Summary

Tom comes home drunk – “the unsteadiness of his advance make it
evident that he has been drinking”

Laura lets him in and they discuss the “big stage show” that Tom attends

Laura puts him to bed

Next morning

Amanda brings breakfast but won’t talk to Tom

Amanda sends Laura out on an errand so that she can talk to Tom about
bringing home a gentleman caller for his sister

Tom apologizes to his mother

Tom agrees to bring home a friend and leaves to go to the warehouse
Themes
Escape

Everyone in the play is seeking to escape from something.

Tom wants to escape from his familial responsibilities, trapped in his job at
a shoe warehouse

Laura’s trap is more self-imposed – a mental and physical trap, her
deformity/defect – “crippled.” The use of diction is important here as
Amanda forbids Laura from calling herself – “crippled” (earlier scene)

Amanda: desire for a better life vs. previous wealthy Southern lifestyle
Responsibility to Family VS freedom/ self determination

“Overcome selfishness! Self, self, self is all that you ever think of!” (17)
Amanda to Tom

The conflict between responsibility to family vs. self determinaiton is
especially highlighted in the end of Scene 3 as Tom argues with his mother
about his own desires and the sacrifices he was forced to make (not being
able to write/travel/have adventure)

Tom feels that he has fulfilled his own familial obligations when he brings
home the gentleman caller and believes that he has done his own part in
supporting the family and now he should have a chance at living his own
life

This brings into question just how much we owe to our families and how
much we owe to our own desires? To what extent should we sacrifice our
own desires for our family?
Illusions VS Reality

This whole play is a “memory play” and thus cannot be that realistic

Tom escapes reality by going to the movies and gets drunk

Laura escapes reality by playing old Victrola records

Amanda escapes the reality of their poverty and her daughter’s lack of
gentlemen callers by reminiscing about the past and believing that her
daughter will entertain gentlemen callers

This scene is important because this is the only scene where the
characters appear to finally address the problems of their situation and
confront reality – when Tom and Amanda discuss Laura’s problems, and
when Laura is forced to go out into the real world.
Staging Devices
Stage directions:
“As if in answer, the father’s grinning photograph lights up.” (13)

In answer to question “Who in the hell ever got himself out of one without
removing one nail?”

“Grinning,” as if cheekily proud of the fact that he’s escaped

Surrealism: inanimate object lighting up as if alive

Audience questions whether father really did not ‘remove any nails’ (cause
anything to change) as he has left the family in financial hardship and left
Amanda alone
Music under: ‘Ave Maria’ (p 14)

Tom and Amanda are avoiding talking to each other

“Hail Mary” - connection between mother & child, implies you should
respect your mother

Religious – may suggest that Tom needs a saviour in his life

His mother is very Christian but he is seemingly not
“Legend on Screen: ‘Laura’ Music: ‘The Glass Menagerie’” (15)

When Amanda and Tom discuss Laura

Her name, her theme music.

Even though Laura is not present physically, focus of scene is on her
o She is present on Amanda’s and Tom’s minds constantly
“Image on Screen: Sailing vessel with Jolly Roger” (16)

When Tom discusses his desire for adventure

Foreshadowing: Tom’s participation in the Merchant Sailors’ Union
“Its light on [Amanda’s] face with its aged but childish features is cruelly sharp,
satirical as a Daumier print.” (14)

Daumier – REALISTIC painter who wanted to portray reality faithfully
(which resulted in Satire at times)

Ironic because rest of play not realistic

Serves to portray Amanda’s emotions/facial characteristics as “cruelly”
real
Character Development
Laura

Laura is the peacemaker
o “Don't make mother nervous.” (13)
o “Please – please!” (13)

“innocently” (12) illustrates her innocence and naiveté of life

Laura is the person that keeps the family together

Without her Tom would not come back home at night, symbolized as she
is the one who “opens the door” (page 12)

Laura is a pathetic figure as she wears a garment that is "inaccurately
made-over, the sleeves too short." This indicates that Laura cannot fulfill
her mother's dreams for her, she does not "fit" even in society.
Tom’s desire for independence

Fire escape represents his desire to escape through the nailed up coffin

Tom’s short sentence structure : “”A very generous fellow, he gave
souveneirs. He gave me this. This is his magic scarf” (12) emphasizing his
awe and desire to be like him

Use of diction when he talks about the magic trick illustrates his great
desire to be free: he wants to learn the trick, learn how to leave his prison
without hurting his family, most especially Laura

At first tom may seem uncaring, “Her not speaking – is that such a
tragedy?”

Tom’s relationship with mother is developed through dialogue not actions
– “Tom [ hoarsely]: Mother! I apologize, Mother.”
o Shows that despite everything, he is still a loving son

“Man is by instinct a lover, a hunter, a fighter…” (16)
o Primal urges
Amanda

Amanda at first makes a brief but genuine attempt to accommodate Tom's
viewpoint before slipping back to "her querulous attitude"

the scene suggest that Amanda has a fairly strong grasp on reality
throughout this scene but the truth makes her desperate

shows how Amanda continuously lives in fantasy, disappoints the
audience,
o Reverting back to calling the magazine client and using the same
script – relates to gentleman caller and that fantasy (18)

having been buoyed by Tom's acquiescence, she reverts back to fantasy

Starved of affection, she had to battle with life in order to survive it.
Maybe her domineering attitude was her defense mechanism, how she's
been able to survive for so long.

Imposing, domineering, commanding, insistent
o Amanda [pushing his shoulders]: Sit down. (16)
o Amanda: Will you? [He opens door. Imploringly.] Will you? [He
starts down.] Will you? Will you, dear?: (page 17)
o Amanda: “I am old and don’t matter” – shows she is not selfish (17)

Diction: imploringly – significance? Knows how to manipulate her children

Repetition – Adds a sort of comical moment in the play to contrast the
tense situation
Symbol
Fire Escape (14)
Laura slips and falls
World outside is treacherous, Laura in danger when she tries to “escape”
Not ready to leave safety of home vs. Tom who can come and go easily
Amanda: "If anyone breaks a leg on those fire-escape steps, the landlord ought to be sued
for every cent he possesses!"
Coffin

Entrapment – escape

Escape without affecting others (without removing a nail)

Tom’s coffin is his “2 by 4 situation”
MALVOLIO: Tom has admiration for Malvolio – aspires to do the same (escape)
Malvolio’s name: servant from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, which is concerned with the
gap between appearance and reality.

Malvolio turns water into wine (p 12) – allusions to Jesus (religious reference)

Portrays magic tricks (including coffin trick) as “miracles,” impossible for any
human/mortal to do (impossible for Tom to escape)

Tom is also a magician (refer to opening scene)
Laura putting on mother's old coat
“The coat is one of Amanda’s, inaccurately made-over the sleeves too short for Laura.” (p 13)
Does not fit - cannot fulfil her mother's dreams for her.
“After each solemn boom of the bell in the tower, [Tom] shakes a little noise-maker
or rattle as if to express the tiny spasm of man in contrast to the sustained power
and dignity of the Almighty.” (12) Stage Direction
-
Bell: largeness of the world/higher power
-
Almighty represents fate, Tom is ‘trapped’ by the higher powers that be
-
His movements (rattle shaking) are small in comparison to loud boom –
the larger plan of life is decided and small movements do not matter.
Difficulty of removing one’s self from the situation one has been given,
escaping responsibilities
-
“Spasm” – trying to escape in vain
“At last he finds the key, but just as he is about to insert it, it slips from his fingers.”
(12)

This is not really his ‘home’

Does not belong

Key does not ‘fit’ (drops it)

Laura opens door – she is his link to home (would he go back home if
Laura were not there? –Ghost of Laura at end of play suggests she was the
reason he stayed (guilt, responsibility))
Connections to the Visit
-
Nailed-up coffin  Claire Zachanassian’s coffin for Ill
o Tom wants to escape the coffin (his family)
o Page 13: “who the hell ever got himself out without removing one
nail”
o Ill wants to remain alive
-
“Just butter. Tell them to charge it.” (page 13)– represents financial problems
o Putting on account symbolizes the Wingfield’s lack of wealth

Only buying butter but still needs to put on account
o In ‘The Visit’, citizens put things on account because they expect more
money by someone to murdering Ill
o Claire could be the equivalent to the gentleman caller – provider of
financial support
-
Bell and fate, fate is brought by the “Almighty”, and also the fragility of life
(when the bell is booming Tom is shaking)  In Ill’s case it foreshadows Ills
death
o In ‘The Visit’ the bell rang on Ill’s last drive with his family, to show his
last moment with his family
o Could be a death knell
What is the purpose of the scene and what would be the consequences of
omitting it from the play
-
Purpose:
o To symbolize that Tom has thoughts of escaping  ‘nailed-up coffin’
and theme of escape
o To show that Tom is trapped  goes to the movies for adventure
which is absent from the warehouse and his life in general
o Amanda wants Laura to wed because she cannot work (“Down at the
warehouse, aren’t there some – nice young men?” – pg. 17)  begs
Tom to find someone in the warehouse to bring to dinner
-
Consequences:
o It’s when Amanda and Tom make up from their fight  would be no
resolution between them not talking
o Amanda asks Tom to find a man at the warehouse  there would be
no plans for Laura to be wed