The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Glass Menagerie
Book Review: Heartbreaking Autobiography
Summary: 5 Stars
Tennessee Williams very thinly masks his own family in this heartbreaking play. Amanda Wingfield is the mother of Laura and Tom - they have been abandoned by their father and, after a few short scenes with Amanda, you can see what drove him away. This awful woman lives in her imagined past of gentility and gentleman callers. One doubts her memories even closly mirror the reality of her past.
Laura, her daughter, has been so brow beaten by Amanda that she has retreated into an imaginery world where her glass animals are her only friends. She is painfully shy, has a slight limp and has been made to feel horribly handicapped and unattractive by Amanda. Tennessee Williams mother actually had a lobotamy performed on his beloved sister and it is not a stretch to see the similarities.
Tom, Laura's brother supports the family and dreams of leaving it all behind. He would except for his love for and loyalty to his sister.
Although the story elevates the dysfunctional family to an entirely new level, the writing is beautiful and each character is memorable. The frustration and sadness are palatable. The writing is marvelous and the characters will stay with you forever.
Book Review: Hopeful
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a very sad play, but I believe it leaves the reader with some hope for the future. It's very easy to read and understand so take the time to read it!! I think you'll like it.Book Review: How Fragile We Are
Summary: 4 Stars
"If all the world's a stage, I want to operate the trap door." ~Paul Beatty
The Glass Menagerie is a classic play of physical and emotional entrapment. The three members of the Wingfield family are all trapped (the mother by her past and the memory of her husband who left her; the daughter by her overwhelming shyness and lack of confidence; and the son by the overwhelming responsibility of caring for his family in a mind-numbing warehouse job). I believe the play is still popular today because most of us can relate to at least one of their plights. You can't help but pity all the main characters. At times our own psyches are just as fragile as Laura Wingfield's glass menagerie.
Somehow, I missed out on this book and play in high school. I am glad I have read the play; now I just need to see it on the stage as it was meant to be seen.
Book Review: I read this book in class...
Summary: 3 Stars
I read this play in class last week. It started out as a slow, boring novel, but turned into a fast paced story about a normal mid 1900's family. I enjoyed reading many of the parts with extraordinary enthusiasm. This must be a great play which would take masters of theatre to put on. Thank you. The only problem I had with the book was that some of the scenes were very boring! Mama would sometimes talk for whole scenes about nothing but selfishness! If I really wanted to read about selfishness, I would have read a book on the topic. But all in all it was a good novel.Book Review: Illusion and Escape
Summary: 4 Stars
"Glass Menagerie" provides a surreal tale of the Wingfield family and their diverse struggles with fantasy and reality. Set in St. Louis during the Great Depression, the play revolves around Amanda and her adult children, Tom and Laura, struggling to make ends meet in a St. Louis tenement. Although each cannot grip the realities of the modern world, they seek escape in different ways. Amanda deludes herself into thinking she is still a Southern debutante with many gentleman callers. Laura escapes into her fantasy world ruled by delicate glass animals, her "glass menagerie." Tom, constantly accosted and criticized by Amanda, seeks escape through movies and booze.
Doubtless, the theme of abandonment looms large throughout the play. The presence of their father, although only his picture is seen, plays on all their emotions. Unfortunately for them, he "fell in love with long distances" and abandoned them at an early age. This instills fear in Amanda that Tom would follow the same path and she tries to control his every action. Indeed, her smothering of Tom and her incessant accusations of selfishness lend her an unsympathetic aura.
Williams uses unusual cues and images for a play, as he forsakes the illusion of reality. Indeed, the novel is almost a dream-like existence, as it is contrived from the deep memories of Tom. Although reality may not have a firm hand, the theme of control and a yearn to escape is a biting reality that many people face today. Indeed, Tom seeks to escape the "coffin" of his existence, as he attempts to break away from the iron hand of his mother. Unfortunately for him, this also means abandoning his sister Laura if he chooses this path.
Although it is a short novel and quick read, "Glass Menagerie" provides a powerful message that is applicable today. It has not been lost in a time warp. This, and the fact that it is one of the first plays of Williams, should put this on a short list of "must read" classic American plays.