Reader's response to The Glass Menagerie

Glass Menagerie

Response to a Reading of "The Glass Menagerie"

The story by Tennessee Williams (1973) is one that seems to confuse a lot of people. The story itself seemed pretty simple, but there could be many different interpretations made of the characters and events that took place. It seems that for the most part the characters could not accept reality and that they built figurative walls to protect themselves. Another point to be examined in the story was who the main characters were. From the reading, it seems that "The Glass Menagerie" is about personal discovery and that Jim O'Connor can actually be said to be one of the main characters if not the main character even though he enters the action late.

The scene that dominates the play is that of the apartment rented by the Wingfield family. A dance hall across the street, a warehouse and movie house, and a business college are also a part of the action, but the apartment is where all of the action takes place. It is true that the mother and the daughter (at first) have difficulty accepting reality, but the play mainly foreshadows the changes that are about to take place. This is because of the fact that the Second World War is about two years away, and because Tom, like his father, cannot be tied to a spot. The apartment is a prison to Tom because it keeps him away from the world he wants to enter, a reminder of better times to the mother, and a safe haven for the daughter. The mother and the brother are tied to the spot, in reality and figuratively, because of Laura.

Laura is, in truth, the primary character -- the protagonist -- of the play. She is the keeper of the glass menagerie, and she embodies it also. She believes that she is as fragile as the figurines, and so she keeps herself away from other people who might break her. Her hero arrives in the form of Jim O'Connor. He helps her realize that she has as much to offer the world as anyone else. Unfortunately, Jim is not the knight in shining armor she desires because he is engaged to another girl. The play ends with Tom talking of his travels, and of him imagining Laura and her glass.