"The Glass Menagerie,"" by Tennessee Williams is a play that portrays a battle of appearance vs. This effect is achieved through multiple symbols of dreams and illusions. Though there are many, Laura's glass unicorn is the prevalent symbol because it most accurately conveys Laura's sense of self. .
The glass unicorn in Laura's glass collection "ironically, her favorite one "represents her peculiarity. As Jim points out, unicorns are "extinct,"" and are "lonesome because they are different from everyone."" Similarly, Laura is also unusual, lonely, and a standout in society. When she lets Jim hold her unicorn, she explains to him to be careful because "glass will break if you breathe on it wrong."" As the unicorn, Laura is also extremely fragile. She is vulnerable to the unfamiliar concepts of every-day life, unlike Jim. Jim must make this realization so he does not overwhelm her. Instead, he must be careful that he does not hurt her feelings or cause her to be even more self-conscious. .
Though the significance of the unicorn seems to be evident the minute Laura mentions it, it is then altered when Jim breaks the horn off. Ironically, this happens when he is dancing with her. Instead of being hurt, Laura perceives this incident in a way of changing the unicorn into something more common. Because of how good Jim makes her feel, she does not seem to care. Symbolically, she is not upset because Jim is making her feel as if she is a normal girl. Now, it is a regular horse like the others: it fits with the rest of the figurines in her glass collection. Furthermore, glass can refract multiple colors when light is shined upon it in a certain manner. In relation to Laura, she is like her glass unicorn because Jim has been shining a light on her, allowing her to openly "refract- her hidden colors.
However, soon the illusionary image of the glass unicorn is altered again. While at first the broken horn seems to represent Laura's "modernization,"" a new meaning then surfaces.