The Glass Menangerie tells the story of a family: Laura (the daughter), Tom (the son), and Amanda (the mother), however, the father is not in the story except for a postcard. The setting seems old and distant, as if the family is not interested in each other. Amanda recalls her past of having an exact number of 17 gentlemen callers and how they never left her alone. Laura tries to reach for something during dinner and Amanda halts her actions, saying a gentleman caller will do her task for her. Laura has a favorite ornament: glass figurines. Laura is supposedly enrolled into Rubicam’s Business College, however, she had to drop out because of her nervous condition.
The two women talk about men. Laura used to have a crush in high school, Jim. It is then we discover that Laura has a medical condition called pleurosis, however her crush called it “Blue Roses.” Amanda wants her daughter to marry someone nice, however Laura knows the truth. Because of her crippled condition, marrying a good man is going to be impossible. For me, it seems that Amanda is extremely obsessed with the idea of marriage and men. She spends too much of her time dwelling on the past and refuses to focus on the present or future.
To make money for her family, Amanda runs a telephone company selling magazine subscription, it is evident that one of her main goals of this business is to find a husband for her daughter. Because the family lives in a small apartment, they are physically too close. Tom is so hovered by his mother and they argue about privacy. They fight and Tom throws one of Laura’s glass figurines breaking it in the process. From the play, Tom cares for Laura, but despises his mother. Because he is the male in the play, Amanda depends on him to be the breadmaker for the family, although Amanda is a full grown woman with the capability of holding a jon.
In Scene Four, Tom comes home from the huge fight he had with his mother. He tells Laura he watched a magician perform tricks pulling items from anywhere. Tom mimics him. I believe Tom wishes he was a magician to disappear from his home life forever. Amanda and Tom talk about Laura and her nervousness in doing anything that involves life outside of the apartment. I believe that Amanda is so full of herself she suffocates Laura with her over the top personality and Laura can never express herself.
In Scene Five, Tom overlooks the nightclub beneath the apartment and talks about the people dancing inside, how they have no worries in the world and they can do whatever they want. It seems that Tom is envious. He reveals to Amanda that there will be a gentleman caller for Laura, and Amanda is so happy. However, she gets upset because Tom doesn’t notify her before hand. His name is Jim O’Connor, Laura’s highschool crush.
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