Symbolism in The Glass Menagerie

The Glass menagerie, by Tennessee Williams is a slight drama that uses a life-size as classifyment of symbolisation throughout to read the emotional, material and societal province of each(prenominal) of its vulcanized fibers. Laura is a reall(a)y delicate youthful cock-a-hoop effeminate that lives in a lower category, moth-eaten flat with her old(a) br other(a) Tom, and her bizarre female bring up Amanda. Laura feels as though she is an castaway in contrast to the remainder of the universe. Among the mevery unceasing subjects of this drama the breakability is shown in a small unicorn that base hitly exists within a chalk menagerie. There are other less outstanding symbols such as the intensityss of a rainbow, bluish roses, and the issue, and entryway to the flat.Laura s methamphetamine hydrochloride menagerie is an of import symbol. Laura does non impulse to be involved with the universe outback(a) this dark, grim flat that she lives in with her female parent, a p roud, vibrant adult female, Amanda, and her blood brother Tom, an aspiring poet, and shoe warehouseman. ( ebscohost.com ) . She prefers the comfort of her vaporific trash animals ( 478 ) . Laura would instead pass preen with her bantam glass genus Equus caballuss and unicorn statuette, earshot to her old records. She would prefer to make this all xxiv hours instead than suiting any contact with other people.One of the clearest typic utilizations of the glass figurines happens at a refer in the story when Laura and Jim are left field by themselves. Laura makes the statement You should ever apportion good attention of your glass. ( 510 ) Again, we see the symbolism of the glass unicorn and the breakability of Laura. Laura is really faint-hearted and guiltless, really oftentimes identical the glass figurines she cleans throughout the twenty-four hours. All though it is really delicate, much like Laura herself, the glass radiances and glitters, amplifying many colourss o f the rainbow in the visible radiation.The glass unicorn is evidently the or so symbolic of Laura training between the lines as Jim and Laura are speaking, it is effortless to see that the unicorn represents Laura s remarkably different, delicate, and uncomfortablenss in the normal universe. Jim makes the statement. Poor small chap, he must cognize kind of lone(prenominal) . It is obvious that Laura has mat only nearly of her life, and Laura replies the unicorn sits on a shelf with well-nigh normal Equus caballuss that do non hold any horns, and they all seem to generate along nicely to personateher. ( p512 )During Jim and Laura s short romantic brush, for a min, Laura is experiencing much assurance. It s as if she is get downing to mother a small normal like her Equus caballuss. When Jim accidently knocks the glass unicorn to the floor, and breaks the horn off. The unicorn has disconnected its horn. It does nt truly count. It whitethorn be a approval in disguise. Laur a provinces, and I entrust merely conceive of that it has had some sort of operation. And with the horn removed he may experience less capricious today he might experience more like he is one of the Equus caballuss, the 1s without any horns . ( p513 )For a minute Laura is glad and uplifted. She begins to smile and experience the tenseness of uniqueness raising from her. Jim sees this and starts dancing close with her, and lastly kisses her. All of this gives us the little touch modality that Laura may eventually be get awaying the illusory universe in which she has lived for most of her life. Laura is for a minute, get downing to experience more recognized, particularly from Jim. For a minute she is experiencing less witting about her physical disablements. She starts to open up merely a small spot.It s non long afterwards all of this that Jim tells Laura of his battle to another adult female. Laura is busted. She is broken indoors, and no longer feels the comparable singular ity that she one time felt with the glass unicorn. She looks at Jim, and tells him to take the unicorn. It s as if she has let travel of something indoors. bygone dream like memories of a love that she one time had for Jim, have forthwith been lost in the world of Jims words. Laura has worn-out(a) many old ages smoothing, and taking attention of her glass menagerie, and maintaining her unicorn safe from the outside universe. alone, straightaway it has been exposed, and in bend it has been broken, merely as Laura has been broken. The dream of possibly, some twenty-four hours retention love from a adult male, and creation normal has now been replaced with a broken bosom, and a withdrawn unhappiness.As the introverted and diffident Laura is lost even win in to herself. We begin to see a glance of the symbolisms in the usage of the rainbow and its colourss. But it is less obvious than that of the glass unicorn. The rainbow signifies that thither may be some trust in the herea fter. Tom gives Laura a glance of hope, Laura is overwhelmed with emotions when Tom pulls out the rainbow- colorful scarf and tells the narrative of how a prestidigitator changed a scene of action of small fish into Canary Islandss. Towards the concluding of the drama, Tom reflects on Laura as he gazes at some broken colored glass, and imagines his tattered baby Laura and her broken spirit up. ( ebscohost.com ) . Tom wishes in the symbolic perceive that he could blow out the tapers of his sister s desperation. He besides reflects on how Laura would pass hours smoothing her glass animate beings, maintaining them safe from the remainder of the universe.There is sad badinage in Tennessee Williams drama when you think about the symbolism of the rainbow. Although rainbows seem to be positive, bright, and bright marks that a new twenty-four hours is coming shortly, there is normally much hurting that must be endured forrader that clip, if it of all time comes.There is instead an a rray of symbolism that helps to organize the character of Laura. Tennessee Williams uses the colour of blue in Jim s moniker for Laura. Like the rose, Laura is delicate, and like the colour blue, she is diffident, guiltless, and really sad.Plants CitedFambrough, Preston. William s The Glass Menagerie. Explicator 63.2 ( wintertime 2005 ) 100-102. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. north land U, Watson Lib, Leesville, LA. 17 Mar. 2008 & A lt hypertext guide protocol //search.ebscohost.com & A gt .Reese, Jennifer. The Glass Menagerie. Entertainment periodical ( 28 Apr. 2006 ) 143-143. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Northwestern State U, Watson Lib. , Leesville, LA. 17 Mar. 2008 & A lt hypertext transfer protocol //search.ebscohost.com & A gt .Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie Literature for Composition Writing Arguments about Essays, Fiction, Poetry, and Drama erectile dysfunction. by Sylvia Barnet, William Burto and William E. Cain8ThursdayEd unexampled Yor k. 2007 499-519.