English Literature 9695

The Glass Menagerie: The Strength of Presented Symbols

Q. The play being a 'memory play' relies on the suggestive strength of certain symbols. Discuss some of these symbols and their significance in the play.

'I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion'. William has written a play that can very well be said to be his biography. The narrator and characters Tom is a reflection of himself just as Amanda and Laura are reflections of his mother and sister, Rose. He creates the atmosphere such that it is dim and sentimental. It does not feel real as it is meant to be a depiction of a memory, of Tom's attempt at exorcism of ghosts from his past and perhaps William's attempt at remembering his sister and apologising for having left her. William draws the play's strength from certain images that question its authenticity as a memory.

The most prominent symbols Williams has depicted are perhaps those of 'Blue Roses' and of 'The Glass Menagerie'. They both symbolise Laura and the made up world Tom sees her stuck in. The audience know that Blue Roses do not actually exist and the fact that it was just a nickname Jim used for Laura further solidifies that they are linked to illusion that there characters make themselves believe are true i order to make themselves happier in the constricting environment they have.The music of Glass Menagerie often plays when the attention is on Laura even when the other characters are having a conversation, the light is upon Laura, this dual attention leads the audience to believe the prime subject of Tom's memory is Laura.

Glass is transparent, likewise, this memory play is raw emotion depicted as the narrator remembers, but just as glass can refract light, the narrator has taken certain liberties and exaggerated some aspects of his memory. 'Memory takes a lot of poetic licence. It omits some details; others are exaggerated.' like perhaps Amanda's boisterousness, or the connection between Jim and Laura. The exaggeration and omission are represented by the stillness of the play and sarcastic tone of the narrator. While we see the Wingfields follow a routine like they are actors in a play in Scene 1, we feel as if the narrator recalling the memory is savouring the moment in quiet contemplation of how things used to be. Until we see Amanda talk. We see a memory within a memory and we immediately link the Blue Mountain to the Blue Roses and we wonder if any of these memories hold true or if they are manipulations of one's own desires. Whether it be Amanda's idealisation of the South or Tom's desire to believe she was suffocating him and it was right to leave her. Thus the audience realise how memories can be edited by ones heart, 'for memory is seated predominantly in the heart.'

William utilises various stage directions to symbolise the memory as well. The stage is dimly lit, there are 'transparent gauze portieres' much like the transparent glass animals, they contribute to give the effect of a fuzzy memory as depending on how they are lit they become completely transparent or turn opaque. This resembles how sometimes when you try to recall a memory it comes in shards and often memories overlap with each other like how when Tom and Amanda are arguing about Tom being selfish we hear the argument and are also able to focus on the effect it has on Laura.

Williams displays legends that bring a satirical yet subtle touch of how a person thinks of their memory while recalling it. For example when Tom recalls the memory of his family peacefully dining we see a French legend that translates to 'where are the snows from yester-year' audience familiar with this legend fee; a further sense of nostalgia and the effect of the memory is enhanced.

We see the image of a fire escape, the fact that Tom is seen standing on it but never climbing down it is proof that he has an escape but he can not take it. Both in the past ad in the present he can not escape the thought of Laura. In fact one interesting aspect of this play is how we don't know whether the perception and attitude of Tom in his memories are of his past self or his present self. This adds to the mysterious environment of the memory.

Much like Blue Roses, there is also Laura's unicorn and her yearbook that contains fake news of Jim being engaged. All these elements combined urge the audience to question how much of the play is real. How many of the scenes in which Tom is not present are fact and how many are figments f his imagination, allowing him either to think the worst of Amanda, like how she treats Laura when she comes back from Rubicam's Business College and when she is preparing her for Jim's arrival, or best for Laura? Perhaps he hopes that Jim's interaction with her went and perhaps at the end she really does smile and come out stronger or maybe these are just Tom's hopes and assurances to himself. Either way they add emotions to the memory and make it all the more relatable.

Williams embassies on how the lighting is rose-tinted while ironically the memory is anything but rose tinted. We also see a disunity of time, scenes are arranged to give only the utmost important memories priority which, again, leaves out a lot of what happens in between, perhaps events that contradict the overall mood of the play? This too supports the idea of how memories are often manipulated to fit ones perception.

The final and probably most allusive symbols Williams has presented are those of a coffin, a martyr and candles. Amanda and Tom both consider themselves martyrs and a martyr's memory of a coffin which he can not leave without removing the nails ceases a dramatic effect. This could relay that perhaps he remembers himself as a victim in his memory, adding sentiment, but we see clear evidence that he gives equal blame to himself for leaving, for his frustrations with his job and his reluctance to fall into and accept mundane life like Jim did. This creates a burden of the memory and the audience relies why he has kept it with him for so long.

Candles contribute a lot to the dim setting of the play, a the end when Laura and Jim are together in candle light it gives a sense of privacy, the hushed conversation adds to this effect and we wonder if Tom has imagine this intimacy or found out about it through Laura or Jim, Laura blowing out the candles represents a dark end to the memory, but also an ambiguous one, since it is a memory play giving all the details of how the night actually ended would make the drama suffer and defeat the purpose of memory and regret. Much like how floats lanterns are released to the sky in memory of someone perhaps candle light is Tom's way of remembering Laura's fragile delicacy. So the memory ends with Laura's hand on Tom's shoulder, perhaps the ghost he has been trying to make peace with is telling him she is alright and William presents to his audience how it is okay to look back, recognise ones mistakes and make peace with them.