The Glass Menagerie: Revealing The Theme Using Symbols

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The Glass Menagerie is written by Tennesse Williams. It is a memory play on which it is something that is worth to read by many readers because it tackled mostly about the reflections and memories as well of the main character, Tom Wingfield.

In The Glass Menagerie, I actually liked how the author conveyed his central theme through the use of symbols. I was quite fascinated on how the author was able to clearly conveyed his ideas to the readers by using several symbols in this story. He just not made relationships with the symbols itself but at the same time correlated it also with the characters, their actions and their personality in the story. For example, the “Blue Roses, Jim’s high school nickname for Laura, symbolizes Laura’s being uncommon yet fascinating. The nickname “Blue Roses” also depicts Laura’s attraction to Jim and the genuine happiness that she felt whenever she is with him. Furthermore, it recalls Tennessee Williams’ sister, Rose, on whom the character of Laura is based. As what the title of the play informs the readers, the glass menagerie, or collection of animals, is considered as the play’s central symbol. It was said that Laura is fond of collecting glass animal figurines wherein these glass collecting represents a number of aspects with regards to her personality. Like the figurines, Laura is a delicate, fanciful, and somehow old-fashioned. Apart from that, it also represents the imaginative world to which Laura devoted herself—a world that is alluring but based on fragile illusions.

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Along with these symbols, the author also used the characters to represent an irony—when Tom and his family was incapable of living in the present and the cruelty they have faced and experienced while living their lives. As I browsed the internet, I have found out that Tennessee Williams, the author, wrote about the struggles of an American family during the Depression-Era. It also conveys that the bond as a family is strong and that no one can try to escape the past and one’s ties to family, because family is something that would help you throughout your life and would help you to grow as a person. That is why, I must say that I did not like the part whet the end of the play, Tom left his family—Amanda and Laura. He should not have done that. Although, I understand the fact that they put so much pressure to Tom to the point that he resorted to left them. Apparently, he is trying to believe that he was able to escape Laura’s memory and her call for her, he seems like he was just trying to make a fool of himself, he still could not deny the fact that he can see his sister in his mind, kept thinking of her though he was far away from her.

Indeed, the Glass Menagerie is one of many good stories that I have ever read though I won’t deny the fact that there are just some parts that I did not like about it. However, all in all, I was impressed by this story. Having Tom to narrate the play as well as playing the role of himself, it was really fascinating how he made me felt this kind of inexplicable feeling because of the fact that he narrated it based on how he remember things, on how he presented one man’s vision of his past especially regarding his personal experiences. Personally I highly recommend this to be read by the others because it is actually a good one and it also comprises moral lessons that would definitely touch our hearts. 

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