Week 3: Reaction Paper – “The Glass Menagerie”

ENG/120 / Charles Zeitvogel
July 11, 2011
University of Phoenix

In first reading “The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams, I did not think it would be something I would be interested in. However, while I continued to read, I continued to become more and more attached to the characters and drawn into the play. The use of the narrator, Tom Wingfield, who is also a main character in the play, was wonderful. I really enjoyed the parts where he was speaking to the audience and Amanda would call him in and he would answer, look to the audience, and walk onto the scene. In my opinion, that made the connection with Tom even bigger for the audience. Tom is the working man of the family, the breadwinner so to speak. He works in a shoe warehouse and the audience finds he is very unhappy there. Tom struggles through life without adventure. He longs to have adventure like the people in the movies that he sees all the time. Tom is called “Shakespeare” by his co-worker and friend Jim O’Conner, because he writes poetry. Tom cannot handle his overbearing mother and after a big fight breaks down and does something she asks. Amanda is the mother of Laura and Tom. She is the antagonist of the play. Amanda is still hurt by her husband leaving her all those years ago. She yearns to re-live her past of popularity through her daughter, Laura. Everything Amanda tries does not work as Laura is not like Amanda was. Amanda struggles with Tom to have him find a gentleman caller for his sister. Amanda does not see the reality that Laura is different, she only wants to see her imaginary reality. She is constantly living in her illusion and pulling her children down. Laura is the slightly crippled daughter. She is extremely shy and gets physically ill when in situations that she does not want to be in. Laura is the