Everyone has a dream in this life, the only difference is if they choose to live the dream or the reality. "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams, is a perfect example of this particular situation. This play revolves around a poor stricken family that all live in a fantasy. There's Amanda, the mother with a dominating spirit who lives in a world of everything needing to be perfect in her children's lives. Tom, the adventurous son, can't fulfill his dream due to him having to take care of the family. Then there's Laura. She is a very shy, delicate little girl. Laura lives in a world of her little glass figurines and doesn't have a connection to the real world. In the world today, there are many individuals that tend to replace their unhappiness in their lives with a seemed to be far-fetched dream. Williams demonstrated how the Wingfield family struggles to get a grip on things through using symbolism, foreshadowing, and irony.
To begin, the consistency of using symbolism assisting the development of the plot. The fire escape is what Tom sees as an escape route out of the chaos of the house and his mother, but is forced to stay to provide the support for the family. Also, Laura's glass collection of animals symbolizes how fragile and transparent she really is. The collection also represents the colorful and exciting imagination Laura devotes herself to. Among the collection, there is Laura's favorite, the glass unicorn (202). The unicorn is the only horse to have a horn that separates it from the rest of the menagerie and it represents Laura's loneliness and her non-existence in the world in which she lives.
Next, the foreshadowing of the play also contributes to the development of the plot. For example, Tom's many trips out on the fire escape foreshadows his own escape from the family into a reality in which he has always wanted. Laura brings out her beloved glass unicorn to show it off to Jim, a person whom she went to school with.