Everybody has their own way of escaping reality. Different people will turn to different sports, instruments, or other hobbies to in a sense get away from the world and isolate themselves. This often happens when someone is put in a difficult situation or they need to make a tough decision. In Tennessee Williams’ play, The Glass Menagerie, characterization and symbols are used to show how each individual escapes. Amanda, played by Katharine Hepburn, uses her past to escape, constantly telling her children about the life she used to have and all of the young gentlemen callers who were constantly coming to her home. While Tom, played by
Sam Waterston, often physically escapes the house and visits the theater. Laura, played by
Joanna Miles, uses …show more content…
Waterston often seems very distant and gives the impression that he is thinking of a life far away, kind of like a false reality. The written play has Tom getting very angry when his mother says she doesn’t believe he is going to the movie. Tom actually is going to the movies every night because that is the way he escapes. As Tom says to Amanda during
Scene IV of the play, “I go to the movies because - I like adventure. Adventure is something I don’t have much of at work, so I go to the movies” (Williams 763). When Tom escapes to the theater, he is able to watch these different movies and performances that give him a chance to feel like someone he is not. The movies give him a chance to see the adventure that he lacks at home. hope in a false reality that he longs for. In the screen adaptation, Waterston shows emotion just as Tom would have, becoming frustrated with Amanda when she questions his
Isaacs 3 going to the movies and making it seem as though there are many places he would rather be.
Tom’s sister Laura is played by actress Joanna Miles. Miles does a wonderful job of portraying the timid, unconfident little sister that is yet to receive a gentleman caller. In …show more content…
… I’d step on you” (Williams 766). Once she gives in and decides to dance, they dance for a short period of time before they end up knocking down the unicorn from it’s position on the shelf. When the unicorn hit the ground, the horn broke off. Now without a horn, the unicorn was no longer different than the others. The horn breaking off represented
Laura finally realizing that her difference wasn’t something that should make her different than anyone else. Jim gave her the confidence in her differences that she never had before.
With all of this said, the 1973 screen adaptation
Isaacs 5 far from their apartment as possible. He was often found with a distant look on his face and an obvious discomfort with living in their apartment. Joanna Miles, casted as Laura, did an amazing job at giving the audience a very shy and passive Laura. Miles’ performance is just what
Williams had to have been hoping for. She constantly seemed uncomfortable or embarrassed and she acted as though she was genuinely amazed with her glass figurines. All three of the actors,
Hepburn, Waterston, and Miles, helped gain a better understanding of each character and how they escaped the real world.
Isaacs 6
Works Cited
Harvey, Anthony. The Glass Menagerie. Norman Simon
Sam Waterston, often physically escapes the house and visits the theater. Laura, played by
Joanna Miles, uses …show more content…
Waterston often seems very distant and gives the impression that he is thinking of a life far away, kind of like a false reality. The written play has Tom getting very angry when his mother says she doesn’t believe he is going to the movie. Tom actually is going to the movies every night because that is the way he escapes. As Tom says to Amanda during
Scene IV of the play, “I go to the movies because - I like adventure. Adventure is something I don’t have much of at work, so I go to the movies” (Williams 763). When Tom escapes to the theater, he is able to watch these different movies and performances that give him a chance to feel like someone he is not. The movies give him a chance to see the adventure that he lacks at home. hope in a false reality that he longs for. In the screen adaptation, Waterston shows emotion just as Tom would have, becoming frustrated with Amanda when she questions his
Isaacs 3 going to the movies and making it seem as though there are many places he would rather be.
Tom’s sister Laura is played by actress Joanna Miles. Miles does a wonderful job of portraying the timid, unconfident little sister that is yet to receive a gentleman caller. In …show more content…
… I’d step on you” (Williams 766). Once she gives in and decides to dance, they dance for a short period of time before they end up knocking down the unicorn from it’s position on the shelf. When the unicorn hit the ground, the horn broke off. Now without a horn, the unicorn was no longer different than the others. The horn breaking off represented
Laura finally realizing that her difference wasn’t something that should make her different than anyone else. Jim gave her the confidence in her differences that she never had before.
With all of this said, the 1973 screen adaptation
Isaacs 5 far from their apartment as possible. He was often found with a distant look on his face and an obvious discomfort with living in their apartment. Joanna Miles, casted as Laura, did an amazing job at giving the audience a very shy and passive Laura. Miles’ performance is just what
Williams had to have been hoping for. She constantly seemed uncomfortable or embarrassed and she acted as though she was genuinely amazed with her glass figurines. All three of the actors,
Hepburn, Waterston, and Miles, helped gain a better understanding of each character and how they escaped the real world.
Isaacs 6
Works Cited
Harvey, Anthony. The Glass Menagerie. Norman Simon