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The Glass Menagerie Symbolism Essay

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n Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie the most noteworthy and pressing theme is the fact that neither of the characters, in this memory play, can accept the harsh truth of their realities. Imprisoned by the impossibility of true escape is clearly imbedded in each character. Tom wants to escape his familial prison, paralleling his father’s escape. Amanda is in a stronger prison of her own, the prison of her imaginative past. Laura’s escape from her prison is apparent by her collection of fragile, make-believe glass figurines. The central symbolism of the glass figurines, is Laura’s dangerously delicate, incredibly fanciful fragility of her imagination.
Symbolic of escape is the glass collection, as well as, her father’s records and the apartment’s fire escape. Laura is able to lose herself in her glass figurine collection, escaping the realities of her own life and circumstances. Throughout this play the basic symbolism of the glass menagerie does not falter, it consistently chronicles Laura. The symbolism is vital, a mirror reflection of change occurring in her heart and in her circumstances.
Reality by far has the weakest …show more content…

Laura eventually allows him to touch her most prized possession- her glass unicorn. She mention that it’s 13 years old. Jim is also affected by the glass menagerie, Jim wonders if it doesn’t feel strange since it is so different. Laura proceeds to tell him how the unicorn gets along nicely with other animals and doesn’t complain. In this same scene, while Amanda and Jim dance, he leans over and kisses her, knowing that he shouldn’t, but someone ought to. After Jim, tells Laura that he is engaged to be married, she gives him the broken unicorn to symbolize her broken heart and great loss within her. Laura has given up to him her last remains of fantasy, the broken unicorn represents her lost hopes and

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