The title of the play, and the play's most prominent symbol, the glass menagerie represents
Laura's fragility, otherworldliness, and tragic beauty
. The collection embodies Laura's imaginative world, her haven from society.
How is Laura presented in the glass menagerie?
Laura is presented
as an extremely shy and sensitive person
. … Laura's oversensitive nature makes her think that everyone notices her limp; it becomes for her a huge stumbling block to normal living. She cannot get over it and into the real world.
How does Laura represent the glass animals?
Laura loves the glass animals because her family is like them. It will not take much, like Tom leaving, to shatter their whole world. Laura is symbolized by
her fragile collection of glass animals
, the glass menagerie. Her favorite animal is the unique unicorn.
What does Laura's leg brace symbolize?
Although the limp can be hidden, like her emotional instability it cannot be ignored completely. The limp reminds us that Laura is fragile and damaged, both physically and emotionally. When Laura blows out the candles it is
symbolic of the darkness that now descends into her life and Amanda's
.
How can Laura's disability be symbolic?
The limp reminds us that Laura is
fragile and damaged
, both physically and emotionally. When Laura blows out the candles it is symbolic of the darkness that now descends into her life and Amanda's. Tom has left them literally in the dark by not paying the electric bill.
Why does Jim Kiss Laura?
Why does Jim kiss Laura?
He is politely telling her good by
. Tom has paid him to do it. He is showing his contempt of Amanda and her silly ideas.
What is symbolic about the fact that Laura gives the broken unicorn to Jim?
Eventually, Laura gives Jim the unicorn as a “souvenir.” Without its horn, the unicorn is more appropriate for him than for her, and the broken
figurine represents all that he has taken from her and destroyed in her.
What does Laura blowing out the candles symbolize?
Laura's act of blowing out the candles at the play's end signifies
the snuffing of her hopes
, but it may also mark Tom's long-awaited release from her grip. He exhorts Laura to blow out her candles and then bids her what sounds like a final goodbye.
Is Glass Menagerie a tragedy?
The Glass Menagerie is a family drama and
a tragic play
written by Tennessee Williams in 1944 and first performed in 1945.
What does the coffin symbolize in The Glass Menagerie?
At the beginning of Scene Four, Tom, returning home from the movies, tells Laura about a magic show in which the magician performs the coffin trick. Tom, who dreams of adventure and literary greatness but is tied down to a mindless job and a demanding family, sees the coffin as
a symbol of his own life situation
.
How does Amanda make extra money?
Amanda tries (obviously without much success, considering the family's difficult economic circumstances)
to sell magazine subscriptions over the telephone to earn income
. This information is included in the play through staging.
Why is Laura Wingfield shy?
Tom is the provider for the family and the play is told from his memory. Laura is an
extremely shy young lady because of a childhood illness that left her crippled with one leg slightly shorter than the other
. She is controlled by her mother whom is living in the past and trying to live her dreams out through Laura.
Why did Laura stop going to class?
Q. Why did Laura quit business college?
A boy in the class was making passes at her and she got scared. She was nervous in class and became physically ill during her first speed test
.
What does Jim realize about Laura?
Jim
confesses to Laura that he is engaged to Betty
, an Irish Catholic like himself. Laura is disconsolate, but Jim does not notice the depths of her despair. She places the broken unicorn in his hand, telling him to keep it as a souvenir. When Jim tells Laura about Betty, Laura's dream shatters like the glass horn.
Why does Amanda blame Tom for the evening's failure?
Why does Amanda blame Tom for the evening's failures?
Because Jim is Tom's “best friend” at the warehouse, she thought he would know that Jim would be engaged
. What do we learn about tom and Laura in the first scene? In the play, how does Amanda treat her children?
What two mementos from high schools does Laura show Jim?
What two mementos from high schools does Laura show Jim? What does he sign and why?
A yearbook and the program that was in
. He signed the program because Laura wanted him to.
