The Glass Menagerie

The setting of the story takes place in the home of the Wingfield family. Amanda, the mother, was abandoned by her husband long ago. Her daughter, Laura, who is 24 years old and is somewhat crippled, and her son, Tom, who supports them with money from his warehouse job, live with her in a lower-class apartment that can only be reached through a fire escape. Tom is the narrarator, using first person point of view to tell the story. There are many types of conflicts that occur throughout the story. First of all, there is a conflict that occurs between Laura and her circumstance; because she is crippled she has limited herself to a boring and mundane life and isn't successful academically or with gentlemen callers. Tom also faces a conflict with his circumstances; he dreams of being more than a warehouse worker, but is stuck in that job because he feels pressured to support his mother and sister. A conflict also occurs between Amanda and Tom throughout the entire story. Amanda is very controlling of her children and because of this, her and Tom get into many heated arguments. Laura is the protagonist of the story because the story is about her ultimately facing how inferior she has felt throughout her life. In the introduction, Amanda is depicted as a controlling and obsessive mother who desperately wants her children to succeed, Laura is described as a crippled, shy young woman who has never really developed any relationships with anyone other than her family members, and Tom describes himself as the provider of the family which forces him to deny himself of his dreams. The plot is set into motion when Tom asks a friend from work, Jim O'Connor, to join their family for dinner. Laura immediately becomes extrememly nervous because Jim is the boy she had a crush on in high school, although he probably had never even noticed her. A gentleman caller, such as Jim, is a symbol and somewhat of an illusion that the Wingfield family believes will lead them to happiness. Upon Jim's arrival at the Wingfield home, he is shyly greeted by Laura and then she nervously backs away. As they are waiting for dinner to be served, Jim and Tom talk about many things, including the difference between themselves, which is social poise. Jim reveals to Tom that he will soon be fired if he doesn't start pullling his weight at the warehouse. Jim serves as a confidant when Tom reveals that he plans to move soon. He tells him that instead of using the money for the electrical bill, he used it to pay his dues for being a member of the Union of Merchant Seamen. Tom reveals that he is like his father and can no longer care for his mother and sister. After dinner, Jim begins to talk with Laura, bringing about the climax of the story. At first, Laura is extrememly shy and can barely talk back to Jim. As Jim continues talking, she eventually starts to loosen up and actually enjoy their conversation. Jim tells Laura of how she shouldn't feel so inferior because everyone is a little different, she is just different in another way. He compliments her beauty and her personality and tells her to have confidence. For the first time, the reader sees an excitement inside of Laura. Jim hears music and persuades Laura into dancing with him. As they were dancing around, they accidentally bump into the table and a glass unicorn falls to the floor and its horn breaks off. Instead of being upset, like she was earlier when Tom broke a piece of glass, she tells Tom that now it will fit in with the other horse better, revealing her sense of humor. She decides to give the broken unicorn to Jim as a souvenier of their time together. Unfortunately, Jim reveals that he is engaged to another woman so he will not be calling on Laura again. Although Laura is saddened by this revelation, she is still filled with happiness and confidence from the conversation that had taken place earlier in the evening. After Jim leaves, Amanda begins to blame Tom for bringing a gentleman caller over who was engaged. Tom claims that he didn't know, but Amanda doesn't believe him, which results in another heated argument between them. Tom storms out, but this time he doesn't return home. He wanders around through cities feeling lost. Tom has tried to escape the burden of taking care of his mother and sister, but somehow he can't escape thinking about them. He does anything he can to forget about them and pursue his dreams. The story ends with Tom saying, "Blow out your candles, Laura--and so goodbye..." (1205). This is symbolic of Laura's dependence on Tom diminishing and finally trying to succeed on her own. The glass menagerie also served as a symbol of Laura's fragility. In the end of the story, however, she begins to break free of her fragility when Jim instills confidence in her.
This story was in some ways similar to Death of a Salesman. Amanda resembled Willy by wanting so badly for her children to succeed that she almost crippled them emotionally and mentally. Amanda went to so much trouble to make everything about their lives look presentable to the gentleman caller; she lived in a false reality, just like Willy did. She tried to make things appear so much better than what they actually were. This story was interesting to read because it was full of emotion and conflict. I thought it was funny how Amanda got so dressed up for the dinner they were hosting for Jim O'Connor. It was almost as though she was competing with Laura, trying to see if she still had what it takes to win over a gentleman caller. Many times in the story, Amanda relives her past and makes it sound like it was so magical. However, she probably has a false sense of her past, just as she has a false sense of reality. I was shocked that Tom just left his mom and sister to fend for themselves. Although Laura now had more confidence, I am not sure she would succeed right away in the real world. I'm not sure what was meant by Tom's last lines of the play; "For nowadays the world is lit by lightning! Blow out your candles, Laura--and so goodbye..." I interpreted this as Tom breaking free of the burden of his mother and sister and also Laura becoming less fragile.