Tennessee Williams 1944 The Glass Menagerie is a memory play. It is told through the eyes of Tom, the narrator and key player who is also an aspiring poet. The Glass Menagerie managed to brave through the years and never lost its simplistic appeal. Tom’s father ran away when he was little. By virtue of his being employed, he becomes the chief provider for his incomplete family - comprised of himself, his mother Amanda, am ex-Southerner and his sister Laura who is physically and emotionally disabled.
At the beginning Tom explains his situation with eloquence, ”I turn back time. I reverse it to that quaint period, the thirties, when the huge middle class of America was matriculating in a school for the blind. Their eyes failed them, or they had failed their eyes."
The lasting appeal of The Glass Menagerie may be attributed to the enduring life lessons it preaches. The play maybe set in a bygone era but its central theme rings true even to this day. We all could empathize with the characters’ fragility for at some point of time we all feel vulnerable. We also go through struggles in life particularly single parents. Relationships may not be perfect especially in dysfunctional families and it is not hard to imagine why relationships fail in the midst of pressures.
Due to the story’s universal appeal, imperfect production of the play does not fail to elicit similar reactions from the audience. Laura’s glass menagerie or collection of glass figurines especially her favorite glass unicorn provides a thought-provoking simile on the frailty of the human spirit. As Laura watches helplessly as the precious glass unicorn breaks providing a great allusion to the state of the Wingfield family, Tom’s final monologue on his decision to leave his family never fail to elicit emotions and induce tears.
To give justice to Tom’s role would be a huge feat. In the hands of a lesser actor, Tom would be reduced to a hard-hearted and selfish man instead of the brave man that he truly is.
Tom is portrayed as one with wry humor due to his growing frustration of carrying the brunt of supporting the fatherless household on his shoulders. He is torn between loving and resenting his mother and helpless aunt.
In order to depict the true essence of the story, it is important for the leading character Tom Wingfield to be portrayed masterfully so he will not end up eclipsing the other supporting characters.
There maybe some famous actors with proven star and crowd-drawing power in the cast but one could not sense any self-centeredness in their performance. This in turn, lends the story more credibility.
Jim O’Connor, Laura’s friend and crush, is another important character. It takes a skilled actor to portray a complex man such as Jim who does not flinch at the sight of Laura’s disability. It takes a real special and sensitive man to see beyond appearances and care for the person for what she truly is the way Jim sees Laura. When Amanda left Jim and Laura alone so their friendship could blossom provides a truly magical moment on stage.
It is so easy to see Laura’s struggles as she copes with the emotionally and physically crippling disability. But as she hands the broken glass unicorn to Jim, Laura simply shines and her disability temporarily set aside. We see a different Laura, glowing from inside because of her new-found friend Jim. Despite Jim’s sudden declaration that he is committed to a serious relationship, Laura manages to accept the blow with equanimity unusual for her age of twenty-four years. The broken unicorn symbolizes broken dreams. The distant, even unreal aspirations represented by a unicorn, which would forever remain an unattainable dream. The kind of dream Laura sees in Jim’s eyes which hastily vanished as reality sets in and he bids her goodbye.
Amanda Wingfield takes a little bit of getting used to. Her manipulative and sometimes boastful ways are not exactly endearing but we know deep down she is likable person. It takes a good actress to make Amanda’s role her own.
The actress playing Amanda Wingfield is a revelation. Amanda being the belle from the South who has great aspirations but is not capable of achieving them is quite an enigma and a challenge to anybody who plays the part. The actress though is able to pull through and create the necessary impression on Amanda’s character as depicted in the play. Instead of seeing a disillusioned Amanda - one who lives in the world of fantasy – we see an Amanda who is more realistic and strong-minded.
Unlike the other characters in the story, Amanda does not down her sorrows in empty pursuits typified by her daughter Laura’s preoccupation with the collection of animal glass. And Tom’s nightly visits to the movies which in actuality pertain to the bars and brothels of Depression-era St. Louis. Amanda manages to contain her pains of abandonment by reminiscing the glory days when she had plenty of suitors and a
Southern belle.
Being confronted with a difficult situation where her 24-year-old daughter Laura, who is too shy to earn a business degree, Amanda plans a practical strategy for survival with the aid of her son Tom. She will marry Laura off to some nice young man. Tom chooses Jim for the part and invites him home for supper. At that time, the plan seems practical. They do not count on Jim backing off at the last minute though and saying he is already engaged. This compounded the problem some more though as they are left to help a broken-hearted Laura cope on top of their woes.
Thinking that Tom played a cruel joke on them, Amanda confronts Tom. This escalates into a heated argument between mother and son. It is to be their final fight since not long after Tom leaves them for good. In the heart-wrenching closing monologue, we find Tom admitting that the memory of his sister Laura still lingers even though several years has gone by since he abandoned her and Amanda.
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