred her. This fact also explains why she is so afraid of people seeing her. Maggie’s evident abridgement of assurance in herself is caused mostly by the fire.…
Tennessee Williams begins The Glass Menagerie with a comment by Tom Wingfield, who serves as both narrator of and character within the play: “Yes, I have tricks in my pocket, I have things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion.” In one sentence, Williams has summarized the essence of all drama. To the very end of the play, he maintains a precarious balance between truth and illusion, creating in the process what he contends is the “essential ambiguity of man that I think needs to be stated.” 1 The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams’ first major play to appear on Broadway, is an autobiographical work. In it he delineates several personal and societal problems: the isolation of those who are outsiders for one reason or another, the hardships faced by single mothers, the difficulties a disability may create for a family, and the struggle of a young artist to begin his career. 2 Read The Glass Menagerie (1945) by Tennessee Williams and complete all parts of the assignment below. Moreover, you must complete the “Rising Senior Survival Guide” contained in this document. All work is due on the first day of class.…
Mama describes herself by saying, “In real life I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands.” She is a hard working woman taking care of both her daughters. She was not well educated. Mama explains her educational background saying, “I never had an education myself. After second grade the school was closed down. Don’t ask me why: in 1927 colored asked fewer questions than they do now.” Mama did not have the privilege to an education like Dee because of racial differences in the past. She also knows the true meaning of her heritage and would not allow Dee to take the quilts. Mama understands that her heritage is not dead and is forever living and asks her daughter, “What would you do with them?” Mama knew that Dee would treat the quilts as if it was something to preserve. Mama describes Maggie’s shyness and lack of confidence by stating, “Have you ever seen a lame animal, perhaps a dog run over by some careless person rich enough to own a car, sidle up to someone who is ignorant enough to be kind to him? That is the way my Maggie walks. She has been like this, chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle, ever since the fire that burned the other house to the ground.” The house fire has impacted Maggie’s life tremendously compared to her sister Dee. She is kind- hearted and is usually over looked as described…
Everyone wants to live a life they do not have. Some people want to be rich, while others want to travel the world and never work a day in their lives. In order to live the lives they do not have, many people create their own fantasies. Tennessee Williams’ Streetcar Named Desire depicts Blanche and Stella’s lives as lies, while revealing how they do not wish to face their own realities, for they will never to able to live the life they have always hoped for.…
Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire investigates the power of externally driven and social influences upon the expectations and manifestations of relationships. Williams criticises social inequality and division between those who support the ‘old money’ and those in the ideals of the ‘American Dream’. He critiques the projected impressions that they create, surrounding the differing life expectations and the subsequent disconnect between members of the classes. In turn, his drama also examines the enormous impact of internal influences such as mental illness upon the construction and preservation of successful relationships, echoing the need for support and honesty in dealings with others.…
Maggie and Brick’s marriage is filled with anger, arguments, hatred, and Maggie’s sexual frustration. Their flimsy marriage is unable to serve as a stable roof upon their heads and represents the lies in their relationship, because Brick does not love Maggie, and Maggie forced him to marry her. Yet, they portray themselves as happily married with lots of love, to deceive Big Daddy and the rest of the family. In the play, Maggie is often referred to as a cat, and the hot tin roof represents her incompatible marriage with Brick that he tells her to jump off of. Brick’s indifferent sexual connection with his spouse shows that not only does he no longer wish for physical touch, he also avoids the opportunities for emotional union (Huzzard, “Williams’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”). The animosity Brick displays towards Maggie has left her feeling lonely and isolated, such as a cat who is nervous, rigid, and manipulative. She is worried how long she will be able to remain on this hot tin roof which is causing her so much pain, yet is a requirement for her to stay upon if she wishes to be with Brick. Maggie is not the only character…
The main character in a drama entitled "Street Car Named Desire", written by Tennessee Williams, is an emotional woman by the name of Blanche, who has many afflictions. The setting of this play is in the state of Louisiana. Blanche has the potential to be a very vigorous woman, if she chooses to tap into that unidentified strength. All her life, she’s managed to face scrutiny from every possible direction. She has been ostracized from her community, lied to throughout her entire marriage, lost her inheritance, battling with alcoholism, and invests her fate and well-being in men. Blanche is a wandering soul, who’s wrapped up in life’s misfortunes, and is commonly misunderstood.…
While reading the play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, the reader quickly learns of a, sadly, typical tale of family strife. In this play a family struggles to find the way out of their secluded, seemingly solitary life. Amanda Wingfield, the mother of Tom and Laura, only craves for the best for her kids. However, this ostensibly adoring mother puts Toms needs at the bottom of list. As a family without a father figure Tom, being the only boy, steps up to help his mother and sister. Striving to live up to his father’s memory, Tom helps by paying for the rent while putting his personal goals on hold. The Wingfield family goes through much trouble and strife portraying the sad truth of what goes on in the everyday family and home.…
The play is a microcosm of the discontentment in our society. This discontent is exhibited most effectively through Bethany’s character since she was the one more willing take exaggerated measures to obtain what she wanted. Although, Carla similarly voiced some discontentment with her life, she was not willing to exchange her reality for someone else’s.…
We are sometimes known as our own worst critic and after reading Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use” and Tennessee Williams’ play “The Glass Menagerie”, we experience two characters that display this to be true. In “Everyday Use” we are introduced to Maggie, the timid and homely little sister who has burns throughout her arms and legs due to a house fire which occurred many years prior to when the story takes place. In “The Glass Menagerie” we read about Laura, an introverted character who suffers from a childhood illness causing her to have one leg shorter than the other leaving her to rely on the use of a brace. Throughout both pieces of literature we learn that both young ladies are being held down by their physical defects, which is all fault to their own. Although both Maggie from “Everyday Use” and Laura from “The Glass Menagerie” are from two completely different backgrounds, both share low self-esteem caused by their physical defects.…
Libby is the beautiful young lady from down south in New Orleans who plays the piano and sings. When Libby sit at the piano and sings men are stricken with lust and they began to lose minds as drink,and some are so bold they touch her. “He drained his drink and pushed closer the to the piano so as to brush Libby’s left hand with the front of first trousers.” They also want her sing to old racist songs like Old Man River. Liddy decide to play with them by acting like she do know songs, refusing to play them, and playing other songs. “Can you play ‘Hot Lips’?’ He was the real American boy. “Don’t know it,” libby lied.Libby wear a red dress, and this symbolize her quite will because red means strength, determined, and danger. Libby is the only one bold enough to face the crowd head on, and by doing this she put herself in danger. For most part Libby does not have a reason to stay she is just there to look good and sing. Libby is the person who have nothing to…
“Maggie: A Girl of the Streets,” is a novella written by Stephen Crane and published in the year 1893. This work was published during the time of the Industrial Revolution, when factories were appearing everywhere. Their workers were often not paid enough to lead a decent life, and suffered from their situation. They were not very civilized and sometimes aggressive in their behavior. Perhaps because of this radical change from a more agricultural lifestyle to one of industry and factories, some pieces of literature were starting to transition from the classification of Realistic writings to works that are now categorized as works of Naturalism. While the two categories are related, Naturalistic works often are based in urban landscapes and focus upon the poor and less educated; whereas the character focus and settings of Realistic works were ordinary people living in both cities and small towns. Crane’s novella was written right as the literary movement of Realism ended and Naturalism began, and understandably includes elements of both movements. Crane’s story, though, can be concretely set in one category. His story occurs in urban New York. The plot of it is set on a community of its poor residents who cannot change their situation. The themes and tenets used in this work, as well as the aforementioned setting and plot choices, concretely set this novella in the classification of a work of Naturalism.…