Tennesse Williams' plays were influenced by the experiences in his life.

Essay by collegekid84College, UndergraduateA+, July 2003

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Portrayal of Tennessee Williams' Life Experiences in his Works

To many, Tennessee Williams is just another playwright, but to others he's a playwright with interesting views. Williams, "One of the most prominent playwrights in United States after World War II"(Liukkonen), inserted many of his own personal experiences into his writing. It is the haunting and powerful life experiences included in Williams' writing that makes him one of the greatest playwrights in the history of the American drama. Tennessee Williams' plays were influenced by the events of his life. Many of his writing included his involvement with his sister Rose and her relationship with their parents, as well as his homosexual lifestyle. The personal events that took place in his life were depicted in his setting, events, themes, and characterization in his plays.

In Clarksdale Tennessee was struck by two serious illnesses, Diphtheria and then Bright's disease, which left him with weak kidneys and paralyzed legs (Leverich 42).

Tennessee's illness led him to the characterization of his play A Glass Menagerie. In this play one of the characters, Laura, also suffers from Bright's disease. She is crippled, walks with a limp and wears a brace. This character is basically composed of himself and a mixture of other people, including his sister, Rose.

In the play, Laura is a shy introvert who spends a lot of her time playing with her glass figurines. Her mother, Amanda, is constantly "on her case", trying to persuade her to find a husband. The relationship between Laura and Amanda is identical to that of Rose and her mother, Edwina. "Rose should have gentlemen callers, as she herself had had, and should marry the right man, as she had not" (Leverich 142). This perpetual nagging from their mothers is one cause of both Laura's and Rose's...