We will first look at Amanda Wingfield. She is the mother of Tom and Laura and is portrayed as a loving but over zealous mother, who at times is controlling and nagging. To understand Amanda we must understand that Amanda was born and raised in the old south, pre-civil war. Living on a plantation and coming from a wealthy family, Amanda never went without the finer things in life. All this changed after Amanda married Mr. Wingfield, a telephone man, and left the plantation life for city life. Even though Amanda had left the south, she always carried herself with that southern pride. Ama

nda found happiness in her memories of youth and used theses memories to escape the dreadful situation she was now living. In the beginning of the play, Amanda describes a vivid memory of receiving gentleman callers to her home. “One Sunday afternoon in Blue Mountain – your mother received - seventeen! – Gentlemen callers! Why, sometimes there weren’t chairs enough to accommodate them all. We had to send the nigger over to bring in folding chairs from the parish house”(1912). As Amanda recalled this found memory the narrator of the play, her son Tom, reacts with sarcasm as to show that he has heard this story before. “I know what’s coming”(1912). Amanda was cling to her memories as a way of escaping to a better place, her youth.

Laura’s glass collection takes on a special symbol as the play continues. It is not only a place for her to escape to but the glass figures become a symbol of her. As Laura and Jim, her first gentleman caller, begin to speak, she explains to Jim how important the glass collection is and hands him her favorite piece, a unicorn. Jim replies to her, “Unicorns aren’t they extinct in the modern world?” “Poor little fellow, he must feel sort of lonesome”(1950). At this point of the play the unicorn, take on the symbol of Laura, a unique person different from all the rest. Jim’s visit and his positive attitude awaken Laura and she begins to break out of her shell. As the play continues, Jim attempts to teach Laura how to dance. They bump into the table and the unicorn figure falls and the unicorn’s horn breaks. Jim is sadden that her favorite figure has broken, but Laura is not upset she sees this as a positive thing as she replies to Jim, “It doesn’t matter. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. I’ll just imagine he had an operation. The horn removed to make him feel less – freakish! Now we feel more at home with the other horses, the ones that don’t have horns…”(1951). At this point Laura sees her self as this unicorn, someone who was freakish but now she is just like everyone else. Jim’s presence was Laura’s operation and he made her feel alive. Laura lived in a world of illusion one in which little glass animals helped her escape into a world of fairy tail, a place where she was special.

Women had a traditional role in society during this period in time; normally women would marry a gentlem

Some topics in this essay:
Wingfield Amanda’s, Laura Jim, Blue Mountain, Selfishness Self, Tom Laura, Tom Wingfield, Sunset Hill, Tom Jim, St Louis, Glass Menagerie, glass collection, gentleman caller, wingfield amanda’s children, escaping reality, escape reality, symbol escape, glass figures, symbol laura, telephone left, laura jim, amanda’s children,