The Glass Menagerie 2

"The Glass Menagerie"
Tennessee Williams

I think number 5 in the textbook is an important question, so I want to focus a little on that one.  I agree that Laura is the pivotal character because although Tom is the narrator, the story is hers, and he narrates her life, thoughts, and actions.  The title also contributes to her being the main character because she collects glass figures (the menagerie) and is regarded as very fragile and less akin with reality.  The symptoms of the mental condition include her talking to herself and her inability to see herself as an equal member of society.  I think that her mother and her physical deterrent cause her mental condition because Amanda constantly nags her and expects her to accomplish more than she feels she is able.  Her physical defect also contributes to her mental condition because she looks at her leg and feels separate from society, which seems better in her eyes.  The audience feels sympathetic toward Laura because she has the physical disability, often grows sick or faint, is constantly nagged by her mother, and the incident with Jim, "the climax of her secret life" (Williams, page 1273).  Her relationship with her mother is very different than the one with her brother because Amanda wants to stop Tom from leaving, as their father had left.  She basically wants to live vicariously through Laura and re-live those memories she had as a young girl.  However, their relationships are similar in the aspect that Amanda wants them both to be successful and accomplish things with their lives.  She wants Tom to better himself with night classes and wants him to get a better job in order to more fully support his family, while she wants Laura to acquire domestic skills in order to marry well.