The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams - Literature review Example

The various layers of modern existence and reality-illusion conflict in Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie. Introduction: Literature, in its various forms: novel, poetry or drama, has remained as a quintessential form of socio-cultural document, consequently reflecting different layers of changing human emotions in accordance with the social situations. It is a very common argument against literature that it is entirely based on imagination and often such imaginative traits extend to such dimension that does not have any connection with the reality. Actually, symbolism and metaphors are two powerful instruments that make literature as a source of insatiable aesthetic pleasure but if the layers of meaning, incorporated with these devices cannot be perceived then it remains just an work of imagination, far removed from reality. The modernist literary trends, compared to the Romantic and Victorian era, have expressed a different level of mastery in fusing the elements of fancy and mundane. While in the earlier times, most of the literary artists used to churn out symbols and metaphors from the imaginative world, the modernists stated using these literary devices from general course of life, incorporating within those the colors of fancy with the intention of providing an imaginative dimension within the mundane. The devastation and immense brutality of the two consecutive world wars casted such prevailing impact over Western socio-cultural discourse that representation of the mundane took a further crude form. On one hand, people had to encounter the tiring, inescapable pangs of reality and on the other spontaneity of human fancy excited them to enjoy the escape to a land of eternal bliss: on one hand, there was random derogation of basic values towards life and moral and on the other natural human inclination towards faith, human fellowship and humanity. Thesis Statement: Tapped within a crucial phase of human existence, several immortal pieces of literature were created that incorporated the aesthetics of human dilemma and modernist existential angst. Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, the earliest of his major dramatic creations, is one of the most brilliant examples where the dramatist has brilliantly expressed elements of human transience, from extreme mundane to fancy, from real to surreal. Life and Drama: An Integral Association Compared to the other plays by Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie definitely lacks the elements of typicality. Violence and sexuality, which are also considered by most of the literary and sociological scholars as important feature of the post modern, especially post-Great War II, existence, are surprisingly missing in this drama. At the same time, the dramatist also has shown an inclination towards development of a complex plot development structure in his other works, to which the elements of violence and eroticism have acted as an essential device to help the dramatist to attain his goal. Compared to these aspects, The Glass Menagerie is definitely simple and also represents the elements of human crisis in post modern existence in a more straightforward manner: “[The Glass Menagerie] is not a typical Tennessee Williams play. He usually built too complex a plot to fit on the stage, with too many interesting stories for each of the characters, spiced with too much violence and sexuality. In The Glass Menagerie, he kept it simple” (Tischler 28). One of the main reasons behind such deviation from Tennesseeian trait can be close association of the drama, its characters, especially that of Tom with the personal life of the playwright. While in the other dramas Tennessee Williams was reflecting over the characters and flow of events from a neutral, social perspective, in this play he actually focused over dramatic narrative from an autobiographical perspective. Observing the presence of “heavily autobiographical” elements, one of his famous biographers, Lyle Leverich has commented that “For the first thirty years of his life, [Williams] was living The Glass Menagerie” (Leverich; Cited in Alder 34). It is the integral association of personal life and dramatic course of actions, semblance of the playwright’s personal nature and his identification with Tom, rather development of Tom’s character under light of the autobiographical references, have helped in the construction of different layers of meaning, despite its apparently simple and smooth course of actions. Tom, on one hand, represents a true manifestation of human status within an inhuman socio-economic existence, where every day he has to compromise over the spontaneity of his nature; on the other hand, he also remains a perfect embodiment of creative human aspirations that remains indomitable irrespective of all oppressions that are aimed at smothering human spontaneity. This is the integral connection between life and drama that without presence of any external horrors or reflection of inhumanity, every moment in the contemporary world, a human being is required to compromise over his human entity and dignity. Consequently, horror of the entire situation is generated from the fact that gradually human beings are compelled to be deprived of the basic traits of their human existence and expect to watch the entire process of dehumanization people are left with no other option than to accept the impending inhumanity. Tom’s confession in the opening scene of the drama provides strong evidence in support of the observation, “Yes, I have tricks in my pocket, I have things up my sleeve. But I am 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 4). Tom’s confession or dramatic monologue has manifold implications within its brief scope. While, through him, Tennessee Williams conveyed role of a literary artist in the modern context, it also becomes evident from the observation that how in the modern social context common people wish to perceive the reality. Reality in its actual form is so hard to perceive that most of the time people find solace in escaping it, and due to this reason only they are more inclined towards perception from reality when it comes along with apparent cover of fancy or illusion. His association with a magician is symbolic and also provides the observation with special connotation of soothing escapism. The inherent cruelty of human survival can only be represented, thus, under disguise of illusion. Once the cover of fancy embalmed is removed and people dare to look at life keeping aside the colored glasses, the brutality, cruelty and harshness of human existence would become evident that is fierce and intolerable at the same time. Character Analysis: The Symbolic Implication of the layers of human existence and nature Characterization of in The Glass Menagerie has surely helped the drama to achieve a different level of dimension both in terms of dramatic achievements and portrayal of human existence. Construction of the flow of events, its development of climax and its ending, the entire dramatic process has revolved around emotional exchange and conflict between only four characters, namely, Amanda (the mother of Tom and Laura), Tom (narrator), Laura (Tom’s sister) and Jim (the Gentleman Caller). While each of the four characters has their respective individuality, they, separately, also represents, symbolically, specific human qualities and situation of people having such nature in the modern social context. Amanda is surely embodiment of the eternal figure of motherhood but the social as well as economic crisis has reached to such an extent that she has no option to depend on her son. At the same time, the eternal tenderness of motherhood sometimes is also overshadowed by insecurity, both for her daughter and herself in terms of social and financial: “What Amanda needs more than anything else, both for herself and her daughter, is, arguably, precise security” (Bigsby 32). Reflection over Tom’s character in previous section of the paper clearly suggests that he presents the spirit of a modern individual, on the process of self grooming. While he is unable to avoid pressure of the responsibility and dependability that his family asks of him, Tom also fails to ignore his journey towards a better and soothing existence. At times he is clearly rebellious against his existence, which he feels to be hellish (Williams 27), but like all the modern men, does not find any positive outlet to avoid the traits of his existence. Laura, on the other hand, can be regarded as the representation of tenderness, fanciful existence that remains unaffected by all external turmoil or the conflict between expectations and achievements. She loves and content to “…escape into her own private world of old phonograph records and her glass menagerie” (Murphy 178). Quite contrast to her character, Jim (the Gentleman Caller) exists as a harsh blow of the modern world over human aspirations to come out of the situation of crisis. Jim’s appearance, while provided the family with lot of hope, his breaking up of Laura’s most favorite glass menagerie clearly suggests that human aspirations and dreams for a better existence are as fragile as that of such glass menageries (Tischler 28). Dr. Jayshree Singh truly observes in this context that “…the convictions of the people are disillusioned because on one hand they have Puritan life style while on the other hand due to rapid industrialization and urbanization there is a liking for leading bohemian life” (Singh 66). Conclusion: Within the limited yet symbolically vast canvas of the play, the confusing human desire to live a tranquil life and to escape in the attraction of bohemia, acts as a grinding device that devastates all human desires and noble aspirations to enjoy a better existence. The world of The Glass Menagerie receives a universal stature as it shows a highly realistic depiction of such struggle. The illusion of achievement and dream for better human existence, in the modern world, perhaps, act as the most effective intoxicants against the pain of living under constant struggle. Once the illusion is over, like characters of The Glass Menagerie, every individual is bound to survive within the ruthless barrenness and deprivation of emotional existence. Works Cited Alder, Thomas P. “The Glass Menagerie”. Tennessee Williams: a guide to research and performance. California: Greenwood Publishing Group. 1998. Bigsby, C.W.E. “Entering The Glass Menagerie”. The Cambridge companion to Tennessee Williams. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1997. Murphy, Brenda A. “Tennessee Williams”. A Companion to Twentieth-Century American Drama. New York: Wiley-Blackwell. 2007. Singh, Dr. Jayshree. Bondage and Liberation: A Study in the Selected Plays of Tennessee Williams. Pennsylvania: Dorrance Publishing. 2009. Tischler, Nancy Marie Patterson. Student companion to Tennessee Williams. California:Greenwood Publishing Group. 2000. Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. (5th Ed.). New York: New Directions. 1999. Read More