Glass Menagerie Essay

Tennessee Williams’ play The Glass Menagerie analyzes the desires the Wingfield’s all individually struggle with. Although it is a memory play from Tom’s perspective, each family member has an onerous task of facing reality. Throughout their lives, they can never truly escape from the desires that destroy them. Each character’s desires are represented by different symbols in the play. The chest and the photograph of her husband symbolize Amanda’s desire to live in the past. Amanda’s present and future appears grim, therefore she always goes to “that old trunk” (Williams 6.769) which contains the more magnificent times of her life. Although Amanda is ecstatic when revisiting her former days, this is the only time she is happy. In spite of the fact that “he’s been absent going on sixteen years,” (Williams 6.773) Amanda’s husband’s picture still remains in her house. Leaving up the photograph demonstrates Amanda’s desire to behave like he is still coming back. Obviously, Amanda believes that she can still act as if she never lost her former days or husband and she will remain happy. …show more content…
When Jim arrives, Laura attempts to avoid the situation by going back to finish “playing the victrola” (Williams 6.771). Laura imagines that she can escape reality by using other items to avoid her present issues. When Jim asks about her glass menagerie she replies, “glass is something you have to take good care of” (Williams 7.779). This is evidence that she uses her ornaments so much as if they were a blanket where she does not have to worry about herself. Obviously, Laura uses the Victrola and glass menagerie to seek to elude from the present, which she sees as a