Glass Menagerie_Final B

6/7/2011

Requiem Menagerie  A glance through Tennessee Williams play: The Glass Menagerie

Supervised By: H. Oliai Nia  Author: Mansour Movahhedinia Student Number: 855101303

Requiem Menagerie, A glance through Tennessee Williams play: The Glass Menagerie

Requiem Menagerie Glass Menagerie is considered to be one of the best plays of the American literature. The whole play goes on in a young man’s memories so it is actually narrated as he remembers. It is even shown as the person remembers, as Wiliams describes the scene as:

“The scene is memory and is therefore non-realistic. Memory takes a lot of poetic licence. It omits some details; others are exaggerated, according to the emotional value it  touches for memory is seated predominantly in the heart. The interior is therefore rather dim and poetic.” [1.21] The scene is both dim and light as though the narrator can’t remember some things and can remember others clearly. Williams describes the interior, as though the play is not an adored memory for the narrator, as ‘dim’ ; foreshadowing some unwelcomed events. Williams has used a technique of cinema in this play to show the thoughts and feelings passing the narrators mind. He uses some legends on the scene to show the associated sensations and thoughts or even what the audience is supposed to pay attention to in the play. Elizabeth C. Cobbe claims that Williams himself believes “The legend or image upon the screen will strengthen the effect of what is merely allusion [sic] in the writing and allow the primary point to be made more simply and lightly than if the entire responsibility were on the spoken lines (Glass menagerie, Reading Edition)”[2]. Still, the author of this paper believes the legends reduce the objective interaction between the readers and the play. Associations of the events in a narration with the experiences and beliefs of every individual reader is what leads to different  criticisms. Presenting the reader with a predefined conviction seems to interfere; as Elizabeth C. Cobbe quotes from Letter A. Beaurline, "The real weakness of the devices lies in the author's anxiousness and small confidence in his audience. [...] an air of  unreality is one thing but pretentious pointing out of meaning is another." [2] Placing the play in a dream land with dream-like techniques does not reduce the presence of realism in the play. The influence of Tennessee Wiliams’ life is present all over the play as a source for the realistic view as the story goes on. It is important to have a look at the events in his life which have affected the play. Tennessee Williams (Thomas Lanier Williams) was born on March 26, 1911. His father, Cornelius Williams, was a shoe seller and an abusive and emotionally ignorant  father. His mother, Edwina, daughter to a Southern Episcopal minister, had lived as a spoiled southern belle during her adolescence and young womanhood. Although Edwina was a caring mother, she was quite a restricting woman. The young Williams was also brother to Rose who was imbalanced emotionally and mentally. Williams 1

Requiem Menagerie, A glance through Tennessee Williams play: The Glass Menagerie

entered the University of Missouri in 1929 but was withdrawn by his father after two years for failing ROTC, and took a job at his father's shoe company. Although he hated the job he continued working at the warehouse by day and wrote by night. Since the pressure on him was too much, he had a mental breakdown in 1935. As Rose's mental health continued to worsen, in 1936 Cornelius made a move towards her that he claimed was meant to calm her. Still Rose thought his intentions were sexual and she suffered a terrible breakdown. Her parents had her lobotomized shortly afterward. In 1944 came the great turning point in Williams’ career: The Glass Menagerie. The play won the New York Critics Award in 1945; the awards and praises for this play still continue. The play takes place in an old and small flat in a crowded middle class district of St  Louis, Missouri. The Springfield family has to enter and exit the flat by a fire escape. The fire escape is described by Williams as “a structure whose name is a touch of accidental poetic truth for all of these huge buildings are always burning with slow and implacable fires of human desperation.”[1, 15] The fire escape as it is implicated acts as an escape route for the characters of the play, especially Tom Wingfield. Every time the situation is not pleasing for Tom, as Williams calls it “human desperation” [1, 18], he ends up leaving through this escape route, either by leaving through it or just stepping out of the door to the landing. Also he leaves to his adventures through this passage to go to the movies, his work or when he wants to leave at the end of the play. Therefore the irony of  the name and usage of this passage as an escape is vivid mostly in Tom Wingfield. He uses the movies and smoking as a way to escape the hardships in life and his mother’s constant naggings, and spends his time writing poetry in the restrooms whenever there is not much to do at work. Also he sees his life as a boring ideal life and he seeks more adventure. Going to the movies is his response to this desire. Soon he realizes that this kind of adventure is a passive adventure as he says to his friend Jim: “… Hollywood characters are supposed to have all the adventures for everybody in America…” [6, 378]. Therefore he leaves for his own adventure. His leaving is actually an act of neglect, as he is the man of the family now, as Amanda refers to his job as their security when she says “What tight have you got to jeopardize your job? Jeopardize the security of us all? ...”[3,151]. Cliffs Notes writes:

“Tom's rejection of his family was not a selfish, egocentric escape. Instead, Tom recognized that he must escape in order  to save himself. It was a means of self-preservation. He knew  that if he stayed, he would be destroyed as a man and as an artist.” [8] It is true that the Wingfield flat was not built for Tom’s kind. He has to leave to find his place in the circle of life. But still, when has life been just to anyone? Therefore, the author of this paper believes Tom’s act of leaving his family was not onl y selfish but also a neglecting of a sacrifice his father had neglected as well. Still this may be because he is 2

Requiem Menagerie, A glance through Tennessee Williams play: The Glass Menagerie

fed up and cannot tolerate anymore; also that may be why he doesn’t care what happens to his family, although he comes to regret it. Even though he has left his family in a rather unfair way, the memory of his family hunts him where ever he goes. This proves his caring and sensitive nature as he cares for his family and is worried about their fate. Cliffs Notes believes, “But as man and artist, a nd as a sensitive individual, he has never been able to forget his life and especially the delicate charm and loveliness of his sister.” [8] Williams uses the opportunity to show the effects of pressure and oppression in a family. Tom is under pressure by the life he is leading unwillingly, his mother constant  nagging, not being understood, a boring well hated job, and unfulfilled desires. Even the expression “rise and shine” which Amanda uses to wake him up for work in the morning turns out to be a hating situation for Tom. The expression 'rise and shine' comes from the biblical expression “Arise, shine”, in Isaiah 60:1. King James Version, 1611. It  appears as “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.” It is also us ed in several Christian texts and even in the army. Almost all of the different usages of the expression have or convey the same meaning as “get out of bed and prepare for work” or ‘get out of bed and be effective’ [6]. For Tome who finds his work boring and hateful, and normal life (effectiveness) is constantly criticised by his mother as not being normal like others, getting up and starting a new day seems to be a drudgery repeated in his life, as he responses to his mother “I will rise but I will NOT shine” and “Every morning that you come in, yelling that goddamned "Rise and shine, rise and shine," I think to myself, how lucky dead people are.” Since the story is a post  world war story this can refer to the people who died in the war. Meaning even they have w better time than Tom.

Tennessee Williams has had a similar situation to Tom’s (whose actual name is Thomas as revealed when Amanda says “Now, Thomas, get into this apron!” [7, 109]) in real life. He has a job in a shoe factory which he hates. Works by day and writes by night. His mother puts lots of pressure on him and his sensation is denied and suppressed by his father. He also has a sister whom he witnesses how she is lobotomized, and made incapable by his family. Therefore, Tom Wingfield is actually a reflection of Williams himself. Tom’s sister, Lara Wingfield, is the main character in the play. This has been questioned by many but this author believes in the matter since most of the events in the story are for Lara’s gentleman caller. Also Lara seems to be the one who experiences a change in the play. She is a sensitive and innocent being who has been supressed by everyone throughout her life. Her innocence is emphasized even by the kind of lightning on her character. Her mother suppresses her by talking about her own gentleman callers and her own beauty all the time; and by telling Laura how her life would be ruined if she is not educated. This builds an unwilling comparison between Laura and Amanda. Since Amanda sees herself as the superior and Laura is Amanda’s daughter an 3

Requiem Menagerie, A glance through Tennessee Williams play: The Glass Menagerie

air of suppression is created between these two characters. Tom refers to his sister as ‘cripple’ and also thinks her collection of menagerie is ridiculous. This is while he loves her but the way he talks about her strengthens Laura’s self -impression that she is somewhat unusual. Laura herself thinks her little problem with walking is always in the attention and that is all everyone sees of her. She has little self-confidence and therefore is shy. All these suppression and pressures on Laura seem to be actually unwanted as no one wants to hurt her intentionally still the effects are there and visible. Unlike Tom who escapes desperation through leaving, Laura has a collection of glass menageries’ which she uses as escape route. Whenever she wants to release her mind she goes on cleaning or just spending time with her glass menagerie. Another proof of her inner conflict is when she does not want her mother to see what she is doing, of course her mother is not in a mood to see that but Laura`s reaction is before her mother enters the room. She is cleaning her collection and as soon as she notices her mother ’s arrival she stops and goes to the typewriter, she even feels strange about it as she wants to tell her mother she has been practicing the diagrams upfront. This nervousness certainly has an external source, meaning Amanda’s attitude towards her hobbies is what makes Laura keep her attachment to the collection a secret. Williams describes this part as:

“Laura is seated in the delicate ivory chair at the small  clawfoot table. She wears a dress of soft violet material for a kimono – her hair tied back from her forehead with a ribbon. She is washing and polishing her collection of glass.  Ammand appears on the fire-escape steps. At the sound of  her ascent, Laura catches her breath, thrusts the bowl of  ornaments away and seats herself stiffly before the diagram of the typewriter key board as though it held her  spellbound[…]. Laura: Hello, Mother, I was – [She makes a nervous gesture towards the chart on the wall…]”  [2, 6] Although Amanda is the mother of the family and cares most for everyone, she actually fails to understand her children. She is actually a belle from the past who lives with her past. She is actually trying to help her family; real and as possible as they come. She fails to understand how she is referring all the top values she cares to herself and crushes Laura while she cares for her, wanting her to be educated, have a good job and marry a not smoking, not drinking, nice man. She is a loyal and a rather strict Christian and wants her children to be so as well. The relation between Tom and Amanda is even worse as Tom has a more active presence in the play. An important fact is that Tom is the narrator so what he narrates with more intense proves to be more serious for him but may not have been as intense when the events were actually happening. The relation between Tom and Amanda can be justified that Tom is a character spending his youth in the post world war America while Amanda is from a generation before the war, so it seems quite obvious that they do not understand each other. Because of her beliefs 4

Requiem Menagerie, A glance through Tennessee Williams play: The Glass Menagerie

in religion,Amanda bans her children from swearing and cursing in the house and has a strict attitude towards drinking and instinct and having too much fun. Still her character is a believable and real character. Amanda’s method for retreating from reality is to live in her dreams and past while there is no actual evidence that the gentlemen callers were true, still they are the escape hatch for her. With all these, he looks in to future and thinks for plans and provisions, as she says, but the problem is that her plans are without any consultation, in other words she plans for others.

Although Williams describes Jim O’Connor in very simple way saying “nice, ordinary, young man” [THE CHARACHTERS, Jim O'Connor], he is a strange character in this play. Since his presence can be sensed in the whole play while he actually enters the play in the final scene. He is the only person who can break Laura’s delicate solitude without  hurting her. Still, he does not seem to be an honest person too, since he actually builds a romantic relationship with Laura while he is engaged. Still he reveals the truth and seems to be the only character who acts respectfully. The family lives in a society of right before the Second World War, in the time called ‘Great Depression’. “The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II” [6]. The depression originated in the us with the fall in stock market and soon it affected the entire world. At this time unemployment in the US grew to 25% and salaries, tax income, profits, prices and international trade took a dive. In early 1933 near 5000 banks had failed and as US had increased tariffs to encourage buying US made stuff.International business almost  crashed because of the same reason in other countries. Life became hard for families and the wealthy and healthy American dream started to fade away. This can be seen in the story by comparing Amanda’s past and present and also by contrasting Tom’s dreams and reality. Walter S. Zapotoczny Jr. describes the social prospect of the play as “It depicts people who have lost their fortune and must work hard to survive, but who are not able to forget about their wealthy past.”[7] Zapotoczny claims that the Wingfield apartment is like a prison and Tom is aware of that and wants to escape but Amanda and Laura are just too fragile for the world outside. This may appear true for Laura but  it seems not to be true for Amanda and Tom to the Author of this paper. The reason is that Amanda comes from a much more wealthy family than what she has now, so she mourns what she has lost. Tom on the other hand as said by Zapotoczny is aware of the situation around him, so he is aware that he cannot reach the glory he longs for in this situation. Also as he attends the movies and spends a more social life he should be aware that the world of The Great Depression was not going to behold a dreamer. He does try to escape but he surly can never forget what he has left behind. Amanda does believe in hard work, as she mentions it in the play, “Try and you will SUCEED” [4, 164].But the world of a young poet, Tom, seems to lack something more than the American Dream of hard work and prosperity. Zapotoczny relates Amanda’s belief in hard work to her belief in The American Dream. “In spite of her impoverished 5

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Requiem Menagerie, A glance through Tennessee Williams play: The Glass Menagerie

Citation: 1. Wikipedia. 2011. Tennessee Williams, Wikipedia the free encyclopaedia. Retrieved on 5/20/2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Williams 2. GradeSaver. Biography of Tennessee Williams | List of works, Study guides and  essays | GradeSaver . Retrieved on 5/19/2011. http://www.gradesaver.com/author/tennessee-williams/ 3. Elizabeth C Cobbe. 2002. William’s THE GLASS MENAGERIE. The Explicator. 61. pg 49 4. Tischler, Nancy Marie Patterson. 2000. Student companion to Tennessee Williams. Westport, CT06881, United States of America. 5. The Phrase Finder. 2010. Rise and shine. Retrieved on 6/5/2011. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/303000.html 6. Wikipedia. 2011. Great Depression, Wikipedia the free encyclopaedia. Retrieved on 5/15/2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression 7. Walter S. Zapotoczny Jr. The Values of a Society: The Glass Menagerie. Retrieved on 6/1/2011. www.wzaponline.com/ValuesofaSociety.pdf  8. Cliffs Notes. 2011. The Glass Menagerie: Character Analysis: Tom Wingfield  – Cliffs Notes. Retrieved on 5/3/2011. http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/The-Glass-MenagerieCharacter-Analysis-Amanda-Wingfield-Tom-Wingfield.id-114,pageNum-12.html 9. Williams Tennessee. 1944. The Glass Menagerie. Chicago. 1944. Print.

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