Theme Of Disillusionment In The Glass Menagerie

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Teal Tobin CC English Mrs. Ditton 1 March 2018 Disillusioned Wingfields America is in a state of disillusion. After the first World War, Americans found it difficult to buy into the american dream because of how horrific the event was handled. Disillusionment is everywhere, but a prominent example of disillusionment is in the memory play, The Glass Menagerie. A memory play is a play in which the lead character narrates the events of the play, which are drawn from the character’s memory. The Glass Menagerie, written in 1945 by Tennessee Williams, is classified as a memory play. In fact, the play was the first memory play. The play portrays a small family of the south. Living in a quaint apartment is mother Amanda, brother Tom, and sister Laura. Throughout the play, the focus stays on Amanda, who desperately hopes that her daughter Laura will find a nice man to marry, even asking her son Tom to find a man to court her. In 1973, the drama was adapted into a film. The entire movie is produced with only four actors; Katharine Hepburn as Amanda, Sam Waterson as Tom, Joanna Miles as Laura, and Michael Morlarty as Jim- the gentleman caller. While maintaining the genre of drama, the film did not meet the standards to correctly represent the theme of disillusionment. Disillusionment of reality is portrayed numerous ways throughout the play, but lacking in the stage production due to poor acting and unrealistic costumes and props. Disillusionment shines through the written play, even