... the family's bills. Williams uses symbols to effectively express the theme of The Glass Menagerie. The theme seems to be that of hopeful aspirations followed by inevitable disappointment and having dreams, which are destroyed by harsh realities of the world. Symbols are a major part of this play. Symbols used in this classic play are the fire escape, Laura's "glass menagerie," and ... security of the apartment. This fall symbolizes Laura's inability to function in society and the outside world. For Amanda, the fire escape is symbolic of her hopes and dreams. The hopes and dreams she has...

• Word Count: 991
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... . Her pride also shows in her contempt for her sister's husband, Stanley. She sees him as uneducated, and, therefore, less of a human being. On multiple occasions, she calls him and animal and asks Stella why she continues to put up with someone of such brutish nature. Blanche's personality is another contributing factor her unsympathetic portrayal. From the moment she arrives; she ... break his heart. At the end of the play, she sums up her personality nicely, "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." The loss of perception between dreams and reality is another reason Blanc...

• Word Count: 618
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... , Laura's mother, suffocating in her own affections, places her desires indirectly towards Laura. Additionally, there is Tom Wingfield, Laura's brother, who is immersed within a world of movies. Laura resembles a wounded animal, mirroring her own fears of failure. The "Glass Menagerie" is deceptively simple on its surface-no more, it seems, than a single incident in the life of a small family. Laura's self ... her at it again. Once we have seen Amanda's tirade about Laura dropping out of business school, Laura's state seems licit. The glass now seems to be Laura's hopes and dreams of ano...

• Word Count: 1214
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... . Crippled with one leg shorter than the other from a childhood illness, she lives her life through her collection of glass animals. They provide Laura's refuge from reality. One particular glass animal the "fragile and rare" unicorn symbolizes the character's sufferings. The brilliant use of the imagery of the glass unicorn helps express the emotional anguish of Laura. Only when the unicorn ... bad it made her sick in the stomach". Because Laura does not have the courage to live a normal sociable life, the glass animals in this scene represent her hopes and dreams of another life. This ...

• Word Count: 1170
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School