The play centers itself on three characters. The three family members are adults at the time of this play, struggling to be individuals, and yet very entangled and mutually dependent on one another. Laura, Amanda's daughter, is a very shy young woman who hardly ever talks to anyone besides her family. She's disabled, and because of that, she has no self- confidence. Laura is aware that no decent man would like to marry her. The most important things in Laura's life are some old records that belonged to her father, and her collection of glass figures. Tom, Amanda's son, supports his family despite his unhappiness with his world. He tries to please Amanda by being the sole supporter, but only gets rewarded by her constant nagging and suspicion. Eventually, Tom discovers that he is more like his father as he seeks adventure in the movies. He hangs out on the fire escape to avoid suffocation from his mother's behavior, and desperately seeks the life he always desired: the life of adventure. Williams" characters are all lost in a dreamy state of illusion or escape, wishing for something that they don't have. The glass menagerie itself is a symbol Williams" uses to represent the broken lives of Amanda, Laura and Tom Wingfield, and their inability to live in the present. .
Amanda Wingfield is a complex character who is a middle-aged southern belle abandoned by her husband. She spends most of her time reminiscing about the past and nagging her children about useless little things. Amanda is completely dependent on her son Tom for financial security and holds him fully responsible for her daughter Laura's future. As Amanda calls Tom to the table in Scene I and comments on manners and habits, we have our first glimpse of Amanda, the mother: .
Animals have secretions in their stomachs which enable them to digest food without mastication, but human beings are supposed to chew their food before they swallow it down.