Symbolism In The Glass Menagerie

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorHigh School, 11th grade March 2001

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Examine Tennessee Williams's use of symbols in ,'The Glass Menagerie "˜ in the first three scenes.

' I have a poet's weakness for symbols "˜. This is part of the introduction of the play , given to us by Tom Wingfield , who is not only the narrator , but also plays a major part in ,'The Glass Menagerie "˜. This sentence represents the play because its meaning is that Tom is saying that he is not real , he is just a symbol of his character , much like all the other characters in the play. It is through Tom's eyes that we , the audience , are able to get an insight into his family and their life , the background of the pre-war depression era , his mother , a Southern Belle , who is not able to forget her past , his sister , who is too weak to be able to survive in society and himself a struggling , young poet , who works in a warehouse to get money in order to pay the bills , as well as other characters further on in the play.

Tom himself , is a representation of Tennessee Williams , which is why he is one of the most significant characters.

Scene one is one of the most important scenes , as the stage instructions help to set the scene and give the audience a background.' The Glass Menagerie "˜ , as a whole combines realistic and non-realistic images and techniques , which balance each other out in order to create a portrait of the Wingfield family The elaborate stage set and lighting is used to create an atmosphere , using visual metaphors , which are some of the nonrealistic aspects of the play , along with music...