Why did Tennessee Williams call his play set in the 1930's, a family drama, `The Glass Menagerie'? The play has three main characters, the mother, Amanda and the two children, Tom and Laura. A gentleman caller called Jim steps into the final scenes, and the father of the family is mentioned who left them, `He was a telephone man who fell in love with long distances.' The whole play is about a family who are under pressure both from outside and within their society to live their lives the right way.

Laura, Amanda's daughter in the play is the character who has the most significance in what the play is all about she explains why William's gave the play its title. `The Glass Menagerie' is Laura's collection of glass animals and is the play's central symbol. Laura's collection of glass animal figurines represents a number of different...