1. The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

2. The Author Thomas Lanier Williams was born on March 26, 1911.
He had a difficult childhood with a distant, abusive father, Cornelius Williams, and a mother, Edwina, who was the daughter of a minister and had been a spoiled Southern belle.
They moved to St. Louis and had a poverty stricken life there.
They had a very dysfunctional family life.
His sister Rose, was very mentally unbalanced and did influence the characters of many of Williams females.
Williams had a long time companion named Frank Merlo.
Williams was plagued by alcoholism and a wild and promiscuous life style.
He won many writing awards and died in 1983.

3. Background
The Glass Menagerie is a memory play with only four characters.
The character, Tom, is also the narrator.
It was originally called The Gentleman Caller.
It is believed to have sprung from William’s own dysfunctional family.

4. Autobiographical Play
The Glass Menagerie is believed to be a close representation of Williams’ own life.
Williams’ real name is Thomas and the main male character is Tom.
His mentally ill sister, Rose, is represented by Laura.
The story is set in St. Louis where Williams grew up in the 1940s.

5. The Characters Amanda Wingfield- Laura Wingfield- Tom Wingfield
Abandoned by her husband years ago and is raising her son and daughter in a poverty stricken home. She remembers and longs for her Southern Belle youth.
Laura Wingfield-
The crippled daughter who is friends with her glass animals.
Tom Wingfield
The son who works in a warehouse but wants to be a writer. He wants to leave home.
Jim O'Connor
A friend of Tom’s from work and the proposed boyfriend for Laura.
Amanda’s husband does not appear in the play, but is referred to often.

6. Plot Summary Amanda's husband left the family long ago and
the family is struggling with poverty. Amanda
dreams of the comforts from her days as a
Southern belle. She wants her daughter, Laura ,
to have some of that life. Laura, however, is
crippled and insecure and lives in dreams.
Tom works in a warehouse and hates the
boredom of his life and spends his time escaping
into the movies. Amanda wants to find a
boyfriend for Laura and tries to set up an
opportunity. Tom brings home a work buddy
that may work out as a boyfriend for Laura. They
have some pleasant interactions, such as a dance
and a kiss, but it is soon discovered that Jim is
engaged to be married.
Amanda is enraged at the expense for the
evening and the dashing of their hopes. She
flares up at Tom and Tom leaves the family, but is
forever haunted by guilt.

7. Themes Escapism- one of the themes where characters escape from
the unpleasant to their world
of illusion
Dysfunctionality-the love and
suffering that takes place in a
dysfunctional family is
explored
Reality-one interwoven theme
is the difficulty of an
problematic reality