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Laura cannot recognize that she is special; she has the ability to make other people feel better. She tells Jim after he breaks the little figure, "It doesn't matter. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise" (Williams 1014). Her scene with Jim ends in a hopeful kiss that is filled with promise, but that is just another fleeting image (Timpane). In reality, he is engaged, and a relationship with Laura is impossible.
Williams writing can by lyrical and full of imagery, as critic Bloom notes, "He takes colloquial speech, often the colloquial speech of the South, and through a keen ear for its rhythms and patterns, its imagery and symbolism, lifts it to the level of poetry" (Bloom 67- 68). For example, Amanda, when telling her story about her own gentlemen callers, slips into the speech in her excitement. She says, "And still I kept on bringing in more jonquils. Whenever, wherever I saw them, I'd say, 'Stop! Stop! I see jonquils!' I made the young men help me gather the jonquils!" (Williams 1006). The speech brings a poetic quality to the characters and their hopes and dreams, which helps make the poignancy of the play even more pronounced. Other critics note this is an important aspect of Williams work, and it is apparent here. He uses commonalities of Southern culture throughout his works, just as he weaves them into Amanda's commanding personality (King). Everyone has hopes and dreams, but few people are lucky enough to see them come true, as the characters in this play clearly illustrate.
In conclusion, this famous play is full of rich symbolism and imagery, which are quite common elements of William's writing. The use of these literary elements makes the play richer, more memorable and poignant....
The characters are memorable, but the way Williams weaves the symbolism and imagery around them to create texture and even light, creates a complex drama that touches readers and makes it linger in their minds. It also makes the characters more real and compelling to the reader. The images and symbolism add depth and detail to the people and the plot of the play. When the candles go dim at the end, the audience senses the real tragedy of the play. Nothing is sure, and hope is often only an illusion. "The Glass Menagerie" could be a symbol of all the hopeless lives spent living "trapped in circumstance."
References
Bloom, Harold, ed. Tennessee Williams' the Glass Menagerie. New York: Chelsea House, 1988.
Crandell, George W., ed. The Critical Response to Tennessee Williams. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996.
Fordyce, William. "Tennessee Williams' Tom Wingfield and Georg Kaiser's Cashier: A Contextual Comparison." Papers on Language & Literature 34.3 (1998): 250+.
King, Kimball. "Tennessee Williams: A Southern Writer." The Mississippi Quarterly 48.4 (1995): 627+.
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