The Glass Menagerie Analysis - 852 Words

The Glass Menagerie While reading Tennessee Williams play, â€Å"The Glass Menagerie†, readers are drawn into the drama and disaster that is the Wingfield family. This book was written very much like an autobiography of Williams life. There were several different film and television versions of this play done thru the years from 1950 to 1987. After watching several different adaptations, Paul Newman’s film adaptation in 1987 is extremely faithful to the written version. Focusing on plot, setting, and character development the audience is introduced to a family with an austere future structured around a series of abandonments, difficulty accepting reality and the impossibility of true escape. Both versions begin with a narrator looking†¦show more content†¦When Amanda finds out this new information she is furious at Tom and in Newman’s movie version she is visibly shook up when she says to Tom, [That’s right, now that you’ve had us make such fools of ourselves. To entertain some other girl’s fiancà ©! Don’t think about us, a mother deserted, an unmarried sister who’s crippled and has no job! Just go, go, go!]. There are only a few different setting changes throughout, all taking place in one main room. Still each scene has a very powerful message. The entire production is supposed to give the audience the illusion of confinement and limitation. The glass collection is an escape for Laura as she spends time playing with the pieces. The picture of a departed father is a source of regret for Amanda and a beacon for Tom to follow. Character development is the most important aspect of both versions. Readers get a sense for the characters and what makes them act the way they do. We begin at the family dining table where the meal cannot be enjoyed as Williams shows us a mother who is over bearing and unreasonable with, â€Å"TOM: I haven’t enjoyed one bite of this dinner because of your constant directions on how to eat it. It’s you that make me rush through meals with your hawklike attention to every bite I take†. (6) Later in the movie Amanda is showing those same traits with Laura when she stuffs two powder puffs down the front of Laura’s dress and says [They call them ‘GayShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis Of Laura In The Glass Menagerie1579 Words   |  7 PagesLonging for Impossible Freedom: An analysis of Laura in The Glass Menagerie The French actor and enthusiast, Vincent Cassel, pronounced â€Å"You can’t escape from what you are†. No matter how much a person dislikes who they are, they will never be able to escape their body and their mind. People can attempt to forget who they are and what their life is like, but in the end, they will always be stuck in their current situation. Similarly, Laura, in The Glass Menagerie, deals with her self consciousnessRead MoreAnalysis Of The Glass Menagerie 1007 Words   |  5 Pagesthe reason is they are unhappy with their life’s circumstances. There are many ways in which to escape reality today. Movies, dancing, video games and books to name a few. Many people use this in order to escape from everyday problems. In â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† the Wingfield family uses fantasy to escape from their unsatisfied lives. Abandoned by her husband, Amanda cannot remove herself from her youth when she was visited by many gentleman callers. All of her callers were well off and respectableRead MoreAnalysis Of The Glass Menagerie 1744 Words   |  7 PagesKerry G. Stalter Professor Ruth Reis-Palatiere ENC 1102 December 1, 2015 Contrasts in The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie lures the audience into taking a voyeuristic glimpse into the private lives of the Wingfield family, which consist of Amanda, the domineering mother of two adult children, Tom and Laura, and who welcomes Jim, a â€Å"gentleman caller† hosting him to a gay evening in the grandest Antebellum tradition. 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Amanda, stuck in the ease of her youth, tries to relive her life through her daughter Laura. Being crippled both physically and mentally, Laura struggles to escape the bubble she has created around herself that her mother Amanda so strongly tries to force her out of. Tom whom, althoughRead MoreEssay on The Glass Menagerie: An Analysis1556 Words   |  7 PagesLaura’s older brother), Jim Connor (Tom and Laura’s old acquaintance from high school) and Mr. Wingfield (father to Tom and Laura, and Amanda’s husband)- who abandoned the family long before the start of the play. The title, â€Å"The Glass Menagerie†, represented a collection of glass animals on display in the Wingfields’ home. At one point or another, these animals then represented each character when they couldn’t accept reali ty. The theme of this play were about the characters’ struggles to accept the truthRead MoreThe Glass Menagerie Individualism Analysis1302 Words   |  6 PagesIndividualism is a staple piece of a person’s character not only in a book, but in life as well. Some people pride themselves on their individuality, while others spend their lives working to establish a concrete personality and purpose in life. In The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, individualism is a key component in the themes of the story and portrayal of unique characters. With there being only four characters in the play, each of them have to be vibrant, diverse individuals in order to keep theRead MoreMovie Analysis : The Glass Menagerie 2133 Words   |  9 PagesEscapism in â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† In Tennessee Williams, â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† all four characters consist in avoiding reality more than facing it, Amanda, Laura, Tom, and Jim. Amanda lives her life through her children s and clings to her past. Tom constantly stays in movie theatres and into his dream of joining the merchant seamen and someday becoming a published poet. Laura resorts to her victrolla and collection of glass ornaments to help sustain her world of fantasy. Finally, Jim is onlyRead MoreMovie Analysis : The Glass Menagerie 2145 Words   |  9 PagesEscapism in â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† In Tennessee Williams, â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† all four characters consist in avoiding reality more than facing it, Amanda, Laura, Tom, and Jim. Amanda lives her life through her children s and clings to her past. Tom constantly stays in movie theatres and into his dream of joining the merchant seamen and someday becoming a published poet. Laura resorts to her victrolla and collection of glass ornaments to help sustain her world of fantasy. FinallyRead MoreLiterary Analysis of The Glass Menagerie by Tenessee Williams1462 Words   |  6 PagesThe Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams had ordinary people in an ordinary life that closely resembled the influences of Williams’ personal life while having reoccurring themes and motifs throughout the story. The play has been done by many with some variations in the scripts and setting while still clinging to the basic ideas of the original play. Amanda Wingfield was a complex character that encompassed many facets of her personality. She longed to have the life she had as a girl and young