Hello and welcome to the Discourse. Tennessee Williams was an American playwright and screenplay writer who also wrote short stories, poems, essays, and a volume of memoirs. He was a contemporary of Eugene O’Neil and Arthur Miller and gained fame as one of the three most important playwrights of 20th-century American Drama. Tennessee Williams was his pen name while his original name was Thomas Lannier Williams III. He was born on March 26, 1911, in Columbia, Mississippi and he died on February 25, 1983. He was deeply influenced by famous American poet Hart Crane as much as he mentioned in his will before his death that he wanted himself to be buried at sea nearby the area where Hart Crane committed suicide.
He was very close to his elder sister Rose Isabel Williams who was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a young woman. In 1943, she was hospitalized and remained in the hospital throughout her life. Tennesse was very close to her and continued to take good care of her health and medication till the end of his life.
The Glass Menagerie was one of the most successful plays by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944. It is a memory play in which the scenes are presented through the memory of one of the characters. It is a play in which Tennessee Williams expressed his own childhood difficulties that he faced because of his turbulent father and devoted mother.
Characters:
Amanda Wingfield is a troubled mother, abandoned by her husband. She is trying to raise her two kids with utmost devotion. However, she also yearns for the comforts of her youth. The contradiction between her desires and her devotion makes her feel that she almost hates her children. Tom Wingfield is her elder son who works at a shoe warehouse to support his family. However, he doesn’t like his job and yearns to study more and become a poet. through the memory of one of the characters. Like his mother, he is also very devoted to his family, however, he finds it burdensome. Laura Wingfield is his younger sister who suffered a childhood illness that left her with a limp. She is depressed with an inferiority complex that causes mental fragility to her. Jim O’Connor was a schoolmate of Tom and Laura during childhood. He was a brilliant student who excelled in athletics and acting. However, his familial situation forced him to suffer failure and now he works as a clerk in the same shoe warehouse where Tom works.
Summary:
Tom Wingfield is a major character and the narrator of the play and the scenes are presented as the memories of Tom during a crucial time in his life. The narrator tries to bring up some realities of his life in front of the readers through the development of scenes. Tom appears on the stage and as he remembers the older times, the play begins. The play is set in 1937. Amanda Wingfield who belonged to a genteel Southern family and who spent most of her childhood in abundance is suffering financial turmoil as her husband has left her while she has to take care of her two children. Laura is her daughter who is limp and she wears a brace on her left leg. Tom is Laura’s brother who works at a shoe warehouse to help his family. Their father left them years ago and except for one postcard, the family has never heard from him since then. Laura suffers from depression and an inferiority complex because of her physical condition. Tom cares for her sister and wants to help her. He aspired to be a poet and writer. However, the financial conditions of his family force him to devote all his time to the shoe warehouse. He often remains tired and irritated. Amanda is trying to get a suitable genteel caller for Laura who could marry her. However, Laura fails to attract any genteel caller (suitor) because of her physical condition and shyness. Amanda enrolls in a business college hoping that she will make her career and bring prosperity to the family. However, Amanda comes to know that her shyness and inferiority complex has failed her at college too as she drops out of the class and kills her time wandering around the city alone. Amanda then decides that Laura’s last hope is to get married. She starts working extra time and sells magazine subscriptions to gain more money that she believes will help Laura get a suitable groom. Tom on the other hand continues to struggle as he doesn’t like his job at the shoe warehouse. He desired to be a creative writer but finds himself trapped in the banality and boredom of everyday life. He gets some relief from alcohol, movies, and literature. He spends most of his night hours in movie theaters. Laura spends most of her time in polishing and arranging her collection of little glass animals. Amanda often tells Laura and Tom about her younger days and how once she got seventeen genteel callers for her during a single day. She pressurizes Tom to help her in getting a proper suitor for Laura to get her married. When Amanda confronts Tom about him wasting time and money on movies, they often get into arguments. During one such argument, Tom accidentally breaks several of the glass animal figurines that are Laura’s most prized possessions.
Amanda pressurizes Tom to keep an eye on a suitable genteel caller for Laura at the warehouse. Tom decides on a fellowman, Jim O’Connor, at dinner. Jim used to be a schoolmate of Tom and Laura. He used to be a good athlete and actor. However, his own family problems forced him to work as a clerk at the same shoe warehouse. Yet, he is confident enough to improve his career and prosper. When Amanda learns that he is a driven young man with his mind set on career advancement she gets very happy and spruces up the apartment. She prepares an elaborate dinner and insists that Laura wear a new dress. When Laura comes to know that Jim O’Connor is visiting her, she gets depressed as she knows him since the schooldays when she used to have a strong crush on Jim. She again suffers a spell of inferiority complex and finds herself ill. When Jim O’Connor arrives at their home for dinner, Laura answers the door, on Amanda’s orders, and then quickly disappears, leaving Tom and Jim alone. However, later, Laura joins the dinner and after dinner, Laura and Jim are left alone by candlelight in the living room as they wait for the electricity to be restored. Tom had revealed to Jim that he hadn’t paid the electricity bill as he is planning to leave the job and go away for some adventurous life and he will need money for that.
As Laura and Jim are left alone, they converse with each other and soon Jim realizes that Laura is suffering inferiority complex. He encourages her and tells her to think better of herself. They share a quiet dance during which, Jim accidentally disturbs Laura’s glass menagerie knocking a glass unicorn to the ground and breaking off his horn. Laura takes the accident nicely and Jim compliments Laura and kisses her. Then he tells her that he is already engaged and will soon get married. Laura then offers the broken horn as a gift to Jim and then he leaves. When Amanda comes to know that Jim is already engaged, she feels heartbroken and furiously chides Tom. Tom on the other hand is surprised as he didn’t know anything about Jim’s engagement. He realizes that maybe Jim made up this story of engagement as he felt that the family was trying to set him up with Laura, and he had no romantic interest in her. The play ends as Tom says that he left home soon afterward and never returned. He then bids farewell to his mother and sister and asks Laura to blow out the candles.
The characters and story of this play resemble Tennessee Williams’ own life. Williams clearly resembles Tom while Laura, whose nickname in the play is Blue Roses resembles Tennessee’s elder sister Rose while his mother inspires Amanda.
So this is for today. We will continue to discuss the history of American literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards.
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