Laura in The Glass Menagerie and Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire are the most outstanding examples. ... In the Wingfields, Laura is the lost child. ... Those glass animals stand as a symbol of Laura herself. ... Jim's appearance as a gentleman caller apparently affects Laura's behavior positively. ... But he breaks it and Laura as well. ...

• Word Count: 1268
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Amanda Wingfield is described as "a little woman of great but confused vitality clinging frantically to another time and place- (Ritter 179). ... Talk of a gentleman caller was common in the Wingfield home. ... Laura cannot face reality. ... At one point in Laura and Jim's conversation, Jim clumsily knocks over a piece of Laura's glass collection. ... In Laura's case, she needed to be broken. ...

• Word Count: 2052
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School