Q: 'The Glass Menagerie' celebrates above all, the human need to dream. How far do you agree?
A: 'The Glass Menagerie' displays the theme of needing to dream and desiring to follow those dreams.Williams depicts the consequences of both following ones dreams and of forsaking them.He presents how it is a part of human nature, to dream, to have certain desires and to want to fulfil them, sometimes even when they seem impossible or hold devastating outcomes like Amanda's wish for Laura to get many gentlemen callers and Tom's wish to escape St.Louis.
Williams presents a contrast between characters based on their dreams and ambitions and whether or not they are able to achieve them. Tom dreams of becoming a poet and he dreams of living adventurous life. The hope that one day he able to achieve these dreams perhaps keeps him going at the ware house but we are aware of his dream-like state does him no good at the warehouse. His boss tells Jim to tell to Tom to wake up, his colleagues treat him like a 'strange dog' he even gets fired for writing poem on one of the shoe box's lids. It seems that by dreaming but not following those dreams he is suffocating himself. He yearns to leave the coffin he is trapped in but without 'removing the nails', the nails being Laura. Ironically once he does decide to follow his dream rather than relief he feels haunted, he sees his sister in transparent glass and often feels her touch on his shoulder or perhaps that too is just a dream.
"The Glass Menagerie" is set during the great depression era, when the world was at the brim of war. William illustrates that the people would distract themselves with music, drugs and sex while Tom would watch them from his fire escape. Another way of escaping these realities is through dreaming. Amanda and Laura are the principle examples of this sort of distraction. Amanda dreams of the perfect past where she is the centre of attention and dreams the same for her daughter not knowing that what Laura dreams of is a world consisting of her glass menagerie where she does not have to worry about school or gentlemen callers and perhaps even a world where she is not crippled. When it comes to Jim she fantasises about their past together and when she realises the news about his engagement in high school is false perhaps she dreams of a hopeful relationship with him and that brings her out of her shell while Amanda's dreams keep her trapped in her self delusions.Yet again William emphasis how their dreams keep them sane, when coming face to face with realities Amanda losses herself in rage like when Jim left she got angry and called Laura crippled or when she got so angry at Tom during an argument that she refused to talk to him. When faced with real life challenges like the business school pressure and the gentlemen caller Laura breaks down entirely, needing to retreat to her world of glass and dreams.
We are shown a realistic character Jim whom the playwright uses as a 'symbol' he represents lost dreams as well as overcoming their loss. As a high school prodigy reduces to shoe factory clerk he has lost a few dreams along the way and perhaps has accepted that his life cannot be as wonderful again. He takes the required steps towards betterment of life nonetheless with a realistic approach. While it can be argued that he is subduing himself, that Tom is making better decisions than him by following his dreams but it must be noted that Jim is not risking the breaking apart of a family and who knows he might end up more successful and happy than Tom. It can also be said that by leaving Laura he left behind a dream, someone who knew hm from his glory days and someone he got along with more than just 'alright'. His departure also has an impact on Laura, her new dream shatters right in front of her but she is now able to face reality, she is able to smile through the pain, wish Jim well and give away her favourite glass menagerie. Thus what the author is conveying is more along the lines of effects of dreams, both fulfilled and broken.
This play is concluded with an ambiguous ending we do not know whether those who followed their dreams and those who did not fared well or not. We know how the father who 'fell in love with long distances' followed his dreams, perhaps he ends up like Tom and is haunted by the choice he made. Since in this play the narrator is solely dictating his story and leaving it up to the audience to decide whose actions were right and wrong and to understand, one can not conclude where the play stands in regard to dreams. Is it good to dream? Do dreams trap you or relieve you? Unfortunately at times it goes against society to dream but it goes against human nature not to. This conflict is the reason the audiences are able to focus on not only the characters' dreams and desires but also contemplate on their own.
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English Literature 9695
Non-FictionThis is a compilation of all the essays and notes I wrote while I was in ALevels. It must be noted that not all of of these are A* material (though none goes lower than a grade B) so they aren't meant to be copy pasted for your school assignments. U...
