Essay Crushed Dreams in The Glass Menagerie - 1194 Words

Crushed Dreams in The Glass Menagerie Tennessee Williams is known for his use of symbols, tension, and irony. Williams uses all of these components to express the central theme of The Glass Menagerie - hope followed by despair. Each of the characters has dreams that are destroyed by the harsh realities of the world. As the narrator blatantly admits, since I have a poets weakness for symbols, symbols are central to The Glass Menagerie (Williams 30). Symbols are merely concrete substitutions used to express a particular theme, idea, or character. One major symbol is the fire escape which has a separate function for each of the characters. This fire escape provides a means of escape for Tom from his†¦show more content†¦Both Laura and her glass menagerie break when they are exposed to the outside world, represented by Jim. When Laura gives Jim her broken unicorn, it symbolises her broken heart that Jim will take with him when he leaves. The unicorn is no longer unique like her, rather he is common now - more like Jim. Therefore, she gives the unicorn to Jim. Just as she gives Jim a little bit of herself to take with him, he leaves behind a little bit of himself with her shattered hopes. Another recurrent symbol used throughout The Glass Menagerie is the use of rainbows. Rainbows symbolise hope and each mention of rainbows in the play is associated with a hopeful situation. When Tom talks about his rainbow-coloured scarf that he got at the magic show, he talks about how it changed a bowl of goldfish into flying canaries. Just like the canaries, Tom hopes to fly away too - to escape from his imprisonment. The chandeliers which create rainbow reflections at the Dance Hall foreshadow the dance between Jim and Laura which instils hope within her. At the end when Tom looks at pieces of coloured glass, like bits of a shattered rainbow, he remembers his sister and hopes that he can blow [her] candles out (Williams 137). Ironically, though the rainbows seemed to be positive signs, they all end in disappointment. Irony is shown mostly through the voice of the narrator. As Bloom suggests, Tom maintains distance between himself and theShow MoreRelatedSymbolism In The Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams858 Words   |  4 Pagesaffected his work especially in The Glass Menagerie. Williams’s homosexuality made him be seen as an outcast in American society. Not to mention that homosexuality was not as widely accepted as it is today. The writing style of Williams creates a unique and great story. Tennessee Williams utilizes symbolism to express his themes throughout The Glass Menagerie. There are many events in Tennessee Williams’s early life that is similar to the details in The Glass Menagerie. Williams had a bad relationshipRead MoreThe Glass Menagerie Symbolism Essay800 Words   |  4 Pagesexperiences in the 1930s affected his work. Williams’s homosexuality made him be seen as an outcast in American society. Tennessee Williams utilizes symbolism to express his themes throughout The Glass Menagerie. There are many events in Tennessee Williams’s early life that is similar to the details in The Glass Menagerie. Williams had a bad relationship with his father, who was clinically alcoholic (Debusscher 1). Williams’s dysfunctional family plays a role towards his homosexuality (Debusscher 4). A researchRead MoreEssay on A Raisin in the Sun vs. The Glass Menagerie745 Words   |  3 PagesA Raisin in the Sun vs. The Glass Menagerie   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  America is known around the world as the land of opportunity, a place where you can follow your dreams. No matter how selfish or farfetched ones dream may be, their goal will always be available. Whether it be the pursuit of the woman of your dreams, like that of Jay Gatsby, or the hunt for something pure and real, like Holden Caulfield. 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Even their apartment is a direct reflection of the past as stories are often recalled from theRead More catcher in the rye glass menagerie Essay1131 Words   |  5 PagesThe Glass Menagerie The person someone becomes is influenced by the losses they have experienced in their life. In Catcher in the Rye the main character Holden Caulfield is devastated by the loss of his younger brother Allie to leukemia. The loss of Allie never leaves Holden’s mind. It changes his perception of the world. In The Glass Menagerie Amanda Wingfield’s husband abandons her and their two children Tom and Laura. For Amanda the only way to deal with the loss is to escape into a dream worldRead MoreThe Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams2576 Words   |  11 PagesIn The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams beautifully encapsulates man’s desire to escape from uncomfortable emotional and physical situations. Whether he’s showing a young man trapped in a factory job he hates, an aging single mother who mourns for her life as Southern belle, or a young lady who fears that she’ll spend her life alone, he clearly demonstrates these desires and fears for his audience. Williams shows us through the actions of his characters how humans handle a wide variety of uncomfort able