The human comprehension of reality and the world in general is truly complicated topic which is extremely individual and objective. Apart from the wholesome systems of different philosophical streams and religions, every person constructs one's own apprehension of reality and the purpose of one's lives, which are based on the whole complex of different aspects and issues, such as the human's background, one's ethnicity and culture, social status, personal traits and features of character, one's inner capacities and talents, personal life experience, etc. Apart from that, every person tends to think and rethink, makes great plans for the future, and dream of a wonderful life to be ahead. In reality, however, it often turns out that sweet dreams are unlikely to happen, and the life seems to be rather bitter and cruel rather than elevated and wonderful: life challenges appear all the time, high hopes get constantly ruined, and the dreams have no place among the list of unbearable monotonous daily problems. Such disappointment and disillusionment about life experience happens with no exclusions to every person at a certain point of time so that people try to escape the bitter reality. There is a great number of ways to ensure such escape. This essay thus aims to analyze the perception of reality and the escape from it based on the play by Tennessee Williams “The Glass Menagerie”, as well as to discover the inner world of the play's characters by reviewing and analyzing their feelings, thoughts, and mindsets which would enable to shape the protagonists' vision on the world around them.
Tennessee Williams's piece of writing “The Glass Menagerie” is known as a family drama and therefore it reveals the whole complexity of human desires and relationships, as well as realistically reflects the different perceptions on life and reality through the perception of different family members. Providing fascinating insights in the life of one family and its members, Williams provides a basis for reconsidering the basic life values and personal human philosophy.
William's reinterpretations of the reality are often vague and twisted, however, quite catching and fascinating for the audience. The author focuses vastly on the notions of memories, time, and life itself. One of the quotes in the play, which goes as the following: “the future becomes the present, the present the past, and the past turns into everlasting regret if you don't plan for it!” (Williams 5.95), greatly reflects the general ideas introduced in the play and life experience of the family members.
The Wingfields, who are the family described by Tennessee in his play, consist of Mr. Wingfield and his wife Amanda, their daughter Laura and son Tom. Tom, who is primarily the narrator of a story, from the very beginning of it points out the basic notion of subjectivity of the reality, claiming: “I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion.” (Williams 1.1). The nature and apprehension of memories as the element of reality, though already gone, plays an extremely important role in the play itself.
Each of the members of the family has its own life struggle against the challenges they face. Amanda is disappointed about being a faded Southern belle, and her relationships with her children are not in the greatest state as well: she strives to have power over them, refusing, though, to comprehend their own will and see their true identity. It is clearly seen in the way she speaks to Laura, trying to manipulate her: "Why you're not crippled, you just have a little defect - hardly noticeable, even!” (Williams). Not taking into account her children's personal opinions, she believes that whatever she says and wants for her is the best advice and solution which could ever be: “When people have some slight disadvantage like that, they cultivate other things to make up for it - develop charm - and vivacity - and - charm!” (Williams). This quote illustrate Amanda's main values – being attractive and charming, and the main indicator of woman's self-realization and success, unable to comprehend the fact that Laura thinks in a bit another way. The same as her children, she escapes from reality to fantasy, however, unlike Tom and Laura, Amanda denies the fact that the fantasy come to be her second reality. Meanwhile, she has developed her own ways to escape from the world she live in, and her mind serves her greatly in that. With a help of her memories she travels back in time to the moments of her blossom, beauty and youth, the times when she was joyous and attractive. Blue Mountain, the plays which she often recalls, is this another reality for her. She feels proud remembering that she used to have so many admirers that sometimes there “weren’t enough chairs to accommodate them all.” (Williams) - tells Amanda her daughter Laura.
Laura is unable to embrace her physical disability, which is the factor that leads her into the low self-esteem, not enough confidence to face even such common daily life situations as going to school, and eventually a withdrawal to her illusionary world. Being physically crippled, Laura has problems in socializing, as well: shyness is probably her most distinctive feature, which proves her incapacity to adapt to the world and the flow of life around her - she is too much sensitive about everything. Feeling herself uncomfortable in the real world, Laura prefers the world of her imagination, where she is safe and comfy: "she lives in a world of her own—a world of little glass ornaments, MotherShe plays old phonograph records and—that’s about all—" (Williams 5.126, 5.128, 5.132) – that is how describes Laura his brother Tom. Just like her glass figures which she admires so much, Laura is the extremely tender and fragile. Thus her glass menagerie bears a highly symbolic meaning, representing her inner world itself.
Tom, on the other hand, is the one who constructs his own fantasy just the same like his mother and sister. The main factor of his escape from reality is an extreme lacking of the sense of self-realization, a great dissonance between the person he is and the person he strives to be. His greatest dread and concern is being at the job with neither further prospects nor a feeling of fulfillment – so long as he works at the shoe warehouse. “I'd rather somebody packed up a crowbar and battered out my brains-than go back mornings! I go!” (Williams) Describing his dead-end job, Tom speaks of his life with a great hatred and despair a sense of “Every time you come in yelling that Goddamn 'Rise and Shine! Rise and Shine!' I say to myself, 'How lucky dead people are!' But I get up. I go!” (Williams). Disappointment and dissatisfaction is what follows him in his everyday life, while he dreams of adventures, travelling, creative and rewarding work, such as writing poetry.
Tom's way to escape reality is watching movies. Seeing the moving pictures of bright lives and adventures, he tries thus to forget about his dull, uninteresting routine at least for some period of time. While a movie goes on in front of his eyes, he is totally absorbed into its atmosphere, plot, and the drastic changes of the events, he literally experiences everything what happens on the screen. This is his better reality, which however fades as soon as the film is over. In reality, beside his intolerable job, he faces continuous nagging of his mother. Amanda also criticizes Tom in his approach to life: "GO, then! Go to the moon-you selfish dreamer!" (Williams 7.320). Eventually, Tom decides to put a stop to all of it, leaving the home together with his sister and mother, and goes for the adventures. This is his true escape, and this time not from the reality, but towards the new reality, and a new future.
There is another interesting perception of life experience which is reflected through the following quote by Jim: “being disappointed is one thing and being discouraged is something else.” – he states, and then goes on: “I am disappointed but I am not discouraged." (Williams 7.158). His idealistic approach toward the future can also be considered as the avoiding the reality. This position illustrates the idea of American Dream with its well-being, prosperity and bright future, raising thus not only philosophical, but also highly political issues.
Tom's monologue, provided in the play, reflects his feelings after he left the family and went wandering. “Oh, Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you behind me, but I am more faithful than I intended to be!” - cries Tom, regretting and feeling guilt of his action. His escape from the small world of his family was thus unsuccessful as the memories keep chasing him.
Works Cited
Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. New York: New Directions Books: 1999. Print.
