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Examples Of Isolationism In The Glass Menagerie

937 Words4 Pages
A piece of glass is fragile, if it falls, it breaks. Tennessee Williams uses glass to portray the character of Laura. The Glass Menagerie talks about a family’s struggle for wealth, acceptance, and romance. Most of the plot centers around trying to get Laura a gentleman caller. Laura is characterized as shy, nervous, and socially awkward. Amanda, Laura’s mother, works tirelessly to find a partner for Laura and to get her to come out of her shell. It takes the entire story and an unlikely scenario for Laura to feel normal. Laura is the most tragic and central character in the play due to the fact that her dependence on her family causes her mother and brother to have the sole purpose of supporting her. Over the course of her entire life, Laura Wingfield feels isolated from the world. Isolationism has a very demoralizing effect on a human being, especially if it stems from the childhood years. Tom, Laura’s brother, and Amanda work tirelessly to support her. Laura has pleurosis, severe nervousness, and severe shyness. Even the simplest tasks could not be completed. Amanda enrolls Laura in business classes at the nearby college, which Laura promptly skips after throwing up on the floor of the school. The teacher at the college is unaware of Laura, except referring to her as “that terribly shy little girl who dropped out of school after only a few days’ attendance” (pg. 13). Anxiety overtakes Laura’s plan for knowledge, it cultivates her ability to be in a public setting. The
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