1

By Jose, Anton, Marco, and Chia Wei

Mr. Bailey

IBS2 English

Scene Seven of the Glass Menagerie

2

Summary

As the dinner finishes, Amanda suggests to Jim to keep Laura company while the power is out.

Laura tells Jim that she had a crush on him in High School and watched all his shows.

Meanwhile, he talks about being nominated as “Most Likely to Succeed” by his peers but he has not yet achieved his full potential.

He studies night school in Telecommunications. Laura introduces her glass menagerie to Jim. He diagnoses her with inferiority complex because

of her lack of self-confidence.

3

Summary Continued

Jim encourages Laura to dance with him however, while they are dancing, they bump into the table and break Laura’s favorite animal of the collection- The Unicorn.

Jim then kisses Laura.However, he tells her that he is previously

engaged to a girl named Betty, whom he has “strings to” and Jim therefore has to leave.

Amanda gets angry at Tom for not questioning Jim’s status before he visited, calling him a “manufacturer of illusions”.

Then, Tom angrily bursts out and leaves the house. He leaves to work for the Merchant Navy and the play closes with Tom seeing a “mime” of Amanda and Laura eating dinner together, he says goodbye to Laura, she blows out the candle and the play ends.

4

Romantic loveBeing trapped or confined (breaking

away from it)Responsibility vs. Need to live one’s own

lifeFragility MemoryThe American Dream

Themes

5

Two types of loveFamilial Love

Love between mother and son (however this is not evident in the scene because Amanda calls Tom

a “Selfish dreamer” Love between brother and sister

Tom: “Oh Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you behind me, but I am more faithful than I intended to be! (52)”

Romantic LoveBudding “love” between Jim and Laura

Jim: "In all respects—believe me! Your eyes—your hair—are pretty! Your hands are pretty! … Somebody needs to build your confidence up … Somebody—ought to—kiss you, Laura! (47)"

Theme of Love

6

Tom being trapped in the confines of the family, the apartment and his career.

Amanda is trapped in parenthood, having to take care of her two children without a husband.

Laura is trapped in her timidity and “inferiority complex” and cannot blend with other people.

Jim is trapped in his engagement with Betty “strings attached”

Being trapped or confined (breaking away from it)

7

Laura not going to business college and going to the zoo to look at the animals.

Tom wanting to leave the house to escape the confinement so he can join the Merchant Navy. He angrily leaves the house towards the end of the scene.[Tom smashes his glass on the floor. He plunges out

the fire-escape, slamming the door.] (51)The need for Tom to participate in familial

dutyAmanda: “Don’t think about us, a mother deserted,

an unmarried sister who’s crippled and has no job! … just go, go, go - to the movies! (51)”Amanda believes that being part of a family creates

obligations Tom must fulfill.

Responsibility to others vs. Need to live one’s own life

8

Tom’s fragility is his dissatisfaction with his life, wants to go out and live an adventurous life and not rot with the life he lives.

Amanda is fragile because she continually refers to her past 17 gentleman callers

Laura is fragile because of her inferiority complex which hinders her from socializing normally with others.

Theme of Fragility

9

Amanda: You live in a dream; you manufacture illusions! (Williams 51)

As this is a memory play, it is ironic that Amanda is seen in Tom’s memory and is accusing him of manufacturing events and “illusions”. An allusion to how Tom is like Malvolio the illusionist he watched in the fourth scene where he returns from the “movies”.

The cost of Tom’s departure from Amanda and Laura, is the burden of remembering that he left his family at an arduous time.  

While he may have freedom of body, he will never gain freedom of mind as he will always remember his fragile sister.

Ironically, this is another form of confinement. Tom: “I would have stopped, but I was pursued by

something. It always came upon me unawares, taking me altogether by surprise (51). “

Theme of Memory

10

Set against the economic problems of the Wingfield family, the theme of the American dream is shown.

In spite of her impoverished life, Amanda is a believer in the American Dream. She tells Tom that he simply has to work hard and he will

succeed. This idea of the American Dream is further epitomized

by Jim’s arrival and tells Laura of his aspirations. He is in love with the achievements and the promise

of technology and he works hard to achieve it through education. He believes that there are rewards to be taken when one  works hard and believes that he can go as far as he wants to go in his career. (Williams, 37)Jim: “I believe in the future of television! I wish to be

ready to go up right along with it. (43)”

The American Dream

11

LightingThe Screen DeviceMusicStage Directions

Staging Devices

12

“A moment after the curtain rises, the lights in both rooms flicker and go out” (43) Lights go out during the dinner is a symbol of the dimming hopes of

Amanda to make the dinner with Jim successful because up until then, the dinner has not gone according to plan. It is used as a rather inauspicious beginning to the final scene of the play.

However, it could be used as a foreshadowing device for a romantic climax because of how it is linked to the soft light shining on Laura (see second point) 

At the opening of the scene, “The new floor lamp with its shade of rose-coloured silk gives a soft, becoming light to her face, bringing out the fragile, unearthly prettiness which usually escapes attention.” (34). Significant lighting because it adds to the characterization of Laura,

links her image to that of an Angel (use of the word “unearthly”), because despite her physical and metaphorical fragility, she still emanates a radiant, yet soft glow.

The word “unearthly also links her allusion to being like the Unicorn in her glass connection. The Unicorn is a mythical creature, and similarly to Laura, is viewed as very solitary, yet mysteriously beautiful as Laura is described with respect to the light.

Lighting

13

After Jim reveals that he’s already engaged, the “holy candles in the altar of Laura’s face have been snuffed out.” (48). This is significant as Laura is often portrayed

as being angelic, a celestial being in the soft light. This is also corroborated by the fact that she wears white clothing. Jim’s admission of being engaged snuffed out the light which represented hope for escaping Laura’s confinement.

Metaphor

More Lighting

14

“I don’t suppose you remember me at all” (Williams, 36) The legend represents the beginning of the conversation between Laura and Jim

“What have you done since High School?” (Williams, 42) This indicates the beginning of the conversation between Jim and Laura regarding what they have been up to since High School.

“Blue Roses” (Williams, 46) This legend is used as a cue for the music change. Because Laura is not aware of why Jim calls her “Blue Roses”. This shows a progression to the climax because Jim begins to compliment Laura.

“Souvenir” (Williams, 47) Significant because it is shown after Jim kisses Laura. This moment they share is a metaphorical souvenir for Laura because she has experienced her first intimate moment like many other women. Similarly, she gives Jim her favorite Unicorn on page 48.

The Screen Device

15

“Love!” (Williams, 48) Jim talks about the love he experiences with Betty. He tries to explain that it is a great thing, but when he explains that he was previously engaged to Betty, it was as if he built up Laura on false hope and confidence after dancing and kissing her.

“Things have a way of turning out badly!”/”Gentleman caller waving good-bye!” (Williams, 48) Laura is speechless because of the way things turned out. This is supported when she gives a “look of almost infinite desolation” (Williams, 48). It is as if she has retreated back into her solitaire nature because her dialogue from this moment on is short and limited, like it was when Jim first approaches her.

More on The Screen Device

16

“The sky falls!” (Williams, 50) Significant because it is said that the sky would fall when the world ends. This happens when Tom crosses the line by kissing Laura, when he was aware that he was already engaged to Betty. Metaphorically, this can mean a shattering of the confidence of Laura, because Laura barely speaks from then on. It supports her trait of being fragile.

“And so good-bye...” (Williams, 51) This legend indicates the end of the memory, as it happens right after Tom bursts out the house. It also brings the audience back to where the play began, in St. Louis where Tom narrates from, he is now a member of the Merchant Navy.

More on The Screen Device

17

“The Glass Menagerie” is Laura’s personal song and it plays on page 43 when Laura gently hands Jim the Unicorn from her collection in her trust “Go on, I trust you with him!” (Williams, 43). This is significant because before this scene, Laura was practically

the only person handling her glass connection. The fact that she is sharing it with Jim indicates that she is welcoming him into her fragile life.

Metaphorically, Laura is making her transformation into “one of the other horses” and is becoming less timid through her opening herself to Jim as they engage in normal conversation. Jim also appreciates the uniqueness and the beauty of the Unicorn and this instance foreshadows the moment where he kisses Laura.

“Waltz Music: La Golondrina” the music indicates the dancing between Laura and Jim. J im teaches Laura how to dance, because her inferiority complex

prevented her from doing so previously. The song is a song of farewell described with a “wandering swallow” because it was a favorite among Mexican Expatriates who missed their home. It is mellow and melancholic to show the calm of the moment.

Music

18

The play closes with a silent pantomime. The silent pantomime brings the audience full circle, the play

opened with a mime meal, now we are presented with a more sorrowful ceremony.

The visual image of mother and daughter, mutually reassuring one another with smiles and gestures is touching.

The fact that it is silent and only the facial expressions are seen suggests the state of memory that it is for Tom, it reminds the audience that his narration was a memory.

It could also possibly suggest that Tom wants to help Laura especially because of his brotherly love. However, the fact that it is a “mime” is significant because it represents the memory as a fading one, it is a “copy” and quite possibly, Tom would rather not deal with the memory anymore, when he says “Blow out your candles, Laura - and so good-bye” (Williams, 52)

More Music

19

Stage Directions[LAURA’s shyness is dissolving in his

warmth] (40)Used to show Laura’s confidence building

through her conversation with Jim. Foreshadows the climax of the play where Jim kisses Laura.

[LAURA turns away, nearly faint with the novelty of her emotions.] (46)Indicates Laura’s transformation into a more

socially adept person unlike the one she was before connecting with Jim. Her anxiety seems to have disappeared because of how she opened up to Jim throughout the scene. 19

20

LauraAmandaJimTom

Characterization

21

"Nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands."– E. E. Cummings

Like her other relatives, Laura also retreats from reality. While her mother and brother retreat back to the past and back to alcohol and movies respectively, Laura spends her days going to the zoo, or polishing her glass, or playing records.

She has had minimal social interaction with anyone outside her family and even her brother is unable to release her from her confinement.

Until Jim arrives. Jim’s easygoing, positive manner lets the shy Laura open up about her dreams, her interest, making her human and releasing her from her confinement.

Jim understands that Laura just needs someone to appreciate her for who she is. With this, there is a brief moment in which the audience thinks that there is hope for Laura after all as it seems that there is a budding relationship between Laura and Jim.

Laura

22

However the reverie soon crashes as Laura finds out that Jim is engaged.

While Jim is making this confession, Laura is looking at her broken unicorn and decides to give it to Jim (Williams 48).

This may be a sign that Laura is able to move on, but her physical actions and directions from Williams reveals that she may have gone back to her previous state. This can be seen as our last image of Laura during this scene is of Laura gripping the sofa, struggling visibly with her torment (Williams 48).

After his confession, Laura also goes back to winding up the victrola, which was one of her escapes. Glass is also broken again and she screamed (Williams 51).   

However, in the last part of the scene, in Tom’s monologue, the audience is given a view of Laura smiling and this can argue that Laura has moved on instead or was forced to cope without Tom (Williams 51).

Laura

23

“Leaning stiffly forward, clutching the arm of the sofa, Laura struggles visibly with her storm” (48)

Laura: “You were always surrounded by your own friends so much that I never had a chance to [getting Jim’s autograph]” (40)

Laura: “I-I-never have had much luck at making friends” (39)

Laura: “I don’t do anything-much. Oh, please don’t think I sit around doing nothing!” (Williams, 42) Laura refers to her pretty banal life, she does not have much to do.

Quotes on/from Laura

24

More quotes on/from Laura Laura: “Well, I do - as I said - have my - glass collection”

(43) - compared to Amanda, Laura calls it a collection. She spends a great deal of time with it. Even to the extent that she ‘talks’ to the glass animals that she retreats herself from reality and confines herself with the collection. “I haven’t heard any arguments among them!” (44)

Jim: “They’re as common as weeds, but - you - well, you’re - Blue Roses!” (46). To Jim, Laura is a unique person. He also thinks Laura is pretty in all respects - hands, hair, eyes, etc.

Jim: “You know what I judge to be the trouble with you? Inferiority complex” (42)

Laura: “I’ll just imagine he had an operation. The horn was removed to make him feel less-freakish! Now he will feel more at home with the other horses, the ones that don’t have horns” (46)

Jim: Laura, you know, if I had a sister like you, I’d do the same thing as Tom. I’d bring out fellows and - introduce her to them. The right type of boys of a type to - appreciate her. (47)

25

Amanda“I’m not exaggerating, not one bit! ...because

Episcopalians gave card parties.” (Williams, 35-36) In this quote, Amanda reminisces the past, which

shows her attachment to living in a different time and place. She is living in her illusions of the past.

The significance of Episcopalian is that it is a branch of the Anglican Christian Church, she comments on the foolishness of the congregants at the Church, hence the idea of religion to her is not taken seriously.

Laura: “Mother calls them a glass menagerie!” (43) shows that Amanda feels that Laura is wasting her

time with her ‘collection’, so she uses a negative word to describe the Laura’s collection. Defined as a “collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition” also refers to each of the characters being trapped in the play.

26

Amanda“Where was Moses when the lights went out?” (34)

Making light of Moses the great leader whom God empowered to split the Red Sea to help the Israelites out of Egypt. However, Williams juxtaposes his greatness with his powerlessness at the time of the power failure in Amanda's apartment.

Amanda is presented as a realist because she mocks religion and believes that believing in religion will not help a family out of poverty. Williams could also be commenting on the extent of poverty during the Great Depression, the population was losing hope that they let go of religious beliefs.

27

Jim In scene 1, Tom tells the audience that Jim “is the most

realistic character in the play, being an emissary from a world of reality that we were somehow set apart from.” (Williams 3).

Idea of the American Dream is represented more by Jim. He believes that his life is on an upward trajectory, and

that if he studies and plays his cards right, he can go as far as he wants to go in his career.

While he has an overly optimistic view in life, it is certainly much more realistic, especially when it is compared to the Wingfields, who are all trapped in their own respective prisons and illusions.

“Somebody needs to build your confidence up and make you proud instead of shy and turning away and -blushing- Somebody-ought to- ought to- kiss you, Laura!” (47)

28

More JimWhile Williams describes Jim as an “nice, ordinary young

man”, it is often up to the audience or the actor’s interpretation to determine his personality.

There are moments in this scene where Jim either comes off as being nice and uplifting or narcissistic and pompous:

Good Jim Bad Jim

“You know what my strong advice to you is? Think of yourself as superior in some way!” (42)

“The different people are not like other people, but being different is nothing to be ashamed of.” (46)

“In all respects- believe me! Your eyes-your hair are pretty! Your hands are pretty!” (47)

“I was beleaguered by females in those days” (40)

“Which of them has one-tenth of your good points Or mine!” (42)

“Everybody excels in some one thing. Some in many! [Unconsciously glances at himself in the mirror]” (43)

“Being in love has made a new man of me! … (Jim is oblivious [to Laura’s reaction]) Love is something that changes the whole world, Laura!” (48)

29

More Jim“I’m pretty clumsy in things”

Blue Roses as a name was only given to Laura by a mistake. When Laura said that her illness was pleurosis, Jim thought she said Blue Roses.

A similar mistake happens in this scene as Jim mistakenly leads Laura to think that he is interested in her.

Parallel to Amanda saying “pretty girls are a trap”Pirates of Penzance“Knowledge - Zzzzzp! Money - Zzzzp! - Power! That’s the

cycle democracy is built on!”Is this really what democracy is all about?Jim talks about the development of society, however money

and power are ideally not the central beliefs of a democracyJim is mistaken and could be referring to a Dictatorship

30

TomAmanda: I might have known better than

to trust him with it [electric bill]! There’s such a high price for negligence in this world! (35)

Tom: The more you shout about my selfishness to me the quicker I’ll go, and I won’t go to the movies! (51)

Amanda: Go, then! Then go to the moon-you selfish dreamer! (51)

31

TomTom: Oh Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you

behind me, but I am more faithful than I intended to be! (52)

Jim’s name for Tom: While Tom states that his frequent absences to a cabinet in the warehouse to write poetry is why Jim calls Tom “Shakespeare”it is also an eponymous allusion into the

works of Shakespeare himself, especially the play Romeo and Juliet. Tom brought Jim and Laura together, and they can be considered as sort-of being star-crossed lovers.

32

Use of SymbolsThe Glass UnicornGlass MenagerieFire EscapeLightBlue RosesPathetic Fallacy

33

The Glass UnicornCan represent Laura’s uniqueness. Jim points out

that unicorns are extinct and are different from all other horses.

With her disability, Laura is unusual and is lonely as well. As Jim makes his advances on Laura, a smaller-scale version of this is also happening on the unicorn.

As Jim, a “gentleman caller”, talks with Laura, she is quietly transforming into a normal girl. This same thing happens to the unicorn as it loses its horn, making “just like all the other horses” (Williams 45).

She has become comfortable in Jim’s warmth. She lost her inferiority complex when she’s talking to Jim.

Jim says he is ‘pretty clumsy with things’ (P.43) when Laura gives him the unicorn to hold. After the dance he will break not just the ornament, but also her heart - like the unicorn she favors and identifies with.

34

The Glass Unicorn continuedStaging

[She carefully places the unicorn in the palm of his hand, then pushes his fingers closed upon it]. Possibly showing how she will revert back to her old ‘inferior’ self, as giving away the unicorn represents giving away her change to becoming ‘normal’

Jim: Poor little fellow, he must feel sort of lonesome … A unicorn, huh? —aren’t they extinct in the modern world? (44)

Laura: Now it is just like all the other horses…The horn was removed to make him feel less—freakish!

35

Glass MenagerieRepresents the fragility of Laura since her

youth. Everytime one of the animals break,

something bad happens to her, with the exception of when Jim visits.Laura: “Glass is something you have to take

good care of.” (Williams 42)

36

Fire EscapeSymbolizes Tom’s route of escape

whenever he leaves every night to “Watch movies”.

It also symbolizes his desire to leave the house, that his escape from the banal life he lives is so close to him, but he remains at the house.

37

LightIn the first section, the failure of the lights

is symbolic. Tom’s deliberate non-payment of the bill signals the beginning of a new, difficult era for Amanda and Laura, who will have to learn to live without a male breadwinner.

When the lights go out, we know that those hard times have begun. The failure of the lights also signifies the hopelessness of Amanda’s dreams for her daughter.The light motif runs right through the scene. Ultimately, the light motif is used to demonstrate the incompatibility of Laura and Jim, who, ironically get along well together.

38

Light continuedThere would have been a chance if Jim had not

already met Betty ‘on a moonlight boat trip’ (P.48). William’s stage directions make it clear that knowledge of Jim’s attachment to Betty deals Laura a blow from which she is unlikely to recover: ‘the hold candles on the altar of Laura’s face have been snuffed out’(P.48).

In the last lines of the play Tom draws our attention to the fact that his sister doesn’t belong in Jim’s modern world of ‘knowledge - Zzzzzp! Money - Zzzzp! - Power!” (P.43). The narrator associates light with Laura - as if she is something precious to him still.

39

Blue Roses Jim’s old nickname for Laura is Blue Roses and this

can represent Laura’s uniqueness and mysterious beauty if linked to her being like a Unicorn. It is impossible for someone to find blue roses in the

natural world. This helps fit Jim’s description of her as Laura is a one-

in-a-million girl.

40

Use of Pathetic Fallacy[There is a steady murmur of rain, but it is

slackening and stops soon after the scene begins; the air outside becomes pale and luminous as the moon breaks out.](34)

The strength of the storm passing by has weakened, which can suggest a gentling, warm mood. The air, like how Laura is depicted on the sofa is luminous and suggests a celestial atmosphere. In turn, it foreshadows her true beauty coming out through her encounter with Jim.

40

41

Connections to ‘The Visit’ Jim is like Claire

A blast from the past; Laura’s crush in High School.

Similarly, Ill and Claire had a romantic relationship when they were younger.

Sealed fateLaura considers herself a failure because of her

Pleurosis Ill is supposed to die because of the exorbitant amount

of money Claire placed on his head.Reversal of fortunes

Laura gets kissed by Jim and gains confidence in herself

When Ill begins seeing signs from the Guelleners that he will be killed.

42

Connections to ‘The Visit’Reconnection

Laura kisses JimClaire speaks to Ill and shows sympathy by

asking him if he’d be okay with her burying him in the Mediterranean.

Character/Animal SymbolismsLaura is like the Unicorn in her glass collection

because of her uniqueness, mysterious beauty and solitary nature.

Ill is like the Black Panther because Claire used to call him Black Panther.

NicknamesLaura is called “Blue Roses” by Jim and Claire

used to call Ill “Black Panther”

43

Purpose of the sceneThis scene holds the climax of the play because it is the

culmination of Amanda’s efforts to prevent Laura from becoming an “Old Maid” by getting Tom to find her a gentlemen caller at the Factory. That way, Tom will be allowed to leave the house and join the Merchant Navy.

If this scene is omitted, then Laura’s perspective on her disabilities (inferiority complex) would not have been changed due to Jim’s visit where he dances and kisses her.

Tom would probably not have stormed out of the house so angrily because Amanda placed all the blame of the failure on Tom. He would not be narrating the play and he would probably

remain in the house with the same habits beforehand. Without this scene, the play would not even have happened,

the mood of the opening and ending would not have been so melancholic.

44

Key quotationsLAURA: Little articles of [glass], they’re

ornaments mostly! Most of them are little animals made out of glass, the tiniest little animals in the world. Mother calls them a glass menagerie! . . . Oh, be careful—if you breathe, it breaks! . . . You see how the light shines through him?

JIM: It sure does shine! LAURA: I shouldn’t be partial, but he is my favorite one. JIM: What kind of a thing is this one supposed to be? LAURA: Haven’t you noticed the single horn on his forehead? JIM: A unicorn, huh? —aren’t they extinct in the modern world? LAURA: I know! JIM: Poor little fellow, he must feel sort of lonesome. (Williams 44)*

JIM: Aw, aw, aw. Is it broken? LAURA: Now it is just like all the other horses. JIM: It’s lost its— LAURA: Horn! It doesn’t matter. . . . [smiling] I’ll just imagine he had an operation. The

horn was removed to make him feel less—freakish! (Williams 45-46)*

Importance of quotes A and B are shown in the symbols section in the section for the glass unicorn and the menagerie.

45

Key quotationsAMANDA: You live in a dream; you

manufacture illusions! (Williams 51)

As this is a memory play, it is ironic that Amanda is seen in Tom’s memory and is accusing him of manufacturing events and “illusions”. An allusion to how Tom is like Malvolio the illusionist he watched in the fourth scene where he returns from the “movies”.

46

Key quotationsAMANDA: Don’t think about us, a mother

deserted, an unmarried sister who’s crippled and has no job! … just go, go, go - to the movies! (Williams 51)

With references to the family members, it helps demonstrate the theme of one’s responsibility vs. need to live one’s own life. Amanda believes that being part of a family creates obligations Tom must fulfill.

47

Key quotationsTom: I would have stopped, but i was pursued by

something. It always came upon me unawares, taking me altogether by surprise. Perhaps it was a familiar bit of music. Perhaps it was only a piece of transparent glass … Then all at once my sister touches my shoulder. I turn around and look into her eyes … Oh Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you behind me, but I am more faithful than I intended to be! (Williams 52)

With allusions into the objects which refers to his sister, Tom is still unable to relieve the burden of abandoning his sister. The price of freedom has led to the cost of memory and regret.

48

Thank You!