Print
Word
PDF|
This section contains 1,466 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) |
|
Symbolism of the Title "The Glass Menagerie"
Summary: The title of Tennessee Williams's "The Glass Menagerie" is symbolic of Laura, the play's main character. The title also refers to the fact that glass animals are imprisoned and cannot move around and that glass is fragile, a reference to the characters' fragile relationships.
In the play The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams has chosen a suitable title that can operate at many levels, and can provoke thought for the audience even before the opening of the play. It creates the image of illusion and surrealism in the audience's mind due to the nature of glass and distortion of light with glass. In the context of the play itself, the glass menagerie symbolises Laura, the character who is the centre of most of the action in the play. Furthermore, the title suggests that the glass animals are imprisoned, as they are gathered on a shelf, and cannot move around freely like real animals, representing the imprisonment of the characters in the play. More generally, The Glass Menagerie refers to fragile animals being on display, representing the characters' fragile relationships being displayed on stage.
It is evident that the glass menagerie is a symbol...
|
This section contains 1,466 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) |
|
