The Glass Menagerie Research Paper

The Glass Menagerie is a tragic play where the dreams of the characters are put on the line. Characters are faced with choices that will have a huge impact on those around them. They enter a power struggle in order to realize their ambitions with their differing personalities playing a important role in how they negotiate their ambitions with each other. For us to understand the severity of choices that have to be made, we need to look into the major event occurring during this time period that the play takes place: The Great Depression. Tennessee Williams goes into great detail on each character’s personalities and mannerisms before the play even begins. Doing this, Williams may want the audience to feel a specific way about the characters. …show more content…
Tom wants to go on an adventure, Amanda lives in the past and wants her children to be able to support themselves, Laura wants nothing more than to look at her glass ornaments, and Jim wants to be able to participate in the technological progress in America by working with televisions. The most noticeable conflict is between Tom and Amanda. Amanda wants Tom to keep his job at the factory at least until they can find a way to support Laura, and Tom wants to be left to his own devices: writing, drinking, and going to the movies. However, Amanda feels that Tom’s stating out late will jeopardize his job. This leads to constant arguments between the two that ultimately ends with Tom using the light bill to pay for a spot in the merchant marines and leaving after a failed attempt of finding a man for Laura. The other conflict is between Amanda and Laura. Amanda is anxious to get Laura to do something with her life, like going to typing school to become a secretary or finding a husband to take care of her. Laura, however, wants nothing to with those plans, instead opting to preoccupy herself with her glass menagerie. Both of Amanda’s children refuse to have anything to do with her plans, fighting to have their own …show more content…
The setting of the play and how each character interacts with one another plays a significant role in the series of events that play out. Each must set out to achieve their own goals while trying to navigate around the others’ ambitions. Choices that characters make will have severe consequences on the livelihood of the others, especially during the Great Depression: with Tom wanting to leave and Laura not wanting to do anything with her life, it is safe to say that the remaining Wingfields will have a tough time surviving. The Glass Menagerie takes a look on life’s harsh realities where dreams are shattered, difficult decisions are made, and regret in making those