Themes And Conflicts In The Glass Menagerie By Tennessee...

Set in St. Louis Missouri prior to World War II, Tennessee Williams reflects back on his deeply tragic and dysfunctional familial experiences in, â€Å"The Glass Menagerie†. Williams brilliantly incorporates real aspects of society to reveal how they contributed to the nonreal aspects and the conflicts which affected his family. The real aspects of the play which had a significant impact on the lower middle-class families such as the Wingfields included, the economic hardships surrounding the Great Depression, the fall of the American south, society’s intolerance towards homosexuality, and many threats abroad. Although Williams play was merely a series of hazy memories, the nonreal aspects combined with the major societal conflicts contribute†¦show more content†¦Through Amanda’s inability to separate the real from the fantasy, William’s proves that Amanda’s main coping mechanism is to retreat from reality. Amanda’s role as the forgo tten southern belle also impacts her relationship with her daughter Laura, who suffers from crippling social anxiety and an inferiority complex as a result of her disability. Aside from the internal and external conflicts which impact Amanda, Williamss strongly expresses his indictment through his very own character, Tom. Tom is merely a victim of both societal conflicts and his own guilt caused by his decision to seek fulfillment within his own life, rather than surrender to the unsatisfying life which his mother had created for him. One of the greatest factors in Tom’s lifestyle that creates his desire to escape this sense of imprisonment, is societys overall attitude toward homosexuality, specifically within his mother. Amanda stated, â€Å"I took that horrible novel back to the library- yes! That hideous book by that insane Mr. Lawrence. I cannot control the output of diseased minds or people who cater to them- but I won’t let such filth brought into my house† (Williams 759). Because 1930’s society does not allow homosexuality to be expressed openly, literature is the closest way which allows him to express himself. The simple fact that his novels are the one way which allows him to gain any sense of satisfaction is taken away by hisShow MoreRelatedIllusion Vs. Reality In The Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams1022 Words   |  5 PagesIllusion versus reality is a theme that illustrates the conflict people have when they have difficulties in their lives. They want to deny or ignore the difficulty, so they force themselves to think in a different way and believe something that is not true, thus, making an imaginary world for themselves. They have a desire to live in a different world and fool themselves to thinking that they are, but in reality, they are not. Authors use this theme in their writing to highlight the effect of theseRead MoreConflict Between Reality and Illusion as a Major Theme of ‘the Glass Menagerie†™1718 Words   |  7 PagesConflict between reality and illusion as a major theme of ‘The Glass Menagerie’ Introduction The Glass Menagerie is a dramatic play about human nature and the conflict between illusion and reality. An illusion is pretense and not reality. In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams has made use of both reality and illusion together using conflict between them. Illusion is a misinterpretation of the facts. It is an opinion based on what we think is true rather than on what is actually true. In thisRead MoreTennessee Williams and Works, a Look at Illusion vs. Reality1625 Words   |  7 PagesIllusion Vs. Reality Tennessee Williams and his works deal heavily in the contrast of illusion and reality and the characters struggle with this. Illusion vs. Reality is a major theme is mostly all of his dramatic works. 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