Plot Analysis - Scenes 1-7 "The Glass Menagerie"

Recently, I read The Glass Menagerie, by Tenessee Williams. I disgusted this play. It was because I was such engaged with how Jim and Laura were relating too each almost to the point in which I thought that they were going to have a relationship and that Laura’s dreams to consider Jim her boyfriend were going to be true, however none of those actions happened.

Tom faces certain forces and pressures. He has been living with his mother during the play. He was eventually struggling to get along with her. It is because she pretended their children to be the way she wanted them to be but did not look how they authentically show they capabilities but her selfishness invaded her feeling and lack her of think rationally about her childrens’ personalities. He meets these forces and pressures by deciding to eventually leave, disrespect her oftentimes and end up leaving out the house to avoid stress and tragedy-commit. You can see this early in the play on page #7, when Amanda, his mother says to him: “ That's right, now that you've had us make such fools of ourselves. The effort, the preparations, all the expense ! The new floor lamp, the rug, the clothes for Laura ! all for what? To entertain some other girl's fiancé ! Go to the movies, go ! Don't think about us, a mother deserted, an unmarried sister who's crippled and has no job!. Don't let anything interfere with your selfish pleasure I just go, go, go - to the movies!. TOM: All right, I will! The more you shout about my selfishness to me the quicker I'll go, and I won't go to the movies!. AMANDA: Go, then! Then go to the moon - you selfish dreamer!

The tension rises when Tom has any other option but to run away because he does not want to do something in which he may regret later. He still conserves a bit of respect for his mother. He avoids to insult her as she does to him. This might leave a reader feeling of disgrace. It is not easy to see how other people which you try to please do not appreciate your effort in having made the impossible to try to step the up to what they want. In the case of the mother, her desire was to get a gentleman caller for her daughter and Tom’s sister. Due to his lack of questioning to Jim, (the gentleman caller), made the circumstance become unexpected. At the end neither the mother nor Tom knew what jim’s plans were, specially after having invited him to dinner and possibly having considered him as future boyfriend of Laura. Tom’s mother became so furious that did not even think about the willingness that his son showed in having brought him to the house. In fact, it is annoying to see how disgraceful is the mother.

The book climaxes when after Laura had found the optimal moment to spend some time to finish knowing her beloved High School colleague Jim O’Connor, he kiss her, tries to motivate her to pursue success in life and overcome inferiority complex, he ends up telling her that he is engaged to be married with another women called Betty. "I go out all of the time with a girl named Betty. She's a home-girl like you, and Catholic, and Irish, and in a great many ways we - get along fine.

I met her last summer on a moonlight boat trip up the river to Alton, on the Majestic. Well - right away from the start it was - love!”

The falling action ultimately resolves the conflict. Laura could finally meet the type of man that she was in love with. Even Though she did not end up having him as her boyfriend, she was satisfied that she was told with the truth about his love towards another women and besides Jim kissed her, like she always desired. It’s a person v. person and or Person vs. society type of conflict that’s driving this story. After all the truth was told, her mother Amanda faces her child Tom with discussions. Nonetheless, Tom faces back his mother by letting her know that he was going to leave the home and go. It shown that both conflict types are happening at once.

DMU Timestamp: April 20, 2020 22:34