The Glass Menagerie 5

"The Glass Menagerie"
Tennessee Williams

So, I really enjoyed the piece, but I will admit that the first three or four scenes were pretty boring.  Amanda's constantly nagging Tom about everything was annoying, and the jumpiness was a little difficult to follow at times.  The play was very interesting because I had never read something that was directed with memories or that interacted with the audience in the same manner.  The memories made the play non-realistic but also realistic in that it resembles real memories and the way we recall them. The non-realistic elements were probably my favorite parts of the play because they offered more insights and details to the plot.  I could further understand and visualize what was happening because of the stage directions and Tom's addressing the audience.  The 11th question in the book asks where an intermission should be, and I said that a break would make the most sense after scene five because that is the natural break.  It is after the introduction but before the main event occurs--Laura's discussion with Jim.  The last scene was really sad, but also somewhat expected because in the beginning, Tom described Jim as "the long delayed but always expected something that we live for" (Williams, page 1237).  I don't like that he led her on and was engaged to someone else, but I do love the confidence he instilled in her and the way he told her she was beautiful and a normal person, which she had not thought before his visit.