Memory and Reality in Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie

Memory and Reality in Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie Being a memory play, it is dimly lighted, it is sentimental, it is not realistic. To what degree is the play memory and to what degree is it realistic? When a play employs unconventional techniques, it is not trying to escape its responsibility of dealing with reality, or interpreting experience, but is actually attempting to find a closer approach, a more penetrating and vivid expression of things as they are (Tennessee Williams). The Glass Menagerie is one of Tennessee Williams most eminent works and no doubt qualifies as a classic of the modern theater. Often referred to as a memory play, both the style and content of†¦show more content†¦Despite being a memory play, the basis and content of The Glass Menagerie is truth and reality as Williams attempts to find a closer approach, a more penetrating and vivid expression of things as they are. This basis of reality is evident in the plays setting, as The Glass Menagerie is presented with great fidelity to the social and historical realities of the time. This is demonstrated from the plays beginning as Tom reverses time to that quaint period, the thirties, and juxtaposes the turmoil in Spain to the uneasy peace in America, in an allusion to the forthcoming war (World War II). There are other allusions to the war throughout the play, such as in Toms closing speech as he claims the world is lit by lightning. It is clear that the historical realities of the time are effectively conveyed in the play, although it is not only the war-related realities of the time that Williams highlights. Williams presentation of the social realities of the period is clear with the bleak lower-middle-class life in America, portrayed by the Wingfield family. This is most evident in the way that Laura, Amanda and Tom each develop their own methods ofShow MoreRelated Essay on the Symbolism of the Menagerie in The Glass Menagerie1002 Words   |  5 PagesThe Symbolism of the Menagerie in The Glass Menagerie      Ã‚   Tennessee Williams play, The Glass Menagerie, describes three separate characters, their dreams, and the harsh realities they face in a modern world.   The Glass Menagerie exposes the lost dreams of a southern family and their desperate struggle to escape reality. Williams use of symbols adds depth to the play. 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