Slight Defects
The “Glass Menagerie” is a play about memory, specifically the memories of the author Tennessee Williams himself. This play is meant to be biographical, but also is, at times, grossly unrealistic. That was Williams’ intention, however, to give the play a mortifying demeanor. This play is with hidden ulterior meanings as well as glimpses into the true life of Tennessee Williams. The play features Tom Wingfield, the main character and narrator of the play, Laura Wingfield, his older sister who appears as a painfully shy young woman, Amanda Wingfield, their overbearing mother, and in the final scenes of the play the Gentleman Caller who is thought, by many, to be the antagonist of the play. There is also another character that …show more content…
Her demeanor was that of an extreme uniqueness that most men that took her out on dates never quite understood her manner of being. It was a constant battle for her growing up, moving from school to school, always at odds with her parents, with manic behavioral tendencies. Rose’s mental illness or schizophrenia was substituted in the play with Laura’s “slight, physical defect,” as Amanda gently states. Laura insists that she is crippled and that is the reason for mens aversion to her, but Amanda scolds her each time the word is brought up(Matthews). Raised mainly by their mother Edwina, both children developed mother complexes that were well portrayed in the play. In the case of the daughter, the mother complex can either rouse the feminine instincts or slowly diminish them completely. For Laura, Amanda is impressing upon Laura many dated or unrealistic expectations of how she perceives a woman should behave. In one scene, as Amanda and Laura are preparing for the arrival of the Gentleman Caller, Amanda puts “gay deceivers” in Laura’s bodice to make her appear to have bigger breasts. This instills a negative body image upon Laura that only feeds her
The “Glass Menagerie” is a play about memory, specifically the memories of the author Tennessee Williams himself. This play is meant to be biographical, but also is, at times, grossly unrealistic. That was Williams’ intention, however, to give the play a mortifying demeanor. This play is with hidden ulterior meanings as well as glimpses into the true life of Tennessee Williams. The play features Tom Wingfield, the main character and narrator of the play, Laura Wingfield, his older sister who appears as a painfully shy young woman, Amanda Wingfield, their overbearing mother, and in the final scenes of the play the Gentleman Caller who is thought, by many, to be the antagonist of the play. There is also another character that …show more content…
Her demeanor was that of an extreme uniqueness that most men that took her out on dates never quite understood her manner of being. It was a constant battle for her growing up, moving from school to school, always at odds with her parents, with manic behavioral tendencies. Rose’s mental illness or schizophrenia was substituted in the play with Laura’s “slight, physical defect,” as Amanda gently states. Laura insists that she is crippled and that is the reason for mens aversion to her, but Amanda scolds her each time the word is brought up(Matthews). Raised mainly by their mother Edwina, both children developed mother complexes that were well portrayed in the play. In the case of the daughter, the mother complex can either rouse the feminine instincts or slowly diminish them completely. For Laura, Amanda is impressing upon Laura many dated or unrealistic expectations of how she perceives a woman should behave. In one scene, as Amanda and Laura are preparing for the arrival of the Gentleman Caller, Amanda puts “gay deceivers” in Laura’s bodice to make her appear to have bigger breasts. This instills a negative body image upon Laura that only feeds her