The Glass Menagerie

Throughout The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams creates the ultimate symbol that then applies to so many aspects of the play. First, Tennessee builds up the character Laura to be one that is extremely fragile and seems to have a history that reveals how babied she was growing up. This has resulted in her having a lot of trouble adjusting to anyone treating her differently than these immature ways that have become the norm. All the while that Williams creates characterizes Laura, there is a continual mention of Laura's obsession with a glass collection that she has. This glass collection comes into danger in several scenes and seems to be representing more than just the glass figurines. This symbol comes to represent Laura as a person. She is breakable and worrisome like the glass proves to be. It also represents the family, and how quickly the relationships built up have the ability to be altered and broken like a small piece of glass. These two representations become a reality when the family is affected by circumstances outside the family. Laura is greatly affected by Jim who Tom has brought around in an attempt to find Laura a wife. While with Laura, Jim accidentally knocks a piece of glass off of the table. Laura responds with, "Glass breaks so easily. No matter how careful you are"(1283), giving the notion that her family is easily jostled by what happens outside of their control. This event seems to snowball into events that cause Tom to angrily leave his family in an attempt to rid himself of that uneasy breakability that was associated with those present.