.
Laura's remains a delicate person even though she is surrounded by the flights and struggles of her mother and brother. Laura does not participate in family arguments nor does she concern herself with supporting the family. "Like her glass treasures, Laura isn't particularly good for anything but gathering dust" (Patrowicz [online]). Because of Laura's physical and emotional disabilities, it seems to excuse her from any practical obligation from the household. For example, when Laura volunteers to clear the table in the first scene Amanda quickly replied; "No, Dear you go in front and study your type writer chart Stay fresh and pretty! - It's almost time for our gentlemen callers to start arriving" (Williams 10). Financially, Laura contributes very little to the household, but does her best to hold it together emotionally. "Laura Wingfield has all the Gawky grace of an overgrown child" (Patrowicz [online]) Her childlike personality helps the three adults function, and without it they would almost certainly dissolve. .
Hoping that Laura will make her fortune through a business career, Amanda enrolls her in a business college. Laura seemed to acclimate well enough in the beginning by going to business school and practicing her typing and shorthand at home. As the plot unfolds it becomes apparent the she is quite troubled. Laura is unable to take a simple typing test without getting so anxiety struck that she gets sick. Due to Laura's shyness, she drops out of school and spends her days wandering the city alone, hiding her failure in business school from her mother. Laura wanders to such places as the museum, birdhouse, and zoo. She visits all of these places because she feels comfortable knowing that she does not have to deal with people, just the animals and the artwork. These places also allow her to remain within herself in her own world, without outside interference.
