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Example research essay topic: Gentleman Callers Glass Menagerie - 2,055 words

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The Glass Menagerie Author Charles Colton once wrote, To dare to live alone is the rarest courage; since there are many who had rather meet their bitterest enemy in the field, than their own hearts in their closet. Sociologically, human beings are categorized on two major premises; function and conflict. On the Macro analysis level, the conflict theory views society as being characterized by social inequality where social life is a struggle for scarce resources (Kendall, 22). On the other hand, at the same level of analysis, the functionalist theory maintains that society is composed of interrelated parts that work together to maintain stability (Kendall, 22).

Consequently, one could observe from these theories that human beings are social creatures. Their emotional and mental lifestyle depends heavily on the way they interact with their families, friends and relatives. At times, there are those who exile themselves from society to live a recluse lifestyle. According to sociologist, Emile Durkheim, people in this situation have lost the very essence of life.

The lack of cohesiveness in society as a result of being lonely could lead one to engage in suicide attempts (Kendall, 5). Since early times, humans have always tried to battle loneliness. This is documented as being a human trait in different sources like plays, songs, books and oral stories. Fear of being lonely forces people to take extreme measures in order to maintain their social well-being. This concept is included in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. This paper will try to analyze the play by investigating each characters role in the play and will shadow on symbolisms used to formulate the analysis.

Furthermore, it will underline the concept of loneliness and how one of the characters, Amanda is affected by it. In The Glass Menagerie, Amanda is a character that had a lavish lifestyle during her years into adulthood. She was raised in the south at around the period of reconstruction. She was raised with the mannerisms of the southern belle women who sought after the delicacies in life. This is a direct observation from the early scenes in the play at the dinner table with Tom and Laura where she says, eat food leisurely, son, and really enjoy it give your salivary glands a chance to function. She always takes tea after dinner.

Amanda has chosen to hide from reality by trying to relive her past. She is living in the unreality of her youthful memories and sees herself as still being as young as Laura when she says to her, No, sister, no, sister, you be the lady this time and Ill be the darkey (p 237). She reminisces about one Sunday afternoon in Blue Mountain (p 237) when she received seventeen gentleman callers, and then tries to relive this through Laura. She arranges for Tom to bring home some nice young man for his sister. When Tom brings home a gentleman caller, Amanda wears a girlish frock of yellowed voile with a blue silk sash (p 276), the dress that she wore as a girl for her own gentleman callers.

The reader can see from this that Amanda is definitely living in the past. Another way that Amanda hides from reality is that she tries to deny anything that she does not want to accept. She denies that Laura is crippled, saying Nonsense! Laura, Ive told you never, never to use that word. (p 247). Amanda believes that if she denies something so much, that it will not be true. This also occurs when Laura thinks that the gentleman caller will be her high school crush, and Amanda denies that it could be, It wont be him!

It isnt the least bit likely. (p 278). It is in these ways that Amanda Wingfield hides from reality The circumstances leading up to her loneliness arise when she makes the mistake of picking out the less likely candidate of a gentleman caller to join hands in marriage. This changes everything for her. Her husband runs away leaving her with two children.

After time, she sees that her children were becoming adults and ready to experience the world on their own. At this point, the notion of loneliness takes in full effect. This fear instinctively makes her become more protective. Amanda takes out the frustration of becoming lonely on Tom.

She saw that Tom was attempting to become a writer and his success meant she would be lonely. Thus she confiscates his books claiming that the book was nothing more than infectious. She says, I took that horrible novel back to the library-Yes! That hideous book I cannot control the output of diseased minds or people who cater them I WONT ALLOW SUCH FILTH BROUGHT IN MY HOUSE! No, no, no, no! (649). Moreover, she is also against his late night errands to the movies.

She notices that his actions are more reminiscent of her husbands and she fears Tom will soon depart her as well. She tells him, More and more you remind me of your father! He was out all hours without explanation! - Then left! Goodbye!

I know youre dreaming of it, Im not still blindfolded. Very well, then. Then do it! But not till there is somebody to take your place. (653). Her scheme to make Laura stay at home is much more implicit and not discernable from outside. She knows Laura is inadequate and incapable of getting a husband.

Amanda realizes that Laura would become her burden if she doesnt find a husband. She simply takes away Laura's confidence as an independent woman by making her feel dependent. She tells her stories of her teenage years and how she was blessed to have so many gentleman callers as Laura listens in awe. She runs hectically in search of a husband for Laura so that Amanda will still have a family to be part of. Amanda's situation outside of home seems to be that of a recluse. She spends the majority of her time in the house.

The fact that she is poor has not endowed her to engage in social functions with the other women in her vicinity. To sum up, Amanda is a woman being threatened with the possibility of being lonely. Her acts signify her efforts to change things around for her own good, even if these acts seem unorthodox. Laura Wingfield has chosen to hide from reality as well. She seems to live in a world of her own, and hides from everything and everyone outside of the apartment. Laura is terrified of anything new or different.

Her mother sent her to business college, but Laura was so afraid that The first time [they] gave a speed-test, she broke down completely, was sick at the stomach and almost had to be carried into the wash-room. (p 243). Laura uses her limp as an excuse to hide from the world. She believes that her slight limp makes her crippled and that she cannot be a part of the real world because of it. Laura's glass menagerie and the victrola act as things which protect her from the real world in the play. Whenever she is uncertain or afraid, Laura reaches for one of these two things for comfort. When she finds out that Jim is engaged, and wont come to see her again, she rises unsteadily and crouches beside the victrola to wind it up. (p 307).

The glass menagerie represents Laura to some extent, as she is fragile, like the glass and can be broken easily. The unicorn particularly represents Laura, as it is something that does not belong in the real world, as she does not. When Laura does briefly enter the real world, it is shown through the unicorn losing its horn; the horn was removed to make him feel less freakish. Now he will feel more at home with the other horses. (p 303). Laura will never belong to the real world, as she desperately tries to hide from the reality of it in the play. Tom Wingfield has chosen to hide from reality.

Toms reality is that he works in a warehouse, has a nagging mother, a shy, crippled sister and he lives in a prison of an apartment. In order to escape the reality of his work in the warehouse, Tom often [retires] to a cabinet of the washroom to work on poems when business was slack in the warehouse. (p 273). Doing this, Tom can hide from his work and co-workers in the reality of his life. Tom craves for adventure in his life, and he finds this by going to the movies night after night, with a shower of movie-ticket stubs (p 254) falling from his pocket when he comes home early one morning.

He also drinks Kentucky Straight Bourbon (p 254) to temporarily escape from the prison-like apartment, at which he lives. These things help Tom to escape from his reality, however it is not very effective, as once he wakes up in the morning, he has to face the realities of his life once more. Tom seeks a more permanent escape, and becomes a member of the Union of Merchant Seamen. (p 283) hoping to leave his job at the warehouse and the apartment for good. This is Toms ultimate escape from the real world Mr.

Wingfield has also chosen to hide from reality in the play The Glass Menagerie. His reality was that he had a responsibility to look after his wife, son, and daughter. However, he neglects this responsibility, therefore escaping his reality, by abandoning his family. he gave up his job with the telephone company and skipped the light fantastic out of town (p 235).

There is a difference between Mr. Wingfield and the rest of his family, and their escapes from reality. This is that Mr. Wingfield created his own reality, and the others were living in the remains of what he left them. Mr.

Wingfield moves his wife to the city as he worked for the telephone company (p 285), and chose to raise his children there. After doing these things, he decides that it is not the life for him as he has [fallen] in love with long distance! (p 285), and leaves without considering his family. He then hides from the fact that he has left his family by not contacting them regularly, the only contact being a postcard containing a message of two words Hello, Goodbye! and no address. (p 235). This is how Mr. Wingfield hides from reality in Williams play, The Glass Menagerie All four members of the Wingfield family have chosen to hide from reality in The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams.

Each member of the family has a different route of escape from reality, which helps them to lead a better life. Amanda lives in the past and denies anything that threatens her, whilst Laura lives entirely in a world of her own, protected by the victrola and glass menagerie. Tom temporarily escapes his life through his poetry, heavy drinking and endless trips to the movies, and his father, Mr Wingfield has hidden from his reality by leaving his family. This is how the members of the Wingfield family have all chosen to hide from reality in the play. Tennessee Williams has managed to create a powerful play using a combination of different elements, symbolism and metaphors being more prominent. Some of the symbolisms used include the fire escape, as a sense of hope, and an escape both to the outside world and from it; the glass menagerie, a symbol for Laura s fragility and uniqueness; and rainbows, as symbols of unrealized hopes and aspirations.

Using such tools, Tennessee Williams has made The Glass Menagerie is made turn into a powerful epic. Bibliography Book Summary The Glass Menagerie. Campus Nut. 2000 - 2001. 15 Apr. 2002. web 'ion = 2 Bromberg, Mary. , The Glass Menagerie Tennessee Williams The Characters. Barrons BookNotes. 1985. 14 Apr. 2002 Cardullo, Bert. , Williams The Glass Menagerie. Explicator 1997, Vol. 55 Issue 3, p 161, 3 p.

EBSCOhost. Tomball Community Coll. Lib. , Tomball. 15 Apr. 2002. web Kirszner, Laurie G. , and Stephen R. Mandell, eds. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. 4 th ed.

Fort Worth: Harcourt, 2001. Evans, Jean. Excerpts from Two Interviews with Williams. Kirszner and Mandell. 1862.


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Research essay sample on Gentleman Callers Glass Menagerie

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