11-17-12

Quotes Project for “Glass Menagerie”
Quote 1- Throughout the story, “Glass Menagerie”, Tennessee Williams wrote responses of each character that was able to develop the thesis, plot, and themes. Details given early in the book help establish the characters’ personalities and physical looks, which aide to the readers understanding of the characters’ actions. The conversation between Amanda and Laura, (page 17) “Amanda: Girls that aren’t cut out for business careers usually wind up married to some nice man….Laura: But Mother…..I’m- crippled!” reveals that Laura is physically handicapped and she allows her disabilities to determine her choices in life because she is embarrassed. This certain conversation is important because it displays Laura’s insecurity, which affected her decision to drop out of business school. When reading this conversation I became saddened by the fact that Laura allows her physical disability to govern her life. She is held back from being successful in life because she has a mental block. Later in the text, the author reveals to the reader that Laura has no social life and dropped out of business school because she could not handle the pressure. Not only am I saddened by Laura’s yielding behavior, but I can relate to her mental block. When entering high school I was very small, to be exact, I was 5’2 112 pounds, while the average male peer was 5’8 150 pounds. Because of my lack of size, I tended to be non-aggressive; playing football I was scared of being demolished and I decided not to play basketball because I was short. I let my physical abilities control my previous decisions, which have now become my regrets. Of course, I am no longer passive, I act upon all my wants and dreams, and I have realized that physical disabilities should not control personal decisions. If Laura would break her wall of physical insecurities then she could go to business school, find a boyfriend, and have a social life. Quote 2- (Page 34) “Tom: Man is by instinct a lover, a hunter, a fighter, and none of those instincts are given much play at the warehouse! Amanda: Man is by instinct! Don’t quote instinct to me! Instinct is something that people have got away from! It belongs to animals! Christian adults don’t want it!” Even though this conversation between Tom and Amanda shows their different opinions, it also displays the reoccurring element in the book of conflict between the two. Tom clearly dislikes having a job at a boring warehouse. He is sick of being complacent with the job and desires adventure while his mother wants him to stay at the warehouse and support the family. This conflict between the two is a decisive point in the story because it is the beginning of Tom’s choice to leave the family and become a sailor; similar to the actions of his father who ran away to live a selfish life. The audience and I all agree that this argument between Tom and Laura shows their differences; I most definitely agree with Tom’s opinion. Even though science would prove the statement wrong, I believe man is born with character traits to survive in this world which includes fighting, hunting, and loving. I feel sorry for Tom because he is weighed down from following his dreams because he has to support his helpless mother and sister. Laura has an excuse to be nonproductive in the family, but Amanda does not work and pleasures herself on Tom’s dollar by joining clubs and running around town twenty four seven. If Amanda got a job, Tom could pursue his adventurous career, but she is a hypocrite of her own message given to Tom.
Quote 3-
(Page 88) “Jim: Somebody needs to build your confidence up and make you proud instead of shy and turning away. Somebody ought to kiss you, Laura! [Jim kisses Laura] minutes later…. Jim: I shouldn’t have done that….” This part of the book is the climax because all of Laura’s social insecurities are put to the test when Jim attempts to kiss her. Even though it was a pity kiss, this action opens up the world to Laura and gives her a boost of confidence. Then her love plane is shot down minutes later when Jim tells her he shouldn’t have done that. The kiss gears perfectly with the breaking of the glass unicorn; the unicorn is a unique animal (Laura) and when the animal’s homeostasis is damaged by being dropped (the pity kiss given to Laura) the effects can be devastating. The author does not give a definite response of Laura after being shot down, so this gives the reader a chance to assume if the kiss helps her spread her wings and fly or retreat back to her hermit shell, rejecting the outside world. We all know Jim’s decision to shoot down Laura was insensitive, but I believe the kiss did Laura good in the long run. As an optimistic person I always look at the bright side and the kiss given to Laura is enough confidence for her to be more sociable. Even though the majority of people would think Jim was wrong for kissing her, I think he did the gentleman action because he said in the text “Somebody needs to build your confidence”.
Quote 4-
(Page 97) “Tom: For nowadays the world is lit by lightning! Blow out your candles, Laura-and so goodbye…” These two, short sentences successfully summarize the theme of the story. The author trust that the reader has prior knowledge of what lightning is. Lightning is an electric spark discharge that is there one moment and gone the next. The author is comparing the flash of lightning to the jolt of love that Laura experienced and boomerang dreaming of Tom who desired adventure but could not grasp it. In my English class, Dr. Rhetoric would say the metaphorical meaning behind the sentence is brilliant. Nothing in literature in done by accident, so with that said, the sentence “Tom: For nowadays the world is lit by lightning! Blow out your candles, Laura-and so goodbye…” is not only the physical resolution, but also the beginning of the reader’s imagination of the outcome of Laura’s and Tom’s lives.