Thesis Statement: Whereas Sylvia was outspoken and loud, Laura was quiet and subdued.
Laura Wingfield was the protagonist in the play "The Glass Menagerie". Sylvia was the protagonist in the short story "The Lesson".
Laura's leg was crippled. She had been that way since she was a baby. This minor problem haunted her throughout her entire life. Because of this slight limp, it made her feel inferior to everyone else in society. She stopped talking to people other than her family. She had no friends, no chums, no one to spend time with. This inferiority complex got so bad that she dropped out of high school. Even when people other then her family talked to her, she could rarely reply with out being sick. For example, when Jim O"Conner cam to dinner with Tom Wingfield, Laura could not answer the door to let the two inside. She feared people in general.
On the other hand, Sylvia was a very outspoken, outgoing young girl. Growing up in the slums had given her a loud attitude and she didn't car who saw it. When asked (even when not asked), Sylvia gave her full-hearted thoughts on things. She did not care if it hurt someone or made them feel good. She was going to tell what was on her mind on the subject, not caring if anyone liked it or not. Sylvia had many friends to whom she could talk. If something was wrong, she could speak to her friends about it. That is a luxury that Laura did not have. Having friends to talk to made Sylvia happy, to some extent, even if she was making fun of them. During the story, she managed to insult a taxi cab driver and "forget" the tip. She was a very independent girl and she had to be that way because of where she lived.
Thus, both of these girls, Laura and Sylvia, had traits opposite of each other. Laura was scared of the public and did not believe in herself. Sylvia was the exact opposite of that. She yelled at the public if it suited her at the time. Always moving, always wanting to do something.