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About Me
- Dawn Sparks
- I am currently an adjunct professor at three different colleges: Northwest Shoals Community College, Columbia State Community College, and Itawamba Community College. This means my life consists of all things English related 24 hours a day.
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In "The Glass Menagerie", Tom represents Tennessee Williams. He was an aspiring playwright who worked at a warehouse. Williams was a drunk, in fact he died in a bathroom with a bottle cap in his mouth. Tom is often shown coming back from the movies being drunk. A reference to Williams perpetual state of drunkenness. Tom's reference to wanting to travel alludes to Williams own travel (Chicago, New Orleans, Los Angeles, etc.) Slight differences in William's actual life and that of the Wingfield's is, although his actual father was a drunk he never left home,his older sister was not a crippled, she was pretty, his younger brother doesn't show in the play, and only thing Amanda has in common with Tennessee's mother is they both love jonquils.
ReplyDeleteAmanda Wingfield, has high aspirations for her kids. She wants them to do better than what she did. She lives through her children. She is upset that Laura dropped out of Rubicam's Business College. She don't care that her daughter is uncomfortable. At times, she can be overbearing. This is shown when she makes references to the way Tom eats, how he likes his coffee, how late he stays out, how much he smokes, his hair, etc. She thinks of Tom as her rock and she is afraid that he will leave like his father. Amanda is caught up in the past. She constantly makes reference to the way she was then (almost like she can't believe what she has become). She could have had any number of well bred men and she fell for an innocent look. She got strapped with two kids. She's too busy building her own self up and not helping Laura, the one who needs the most encouraging. She takes her frustration out on her kids and in a way the reason they are the way they are is because of her. She loves them but can't accept them for the people they are.
Tom is the narrator. He is in charge of the finances, support system for the family. He gave up his dreams for his family. He is constantly nagged by his mother about how he reminds her of his father and in the same breath lecturing him on how not to be his father. He uses the movies as an escape and lives his life through other people because his life isn't his own. Like he is trapped in the window, watching others pass by and he stands still. Amanda knows how to say the right things to set him off, offers him escape from his hell if he gets Laura a man to take care of her and Laura. He brings a man, doesn't know Jim is engaged to be married, makes Amanda mad, and in the end when he is doing his monologue he lets the reader know had it not been for his sister Laura, he would have already left. He said that he had dreamed tons of times climbing fire escape and never turning back, quitting his job and leaving like his father but he said in his dreams, when he left, it never felt complete, see an image of Laura and knows that he couldn't leave her. It shows that he has a sense of duty and he wouldn't walk away from that. He is willing to sacrifice his life in order to protect his sister.
The Title refers to Laura the most because she is looked upon as fragile and by the slightest change, she can break. She lets her illness cripple her, she has no self confidence. She is shy, extremely shy and it is a hindrance to her because she is uncomfortable around people (when she went to school and was asked to type she vomitted, she quit H.S. because she felt like everyone could hear her clomp). Around Jim, she opens up. He gives her the confidence she needs, but that to is ripped away, Jim confesses he has a fiance. Nothing is permanent in her life. Her mother is to worried about what she use to be, mother is pretty, so when she hears her mother complain about herself, Laura kinda feels like well she is pretty and if she feels like this then I must be horrendous. She uses the glass animals as her escape, they are her only friends. She "understands" them the same way they do her. She doesn't have to worry about not fitting in.
"The Glass Menagerie" is a play written by Tennessee Williams. Williams, who adopted Tennessee as a professional name around 1939, was born Thomas Lanier Williams lll on March 26, 1911. His father, Cornelius Coffine Williams, was a heavy drinking traveling shoe salesman. His mother, Edwina Williams, was the sterotypical southern belle. Williams' family also included an older sister, named Rose. Each of these three family memebers contain qualities that inspired the three main characters in "The Glass Minagerie".
ReplyDeleteThe story's protagonist, Tom Wingfield, has been unhappily forced to work at a shoe factory to support his mother and crippled sister after his father walked out on the family. Similarly, Williams' father was an often absent traveling shoe sales man. After Williams' failed military training in college, his father pulled him out and he was forced to take a job at a local shoe factory. Like his fictional character, Tom, Williams spent many hours writing.
In "The Glass Menagerie", Tom's crippled sister's name is Laura. Her character is portrayed as someone who is fragile and weak that requires care from her family. Similarily, Williams' sister Rose, suffered from schizophrenia and spent much of her adult life in a mental institution.
Tom's mother, Amanda, also is a reflection of Williams' mother. She is a southern lady that has fallen from her former grace.
Well, the play is autobiographical because it's the story fo Tennessee Williams who he wrote the story about himself growing up and what his life was like. How he wanted to be a writer but worked in a warehouse to get where he wanted to really be in life but filled like he struggled to get there.
ReplyDeleteLaura 23 years old, dropped out business college not very socialble, play old-worn records and fools with the pieces of glass that she collects. She is shy. She lives in a world of her own basically. She dropped out of highschool.
Amanda, his mom who he argues with from time to time aout him alays going to the "movies." She is always trying to find larua a gettlemen to settledown with.
Jim also 23 years old, claims that he is always at the "movies." His mom believes Jim is turning into his faterh who was a drinker. He wants to become a writer but feels like the warehouse and his family is holding him back.
The ways in which this play by Tennessee Williams (strangely enough he was actually from Mississippi) is autobiographical is hidden in many of the characters.
ReplyDeleteTom is obviously based on Mr. Williams himself, and mimics some of his own life experiences. Tom is the protagonist of the story, and while sometimes being kind to his sister, Laura, can also be over bearing, over protective, and rude, showing little feeling towards her.
Laura is the shy and extremely fragile character, even more so, not just because of her personality traits, but because she is also physically crippled. Her self confidence is only hindered further by Tom's actions in the story.
Amanda, the strict yet caring mother could possibly represent Mr. Williams' own mother, in that even though she is supportive, she can also tear down dreams of her children, not unlike Mr. Williams' real mother.
"The Glass Menagerie" is autobiographical because it tells the story of Tennessee William through Tom. Tom's personality is based on the author Tennessee Williams. The story takes place around Tom, his mother Amanda, and Laura.
ReplyDeleteTom wants to be a writer more than anything in life, but he works at a warehouse. Sometimes he lets his emotions get the best of him. he plays the biggest role through this story. Also, he wants the best for his mother and sister.
Amanda, being Tom's mother, loves her son deeply. Some parts of "The Glass Menagerie" she tries to tear down Tom's dreams of becoming a writer. She is not trying to be rude or mean to her child, she just wants what is best for him.
Laura, Tom's sister, has a lot of weak character traits. She is kind and shy and loves her brother. Laura is very fragile, like a glass menagerie. Even though she is all of the things listed she is not a push over.
"The Glass Menagerie" is told thorugh the life of Tom. The character tom is largely based on the life of Tennesse Williams therefore makes the story an autobiography.
ReplyDeleteTom- Amanda's son and Laura's brother, He is a poet and he works at a shoe warehouse to support his family. He is frustrated about his job and he gets away from it through alcohol and literature.
Amanda- Laura and Tom’s mom. She is a strong woman. She clings to her memories of the past. She is charming and laughable. She is very willing to sacrifice for her loved ones
Laura- Amanda’s daughter and Tom’s sister. Laura has a bad leg and she walks with a limp. She has withdrawn from the outside world and is very shy. She devotes herself to her collection of glass figurin
"The Glass Menagerie" is a play that was written by Tennessee Williams and published in 1944. Tennesse grew up with his mother, brother, sister and a father that was absent most of the time due to work and alcoholism. Tennessee and his father Both worked as shoe salesmen. Tennessee was also an alcoholic that ended up choking to death on a bottle cap. "The Glass Menagerie" resembles Tennessee's life. Tom Wingfield plays Tennessee Williams that works in a shoe warehouse. Amanda Wingfield is Tom's mother who is holding onto the past and thinks Tom may not make it as a writer. Amanda struggles to realize that her daughter, Laura Wingfield, is a young, shy girl whose biggest goal is not to find a companion. Laura wears a brace on her leg and loves to collect different glass pieces. Mr. Wingfield never appears in the play due to the abandonment of his family.
ReplyDelete"The Glass Menagerie" is autobiographical in the sense that Tennessee tells his story through Tom. Tennessee just like Tom, grew up without his father around and also worked in a shoe factory. Aspiring to be a writer, Tom escapes his problems through alcoholism and literature.
ReplyDeleteThe Glass Menagerie is a autobiography about Tennessee Williams life as he portrays himself as Tom Wingfield. It is set in St. Louis when he worked in a shoe warehouse. The story is told from the memory of Tom, as he recounts to us this portion of his life.
ReplyDeleteAmanda was the mother of Tom and Laura. Amanda frequently tells her children of tales of her childhood. She also tells them about many men who once chased her. This shows one of the main plots of the story, because Amanda wants her daughter Laura to be like her and attract many men.
Laura is the daughter of Amanda, and she must wear a leg brace on her leg. To Amanda it seems as this leg brace is fending off the males who may come for her. Laura is the victim of Amanda's way of wanting her daughter to be just like her.
Tom is the narrator of the story. He represents Tennessee Williams in the story. Tom works in a shoe warehouse and is a poet who deals with his life struggles with alcohol and of course, literature. His mother Amanda, asks him to try and find a man for his sister. He does his best to find a nice man, but unannounced to him, the man he chose was already engaged.
The Glass Menagerie is a cleverly disguised autobiography. The author utilizes a man named Tom to portray the events that occurred in his life. The story is molded and shaped from the experiences that Tennessee Williams experienced first hand, but it is told from the view point of the character Tom. This story takes place in a shoe factory in St. Louis, an experience detailed so much in depth that a first hand account must have occurred.
ReplyDeleteThere are three main characters in which the story goes further. The three main characters are Amanda, Tom and Laura's mother. Laura, a victim of conformity on her mother's behalf. And, Tom, the narrator who represents Tennessee Williams himself. Tom works in a shoe factory and tells of the various struggles( drugs, matchmaking) involved in his daily life.
This play is autobiographical because it depicts the life of the author Tennessee Williams as his own life as a warehouse worker and the dislikes that he has for it. Amanda the mother plays a role showing how controlling she Is to her adult children and tries to live vicariously through them. Laura is affecting by her mothers upbringing and is very shy and timid. She was not raised to think on her own. And Tom has oppurtunities to move out on his own but chooses to stay and remain unhappy. Probably due to his upbringing also. Tom is a hard working and helps provide but he feels like he has to stay to take the place of his father who is not there.
ReplyDelete"The Glass Managerie" is autobiographical because it tells the life of the author. Laura the daughter has been sheltered her enitre life by her mother.Amanda the mother, tries to live through her children. Tom the son, works in a factory to support his sister and mother. He stays there to care for them because his father left them.
ReplyDelete"The Glass Menagerie" is autobiographical because it tells the life of Tennessee Williams, the author. Tom is the main character, Williams uses him to represent himself. His mother is Amanda whom is real over bearing to Tom and his sister Laura. Laura has a brace on her leg, she is somewhat crippled but she doesn’t like to be seen that way. She collects glass menageries. Amanda tries to live through her children. She tells them story after story day after day. She wants them to be and act like she wants. She spends her time trying to marry Laura off and make Tom help her. She also drives Tom crazy, she hovers over him when he eats and criticizes his eating habits, smoking, and drinking habits. Tom has to be the man of the house because their father left them years ago.
ReplyDeleteThe play is autobiographical because it is telling the life of the author, Tennessee Williams. The main characters are Tom, Amanda, and Laura. Amanda is Tom and Laura's mother. She tries to live her life through Laura. She often tells about how many guys were calling after her when she was younger. Laura is handicapped and is very shy. Tom is the narrator of the play. He works at a factory and supports his family because his dad left them.
ReplyDelete