The Glass Menagerie 1

"The Glass Menagerie"
Tennessee Williams

The discussion of non-realistic pieces versus realistic aspects of works of literature was very beneficial, and I noticed many parts of "The Glass Menagerie" that were unrealistic.  The first speaking lines were non-realistic because they were Tom's soliloquy.  This is non-realistic because people do not talk to an audience or explain themselves in real life.  On page 1238, stage directions indicate that "Tom motions for music and a spot of light on Amanda" (Williams), which is obviously non-realistic because people cannot conduct music from thin air or create light.  Many times, music plays an important role in the scene, as when Tom speaks directly to the audience about the music heard off-stage and when the plot grows more intense.  During Jim and Laura's conversation, she tells him that he sings very well, which is accompanied by a song heard off-stage.  This further serves Tom's purpose because in memories, thoughts jump around and pan back and forth between the past and present.  Fabricated lightning is also present in scene 6 when Laura is speaking with Amanda and claims she is ill.  It is non-realistic because it comes at precisely the moment she feels feint and wants to get out of dinner.  Another non-realistic feature includes the parts left out in Tom's story because in memories, sometimes we block out certain parts and exaggerate others.  Overall themes in the play which accentuate its non-realistic features include the background music heard many times and Tom's narrating of the entire play.