Through the use of symbols, Williams conveys the incessant confinement of the Wingfield’s by circumstance, while also demonstrating the damaging effect of the characters’ illusionary worlds. Williams’s description of the Wingfield’s apartment as a vast “hive-like conglomeration” of cellular living-units establishes a prison-like feel, compelling audiences to consider whether American lower-middle-class populations only function as one inter-fused mass of automatism. Moreover, the Wingfield’s confinement, highlighted through stage directions, is emphasised through the symbolic fire-escape which demonstrates the elusive prospect of the characters escape and is symbolic of “an entrance and exit” out of the characters illusionary worlds. William’s …show more content…
Wingfield’s abandonment provoked the family’s fragility. Laura’s fears are concealed within her illusionary world of polished glass animals which refract light and illuminate Laura's fragile and beautiful world. Her “glass menagerie” and “Victrola” symbolic of her inability to enter the real world reveal Laura's multifaceted personality and her lack of self-confidence. Not only is her leg frail, but so is her self-esteem. Laura is treated with fragility by her family members who “come to her rescue” and prohibit her from attempting to accomplish anything, provoking audiences to question Amanda’s parenting. Furthermore, the integral music, specifically "The Glass Menagerie" theme, a distant-sounding, delicate melody coupled with the glass menagerie’s shattering, highlights Laura’s fragility when she cries out “as if wounded” creating an emotional emphasis, evoking sympathy within the audience. This play delves into the moral ramifications of specific kinds of escape, provoking audiences to question the repercussions of leaving loved ones. Williams’s examines perceptions of reality through the use of delicate music, serving as a thread of connection and allusion between the narrator and the story, exploring characters’ illusionary worlds and conveying the surface vivacity of life, provoking audiences to question the underlying strain of immutable and inexpressible