1. Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams

2. About the Author  Born Thomas Williams in Mississippi  Nickname given to him in college because of his Southern roots  Average student and social outcast, Williams turned to writing for comfort

3. Plot Overview  Memory play- action is drawn from memories of the narrator (Tom Wingfield)

4. Characters  Tom Wingfield- (narrator), aspiring poet, works at a shoe store  Doesn’t like his job and escapes through alcohol, literature, and movies  Amanda Wingfield- Tom and Laura’s mother, clings to memories of her Southern past  Laura Wingfield- Tom’s sister, has a bad leg, wears a brace, and walks with a limp, collects glass figurines

5. More Characters  Mr. Wingfield- Tom’s father, worked for a telephone company, abandoned the family years ago and never appears on stage- only a picture in the living room remains  Jim O’Connor- friend of Tom and Laura, works with Tom at shoe store, devoted to personal success and achievement

6. Themes  Difficulty of accepting reality  Impossibility of true escape  Power of Memory

7. Symbols  Laura’s Glass Menagerie (collection): represents Laura’s personality- fragile, old- fashioned, delicate  Glass Unicorn: Laura’s favorite piece, represents her strangeness (unicorns are not real)  Blue roses: Jim’s nickname for Laura, represents Laura’s strangeness, yet allure  Fire escape: escape from the frustrations and dysfunctions of family