Glass Word Choice In Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie is a memory play published in 1944 by American playwright, Tennessee Williams. The play carries strong autobiographical elements due to the fact that it is based on Williams himself, his mentally fragile sister rose, and his melodramatic mother. Almost 30 years later, the play went on to premiere in many theaters and on the big screen; The cast included Katherine Hepburn as Amanda Wingfield, Sam Waterston as Jim O 'Connor, Michael Moriarity as Tom Wingfield, and Joanna Miles as Laura Wingfield. Although the transition from script to stage production is a large one, directors were largely successful in developing the major elements and portraying them in a clear and effective manner. In the original script of the The Glass

Throughout the play the central focus is on finding a gentleman caller for Laura, something that Amanda obsesses over. The original play states, “[TOM utters another groan LAURA glances at him with a faint, apologetic smile. Her voice catching a little] Mothers afraid I’m going to be an old maid” (Williams 755). In this scene it 's evident that Amanda wants a relationship for her daughter more than Laura wants the relationship for herself. Amanda has instilled into Laura’s mind that without a husband she can’t be successful or independent and is doomed to be a homebody. The reason Amanda is so insistent on Laura finding a man could be due to her past experiences. One of the many times caught reminiscing about her gentleman callers, Amanda states, “She married him on the rebound – never loved her – carried my picture on him the night he died! And there was that boy that every girl in the Delta had set her cap for! That beautiful, brilliant young Fitzhugh boy from Green County!" (Williams Lines 60-65). Amanda constantly speaks of her past, which hints at sadness as result of her ruined marriage. Because Amanda has seen firsthand the toll an unhappy marriage can take on life, she is doing everything in her power to prevent this from happening to Laura- even if it means harming their

The use of word choices helped to highlight Amanda’s belief that marriage is a tool rather than a gesture of true love. Symbolism is used to convey the feelings of confinement radiated throughout the play by Tom and Laura, and the directorial choices help bring attention to the main focus of love and manipulation. While these elements came together to provide an exceptional play, they flourished when they reached the movie screen. The award winning cast and directors were able to evoke watchers emotions and make them feel as if they were being suffocated by someone else 's will, just as Amanda did with Tom and