The Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams

About the Author... Born Thomas Lanier Williams in 1911 “Tennessee” was a nickname given to him by a friend which he legally changed his name in 1939 From an early age, Williams used writing as an escape from a world of reality in which he felt acutely uncomfortable. Williams described his childhood in Mississippi as pleasant and happy. But life changed for him when his family moved to St. Louis, Missouri. The carefree nature of his boyhood was stripped in his new urban home, and as a result Williams turned inward and started to write.

Writing & Personal Life... His main concern as a writer seems to have been the human condition; he was unafraid of tackling subjects such as rape, incest and madness which other writers shied away from. He was homosexual and in 1939 moved to New Orleans where homosexuality was tolerated, but was not yet legal. His parent's marriage certainly didn't help. Often strained, the Williams home could be a tense place to live. "It was just a wrong marriage," Williams later wrote. The family situation, however, did offer fuel for the playwright's art. His mother became the model for the foolish but strong Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie, while his father represented the aggressive, driving Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. In 1929, Williams enrolled at the University of Missouri to study journalism. But he was soon withdrawn from the school by his father, who became incensed when he learned that his son's girlfriend was also attending the university. Deeply despondent, Williams retreated home, and at his father's urging took a job as a sales clerk with a shoe company. The future playwright hated the position, and again he turned to his writing, crafting poems and stories after work. Eventually, however, the depression took its toll and Williams suffered a nervous breakdown. After recuperating in Memphis, Williams returned to St. Louis and where he connected with several poets studying at Washington University. In 1937 returned to college, enrolling at the University of Iowa. He graduated the following year.

Rose... Williams’ sister, Rose, suffered a mental breakdown in 1937. She was admitted to a mental hospital where she underwent electroshock therapy treatment and a partial frontal lobotomy. Williams feared that he too, would go insane and the guilt he felt at not being able to help her fuelled his spiralling depression. Williams’ sister was never the same after the lobotomy.

Influences... Williams was heavily influenced by cinematic technique. He grew up during the 1920s, the era of Hollywood legends.

Death... Williams died in 1983 in the Hotel Elysee in New York. Some reports claim that he choked on an eye drops bottle cap; police reports, however, suggested the use of barbiturates (drugs) and alcohol as factors in his death. Following his fame, Williams had been suffering from a downward spiral of depression, and perhaps his tragic death was inevitable.

Setting... The Glass Menagerie is set in the 1930’s during the Great Depression and slightly before the onset of World War II.

The Glass Menagerie The play is based on a short story that Williams had written as a sort of homage to his sister, Rose. While the story is not truly autobiographical, it does draw on much of the author’s experience, and the character of Tom, who is understood to be Williams, deals with the pain of his inability to help his sister.

The Great Depression Began in 1929 with the stock market crash. Many banks and business failed. Millions of Americans lost their jobs. Black Tuesday, October 1929 (only a few months after Herbert Hoover was elected President). Followed by several bank failures ⅓ of the work force was unemployed by 1932 when the Democrats nominated FDR for President. Hoovervilles! Under the “New Deal” federal programs, the Depression finally ended in 1940.

Gender Roles In this time period, gender roles were much stricter than they are today. Men generally were the breadwinners and generally the authority of the household. Women were discouraged from “taking jobs” from men during this time even though many women needed to work to support their families. Some states even passed laws against hiring women. There were often low wages and poor conditions in the jobs that did exist.

Setting Again... Williams wrote this play after America had already entered the war, but before victory was achieved.