The Characters in Tennessee Williams play The Glass Menagerie are all searching for a way out of their current situation but feel trapped by life itself. The play is set in St. Louis in the mid 1930's, during the depression era. There was war in Europe and a struggling economy in America. The Wingfield family, who lived in an apartment building, consisted of Amanda, Laura, and Tom Wingfield. They are all unique individuals sharing the same home but lost in their own imaginary world. As each character attempt to escape reality, we will examine the symbols, which gave each character an opportunity for escape. .
We will first look at Amanda Wingfield. She is the mother of Tom and Laura and is portrayed as a loving but over zealous mother, who at times is controlling and nagging. To understand Amanda we must understand that Amanda was born and raised in the old south, pre-civil war. Living on a plantation and coming from a wealthy family, Amanda never went without the finer things in life. All this changed after Amanda married Mr. Wingfield, a telephone man, and left the plantation life for city life. Even though Amanda had left the south, she always carried herself with that southern pride. Amanda found happiness in her memories of youth and used theses memories to escape the dreadful situation she was now living. In the beginning of the play, Amanda describes a vivid memory of receiving gentleman callers to her home. "One Sunday afternoon in Blue Mountain - your mother received - seventeen! - Gentlemen callers! Why, sometimes there weren't chairs enough to accommodate them all. We had to send the nigger over to bring in folding chairs from the parish house"(1912). As Amanda recalled this found memory the narrator of the play, her son Tom, reacts with sarcasm as to show that he has heard this story before. "I know what's coming"(1912). Amanda was cling to her memories as a way of escaping to a better place, her youth.
Lastly, Williams uses alcohol as a symbol of escaping reality. ... The first symbol of escape Williams uses in the play for Amanda is the way she dresses. ... Another example of symbol which represents escape for Amanda is the gentlemen callers. ... Secondly, Williams uses the victrola as a symbol of Laura escaping. ... The last symbol of escape for Laura is when she fell on the fire escape. ...
The author, Cam Hubert, addresses this topic with symbols. ... Peter had never felt free before escaping from the institution. ... Symbols are used by Hubert to represent all parts of freedom. ... That is why the Sisiutl is the symbol for this. ... Cam Hubert sees it as going knowingly from one form to another rather than trying to escape your life. ...
SYMBOLS EXPLANATION Since the creation of the first nations, symbols exist. Symbols are not only representation of a nation. Symbols are a form of comunication. ... The army is the group that most use symbols. ... The statue, is anout a woman escaping the chains of tiranny, which lie at her feet. ...
The meaning of each place and objects creates major symbols throughout the novel. ... Another symbol in The Awakening is art. Art becomes a symbol of both freedom and failure. ... The ocean is a symbol of both freedom and escape. Edna remembers the Kentucky fields of her childhood as an ocean, she learns to swim in the gulf, and she finally escapes into the sea. ...
" The fire may also represent an aspect of Hedda's character, her fiery personality and burning passion to escape the confinement she finds herself in. ... There are a number of contextual symbols in Ibsen's work. ... A symbol of affluence and luxury, the piano is a symbol of status for Hedda and Tesman. ... Similarly to the symbolism behind the piano, the glass represents Hedda's longing to escape the confines of her life. ... When explored, these symbols allow for multiple perceptions and views of the drama. ...
Hesse uses various symbols to reveal how knowledge can be communicable, but wisdom must be gained through experience. One of Hesse's symbols is the separation of Siddhartha and his father and Siddhartha and his son. ... Another symbol that Hesse uses is the river, which Siddhartha visits twice during his journey. ... The dreams that Siddhartha has are another symbol, which Hesse uses to reveal the theme. ... The rebirth that Siddhartha experienced and escaping the everlasting samsara is only obtained through the wisdom that he has gained. ...
To begin with, the symbols the characters represent are either prominent groups or people that were part of the Russian Revolution. ... Another symbol is the character Napoleon. ... Eventually, he tries to kill Snowball, who escapes and is not seen again, and rules over the Animal Farm with an iron fist. ... Orwell was very acurate in portraying symbols of Russian activists such as Stalin and Marx, as well as using other symbols for the classes of society. ...
He combines this motif with the related symbols of the play to demonstrate the power of night and its correlation with love and vision. ... The night forest provides a setting for dangerous and daring acts such as Hermia and Lysander's plan to escape Athens. ... Shakespeare uses symbolism to strengthen the motif of night; he uses symbols associated with the night. ... The dream, which is ultimately linked to the night, serves as an important symbol from the title of the play onwards and establishes itself as an important kind of vision. ... The play would seem to require the light of day ...
Many of the symbols used in the play try to symbolize some form of escape or difference between reality and illusion. The first symbol, presented in the first scene, is the fire escape. ... For Laura, the fire escape is a way into her world, a way to escape from reality. ... The fourth symbol is Laura's glass menagerie. ... The most important symbol, the unicorn, represents Laura directly. ...
