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Kaitlin Sowell
Dr. Carol Westcamp
ENGL 3243
22 April 2015

The Glass Menagerie: Illusionary lifestyles

In Tennessee Williams memory play The Glass Menagerie, Williams uses linear
flashbacks, through the voice of the narrator, Tom, to tell the story of the Wingfield
family and their many unfortunate struggles. At first it seems as if this family is anything
but normal. However, they are like most typical families just struggling to get by. After
Amandas husband and Tom and Lauras father deserted the family, the duties of
supporting them fell onto Tom. Not only is Tom struggling to leave his family behind in
hope of a better life, Amanda obsessing over the idea that her children live the same
southern value lifestyle as she once did, and Laura trying to live a normal life despite her
limp, the family is severely struggling with personal problems. Throughout the play when
analyzed through the lens of disability, it is clear to the readers that Laura is not the only
character dealing with a disability, both her mother and brother along with herself are all
suffering with mental problems. This allows them to construct illusions in
their minds that lead them to live a misleading lifestyle that prevents
them, like it would any family, from living a healthy stable, emotional
and mentally satisfying life together.

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Throughout the play the audience quickly comes to find that Amanda Wingfield is
not a completely healthy person. It is clear that her life has not ended up the way, as she
would have wished. She states, I wasnt prepared for what the future brought me
(Williams 773). Amanda hardly lives in the present throughout the play. She is unable to
let go of her southern upbringings where women waited to be courted by men. When it
comes to her daughter, Laura, who is dependent upon Amanda for everything, she is
afraid that Laura will become like most unmarried woman : little birdlike [woman]
without any nesteating the crust of humility for eternity (Williams 757). When Laura
dropped out of typing class Amanda did not take much interest on the affects it had on
Laura but turned it into the affects it had on the both of them as a pair she states,

So what are we going to do the rest of our lives? Stay home and watch the
parades go by? Amuse ourselves with the glass menagerie, darling?
Eternally play those worn-out phonograph records your father left as a
painful reminder of him? We won't have a business career - we've given
that up because it gave us nervous indigestion ! [Laughs wearily.] What is
there left but dependency all our lives (Williams , 756) .

This signifies Amandas mental inability to let go of the idea that Laura is not a child
anymore and the belief that she cannot succeed in life without getting some kind of
business training or getting married. In Terah Hermans graduate thesis titled, THE
DISABLED FAMILY DYNAMIC IN DRAMA: THE GLASS MENAGERIE, A DAY IN THE

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DEATH OF JOE EGG AND TIME FOR BEN, she identifies this behavior as a normal
condition of mothers who have disabled children,
Though Laura is beyond childhood, Amandas view of her has not yet
advanced. This period of extended childhood often results in a lack of the
disabled childs social development and the parents belief that as the child
grows, she has few options for independence and resourcefulness. Amanda
sees business school and finding a husband as Lauras only options. By
only allowing her these two options, Amanda both protects and directs her
like a child. She does not see Laura as being able to make her own life
decisions.(Herman) .

Since Amanda is unable to see her children as grown the desperation to take control over
their lives ends up with Amanda becoming like a totalitarian. When it comes to her son,
Amanda constantly bombards Tom with commands in almost every scene. She begins
her direction by reminding Tom how to eat properly. First he is pushing the food wrong
way and then he is chewing improperly. After they manage to finish supper, she then
criticizes him for smoking. Tom cannot do anything correctly in the eyes of his mother
and this continues on throughout the entire play. Amanda also takes complete control
over her daughter by deciding all of the directions in which Lauras life takes.
Because of these unrealistic ideas in Amandas head she denies reality. Amanda
isacharacterwholivesinanunreal world, hoping to gain things which are beyond the
horizon of her reach (Farahian, Maleki). When talking to Tom about Laura, Amanda is unable
to see that Laura is different .She questions Toms brave realization that Amanda is

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different and says , In what way is she peculiar-may I ask? (Williams 769). Amanda
will not admit that Laura is different from other girls despite the fact that Laura lives in a
world of little glass ornaments and plays old phonograph records andthats about all
(Williams 769-770). Every time one of her children mentions Lauras disability, Amanda
quickly snaps back by saying . . . youre not crippled, you just have a little defect . . .
and dont say crippledyou know I never allow that word to be used (Williams 758,
769).

Amanda is obviously

living a world of self-made illusions. Amanda believes that Lauras difference is all to
her advantage(Williams 769). Amanda also believes that her crippled daughter is going
to have gentlemen callers knocking down her door. She repeatedly orders Laura to stay
fresh and pretty-for gentlemen callers (Williams). In her entire life Laura has never
received a call from one of these gentleman but Amanda is so delusional she believes
only acts of nature could keep them way.
When it comes to Laura her main disability is the small limp that she obtained
from a childhood illness that had left her with one leg slightly shorter the other. However
in the play notes Williams describes the limp as hardly noticeable and it is very slight.
With her shyness and her trait of keeping isolated this type of personality Laura has
allowed herself feed off this minor set back which in turn keeps her from prospering in
the everyday world, from living her life and allows her to severely lack in socialization
skills and being able to attend school without social anxiety. Terah Hermans states,
A person like Laura often becomes withdrawn, over dependent, and. Laura never
felt like she would fit in which furthers her social isolation, depression, and
withdrawal. Williams gives the impression that school was a long and lonely

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time for her. She seemed to have little social contact. The way she treasured her
interaction with Jima classmate hardly aware of her presenceshows how little
social interaction she must have had. She seems to have had very few positive social
experiences. It is no wonder that her shyness and isolation continue.(Herman)

Laura is so dependent on her mother that she is unable to plan her future or even
find herself a husband. She is perfectly fine with letting her mother choose what, when
and how she will do something. When Amanda tells her to make a wish on the moon
Laura replies with, What shall I wish for, Mother? (Williams 714) which shows the
alarming problem that Laura cannot even think of a wish to provide for herself without
her mothers input. Laura is a simple girl who is very content with her life and would be
just fine as long as she has her collection of glass menageries. Laura herself states, My
glass collection takes up a good deal of time (Williams 727). She spends most of her
time washing and perfecting her figurines. Laura falls into the same deception of illusion
that her mother does. She becomes so lost in her world of glass ornaments that she
begins to think that they are real. She imagines they have emotions, and she suggests
they all like a change of scenery once in a while (Williams 729). When Laura is having
a conversation with Jim, the gentleman caller, Williams perfectly utilizes the feeling and
connections that she has with her collection to show her mentality:
LAURA: Go on, I trust you with him !
[Places it in his palm.]
There now - you're holding him gently !Hold him over the light, he loves the
light . You see how the light shines through him?
JIM: It sure does shine!

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LAURA: I shouldn't be partial, but he is my favorite one.
JIM: What kind of a thing is this one supposed to be?
LAURA: Haven't you noticed the single horn on his forehead head?
JIM: A unicorn, huh?
LAURA: Mmmm-hmmm!
JIM: Unicorns, aren't they extinct in the modern world?
LAURA: I know !
JIM: Poor little fellow, he must feel sort of lonesome.
LAURA [smiling]: Well, if he does he doesn't complain about it. He stays on a
shelf with some horses that don't have horns and all of them seem to get along
nicely together.
JIM: How do you know?
LAURA [Iightly]: I haven't heard any arguments among them!
JIM: [grinning]: No arguments, huh? Well, that's a pretty good sign! Where shall I
set him?

Her imagination is equivalent to that of a young child since at twenty-six years old Laura
is creating illusions in her head that the glass menageries can talk to each other and have
life like characteristics. Tom is able to see the truth when it comes to Laura unlike his
mother because of this Toms loyalty to his sister brings him emotional turmoil.
Torn between leaving his mother and sister behind and following his dreams to
become a writer Toms devotion to his sister brings him to create an escape from reality.
Every night whenever things are getting tough at home, he leaves and goes to the picture
show. After awhile he becomes jealous of the actors and he feels that they are hogging

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and gobbling up all of the adventures (Williams 772). Tom uses the movies to pretend
he is living the actors lives and creating the idea in his mind that if he can only get away
from his life in St Louis he will be able to live a life of escapades like he has always
wanted. What he does not realize is that the movies are not real. By the end of the play,
Tom becomes tired of the movies (Williams 775) .His desperation to leave his family is
driving him so insane he comes to realization that the only way to get out would be to
find Laura a Gentleman caller.
Once Amanda gives Tom her permission to leave as soon as he can find a
gentleman caller for Laura. Tom comes up with a devious plan and states that he has a
few tricks up his sleeve(Williams780) .He invites his friend Jim from work over for
dinner already knowing that Jim and Laura had known each other at Soldan and he had
heard Laura speak admiringly of his voice (Williams 715). Jim has no idea about Toms
plan to set him up with Laura. If Tom wasnt so sneaky and let Jim know of his true
intentions Tom would have found out that Jim was already engaged. If Tom wasnt just
concerned with leaving as soon as he could he could have thought about his family and
the heartbreak he brought upon Laura by getting her hopes and would not have
disappointed his mother. Instead of staying and facing his problems, Tom leaves. It is
only after he abandons his family that he realizes he will never be able to get rid of the
memories of the family he wanted to leave so badly and the scars they left on him. Like
his father Tom descends the steps of [the] fire escape for a last time and follows from
then on, in [his] fathers footsteps (Williams 734)
Throughout this play this story of a broken family highlights the
disabilities that are shown within the characters of The Glass

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Menagerie. Because of their lack of ability to accept reality, the Wingfield family falls
apart. Amandas obsession leads to her holding both of her children
behind with a overbearing controlling lifestyle which does not let them
grow to their full potential as adults, which eventually leads to Tom
leaving Amanda and Laura behind. Amandas only joy remains the past and
Lauras life revolves around small collection of Glass Menageries. These characters do
not experience the act of true bliss that comes from a loving and happy family. By
creating much illusion in their own mind they had isolated their self from each other
never truly living a happy life.

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Bibliography
Herman, Terah, "THE DISABLED FAMILY DYNAMIC IN DRAMA: THE
GLASS MENAGERIE, A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG AND TIME FOR BEN"
(2008). University of Kentucky Master's Theses. Paper 528.

NarcissisticDepressioninTennesseeWilliamstheGlassMenagerie.
ScienceRoadJournal,2014.Web.Mar.2015

Williams,Tennessee."TheGlassMenagerie."(1945):74984.
PensburrySchoolDistrict.PensburrySchoolDistrict.Web.Mar.2015.