SCENE 6
Presented by: Stephanie Kubota, Ji Won Lee and Ju Sung Kim
Summary

Amanda and Laura prepares for the gentleman
caller’s (Jim O’Connor) visit
 Laura
refuses to open the door when she discovers that
Jim is her gentleman caller (her high school crush)

Tom reveals that he has made plans to join
merchant navy, and to have “adventures” like the
people from the movies
 He
used the payment for the electricity bills
 He admits that he is just like his father, a “bastard”

Jim briefly gets introduced to Laura, and is won
over by Amanda’s “Southern” hospitality
Themes
Theme of Confinement Tom generally feels confined in his uninspiring job,
small apartment and his mom Amanda, and his reality without adventures.
Amanda is confined in her thought of the past. Laura is confined due to her
physical weaknesses that also lead to mental pressure.
"You and me, we’re not
the warehouse type." (30)

Tom and Jim find
friendship in their both
desire to escape from
their reality, of
working in the
warehouse.
"I’m starting to boil inside. I know
I seem dreamy, but inside—well,
I’m boiling! Whenever I pick up a
shoe, I shudder a little thinking
how short life is and what am I
doing! Whatever that means, I
know it doesn’t mean shoes—
except as something to wear on a
traveler’s feet!" (31)

Tom shows desire to escape in a
desperate way. This makes him
an impulsive individual rather
than an adult who makes decision
with composure.
Theme of Duty and Abandonment The Glass Menagerie expresses the characters’
conflict between their obligations as members of the family, and their own desires.
Abandoning one’s family for one’s own desires leave the others in despair. This links to
the theme of family on the next slide.
"I paid my dues this month,
instead of the light bill.”
"You will regret it when they turn t
he lights off."
"I won’t be here." (31)

In contrast to Amanda’s
selflessness to her children,
Tom appears selfish and
apathetic towards his
family.
"How about your mother?"
"I'm like my father. The bastard
son of a bastard! Did you notice
how he's grinning in his picture in
there? And he's been absent going
in sixteen years!" (31)


Tom sides with his missing father
rather than his mother. Tom plans
to abandon his mother who has
been looking after him until now.
Link between Tom and his father.
The similarity of son and the
father in lack of care and
responsibility for their family.

"I married a man who worked for a telephone comp
any! That gallantly smiling man over there! A teleph
one man who-fell in love with long distance! Now he
travels and I don't even know where!"
 There
is sympathy for Amanda as she talks about her h
usband who abandoned her and left to far away.
Theme of Family

"Laura Wingfield, you
march right to that
door!"
"Yes—yes, Mother!"

Amanda orders and
disciplines her children
as though they were
very young. Laura, still
obedient to Amanda,
shows her weak and
submissive character.
Themes of Memory
"I was valuable to him as
someone who could remember his
former glory.”


Jim, like Amanda,
revels in the memory
of his glory days.
Jim spends excessive time
discussing both the glory days of his
past, which is mentioned at the start
of Scene Six and his dreams for the
future.
"There was a Jim O'Connor we
both knew in high school-[then,
with effort] If that is the one that
Tom is bringing to dinner-you'll
have to excuse me, I won't come
to the table."

Laura is haunted by her
own past that it debilitates
her living in the present.
"You remember that wonderful write
-up I had in The Torch?"
"Yes!"
"It said I was bound to succeed in
anything I went into!"
Themes of Weakness
"I knew that Jim and Laura had known each
other at Soldan, and I had heard Laura
speak admiringly of his voice. I didn’t know
if Jim remembered her or not. In high school
Laura had been as unobtrusive as Jim had b
een astonishing."
 Jim presents a character with the
opposite of Laura’s fragility, which
may be why she is so drawn to him.

"Why are you trembling?"
"Mother, you’ve made me so nervous!"
"How have I made you nervous?"
"By all this fuss! You make it seem so imp
ortant!"
 Laura’s shyness puts her constantly
at odds with her mother.

"Please, please, please, you go!"
"You’ll have to go the door because I can’t."
"I can’t go either!"
"Why?"
"I’m sick!"

Laura uses her physical weaknesses to explain he
r mental ones.
"There was a Jim O’Connor we both
knew in high school — [then, with
effort] If that is the one that Tom is
bringing to dinner—you’ll have to
excuse me, I won’t come to the table.

Despite her shyness and weakness, Laura
takes seemingly firm stands against her
mother.
Theme of Gender roles
"Now look at yourself, young
lady. This is the prettiest you will
ever be!"

Amanda takes pride in
physical appearance
over all else.
"It’s rare for a girl as sweet an’
pretty as Laura to be domestic! But
Laura is, thank heavens, not only
pretty but also very domestic."

Amanda exaggerates and
fabricates qualities to
make her daughter seem
more attractive. Recurs to
the theme of family –
Amanda’s care for
Theme of Love

"Laura, Laura, were you in love with that boy?"
"I don’t know, Mother. All I know is I couldn’t sit at the table if it was him!"
 The intensity of Laura’s feelings for Jim becomes evident as the play
progresses.
This adds up to…
Theme of Contrast:

Laura’s delicacy vs Jim’s straightforwardness

Past and the present of Jim

Past and the present of Amanda

Jim sees that the warehouse is starting point of his commercial success

Tom sees it as a coffin

Wingfield (emotional) vs Jim (materialistic)
Staging Devices
[Image on Screen: The sailing vessel
with Jolly Roger again.]

"I’m planning to change." [He leans over the fire-escape rail,
speaking with quiet exhilaration. The incandescent marquees
and signs of the first-run movie houses light his face from
across the alley. He looks like a voyager.] "I’m right at the point
of committing myself to a future that doesn’t include the
w
arehouse and Mr. Mendoza or even a night-school course in pu
blic speaking." (31)

Tom plots his escape well in advance; therefore his abandoning the
family is a pre-meditated act, not something executed in the heat of
an argument at the end. Links to the theme of confinement.

"Excuse me—I haven’t finished play
ing the Victrola…"[She turns awkw
ardly and hurries into the front roo
m. She pauses a second by the Vict
rola. Then she catches her breath a
nd darts through the portieres like
a frightened deer.]”

Laura uses the Victrola as means to e
xplain retreating, just as Tom uses the
movies to find escape from his confin
ed reality. Adds to the theme of confi
nement and escape.

“The light dims out on Tom and comes up in the
Wingfield living room—a delicate lemony light. It is
abut five on a Friday evening of late spring which
comes ‘scattering poems in the sky’.”
 Williams
uses light to emphasize the subjective and
memory nature of the play. Links to the theme of
memory, and the theme of confinement for Tom, as
writing poems


“A faraway, scratchy rendition of ‘Dardanella" softens the
air and gives her strength to move through it."
 Williams uses music to emphasize the subjective and me
mory nature of the play. Links to the theme of memory.
 Dardanella – popular song written in 1919 by Fred
Fisher
“The music seems to answer his question, while Tom thinks it
over. He searches his pockets.”
 Williams uses music to emphasize the subjective and me
mory nature of the play. Links to the theme of memory.



A fragile, unearthly prettiness has come out in Laura: she is like a pie
ce of translucent glass touched by light, given a momentary radiance
, not actual, not lasting.
 Laura’s beauty is inherently tied to her fragility. Links to the theme
of Laura’s weakness
Laura suddenly stumbles; she catches at a chair with a faint moan
 Laura’s fragility manifests itself physically, linking to the theme of
weakness.
Laura, stretched out on the sofa, clenches her hand to her lips, to hol
d back a shuddering sob.
 Laura is acutely aware of and bothered by her deficiencies.

Amanda produces two powder
puffs which she wraps in hand
kerchiefs and stuffs in Laura’s
bosom. (25)
 While Jim will later recognize
Laura for her individuality,
Amanda tries to make her into
a cookie-cutter woman. Links to
the theme of gender, and also
weakness, as to cover her wea
kness.
Legend on screen: "A Pretty Trap." (26)

"You make it seem like we were setting
a trap."
"All pretty girls are a trap, a pretty
trap, and men expect them to be.”
Amanda believes in using looks, not
personality, to attract men.
Characterization
Tom, Amanda, Laura and Jim
Amanda Wingfield
Amanda Wingfield
Writer’s description:





Great but confused vitality clinging frantically to
another time and place
She is not paranoiac, but her life is paranoia
There is much to admire, and as much to love and
pity as there is to laugh at.
Has endurance and a kind of heroism
Though her foolishness makes her unwittingly cruel
at times, there is tenderness in her slight person
Amanda Wingfield
Quotes




“You will not be excused”
“I’ve had too much form
you and your brother”
(27)
“I told you I wasn’t going
to humour you, Laura. Why
have you chosen this
moment to lose your
mind?”
“Why can’t you and your
brother be normal
people?” (28)
Analysis

The following quotes
demonstrates
Amanda’s overbearing
personality as she
forbids Laura from
excusing herself from
dinner, and becomes
insensitive and
infuriated when things
do not go her way.
Amanda Wingfield
Quotes



“Tom is distinctly shocked
at her appearance. Even
Jim blinks. He is making his
first contact with girlish
Southern vivacity”
“Gay laughter and chatter.
Tom is embarrassed…
altogether [Jim is] won
over”
“That’s not southern
behavior!” (32)
Analysis

The following quotes
refers to Amanda’s
“confused vitality”, her
refreshing charm and
her Southern origins. It is
evident that she is
attached to her
Southern conventions,
which may imply that
she is a traditional and
old fashioned woman.
Amanda Wingfield
Quotes

“In the south we had so
many servants… I wasn’t
prepared for what the
future brought me. Gone,
gone, gone… I assumed
that I would be married to
one and raise my family
on a large piece of land
with plenty of servants…
married a man from
telephone company!… [I]
fell in love long distance”
(32)
Analysis

This passage reveals
Amanda’s life story and her
remorse in marrying her
husband. It is recognized
that she was fortunate
before, which may give
reason to the implications
that she is “clinging to another
time and place” and her
resolve in finding Laura a
suitor. The length of her
speech also shows how
Amanda tends to be verbose.
Amanda Wingfield
Quotes



“To be painfully honest
your chest is flat” (25)
“I’ve heard so much
about you from my
boy”
Jim: “She – [Amanda
cuts him off]” (32)
Analysis

The following quotes
suggests Amanda’s
“unwittingly cruel”
personality and her
eagerness in embellishing
a story with a lie. Although
she may seem cruel, her
bluntness does not intend
to offend people but to
reveal truth. Ironically, she
will allows herself to
distort the truth to make
the story sound better.
Amanda Wingfield
Jonquils
Laura Wingfield
Laura Wingfield
Author’s Description:




“Amanda, having failed to establish contact with reality,
continues to live vitally in her illusions, but Laura’s
situation is even graver.”
“A childhood illness has left her crippled”
Laura’s separation increases till she is like a piece of her
own glass collection, too exquisitely fragile to move form
the shelf”
The light upon Laura should be distinct from others,
having a peculiar pristine clarity such as light used in
early religious portraits of female saints or Madonna.
Laura Wingfield
Quotes


“Laura has been as
unobtrusive as Jim had
been astonishing.”
“…chest is flat” (25)
Analysis

The quotes relates to
Laura’s “exquisitely
fragile” nature; in fact, this
idea is emphasized when
her ‘unobtrusiveness’ is
contrasted against Jim’s
‘astonishing’ high school
identity. Her understated
character is also
translated in her physical
appearance.
Laura Wingfield
Quotes


“A fragile unearthly
prettiness has come out
in Laura. She is like a
piece of translucent
glass touched by light,
given a momentary
radiance, not actual, not
lasting” (25)
“Unusual to meet a shy
girl nowadays.” (29)
Analysis

However, the
aforementioned ideas
are challenged by her
“momentary radiance”
when her mother dresses
her and when Jim judges
her “uniqueness”. This
also indicates how Laura
may be capable of living
a normal life through
getting a partner.
Laura Wingfield
Quotes




“You asked me once if I’d
ever liked a boy… I
couldn’t sit at the table if
it was him!” (27)
“I won’t answer door” (28)
“Your hand’s cold, Laura”
“[She] catches her breath
and darts through the
portieres like a frightened
deer” (29)
Analysis

These quotes portrays
Jim’s influence over
Amanda; her anxiety is
displayed emotionally in
her rare refusal of her
mother’s wishes, and
physically the catching of
her breath and her cold
hands. This also
foreshadows the
following scene where
she faints.
Jim O’Conner
Jim O’Conner
Author’s Descriptions:
Description:

A nice, ordinary, young man.
Jim O’Conner
Quotes


“Sports!” (29)
“[Public speaking]
done a helluva lot for
me… [the difference
between Jim and Tom]
amounts to social
poise” (30)
Analysis

Jim is portrayed as a
stereotypical boy who
prefers to read about
“sports” and to make an
ambition to succeed. He
is also used to support
the other character’s
personality traits, usually
through the use of
contrast.
Jim O’Conner
Quotes


“He seemed always at the
point of defeating the law of
gravity… expect him to
arrive at nothing short of the
White House by the time he
was thirty… 6 years after he
left high school he was
holding a job that wasn’t much
better than mine” (24)
“I was valuable to him as
someone who could remember
his former glory.” (25)
Analysis

This suggests that Amanda
is not the only character
that had a more pleasant
life in their past than that
of their present. It is ironic
how the theme of being
“trapped in the past” is
also carried through Jim’s
character, the gentleman
caller that symbolizes
Amanda’s, Laura’s and
Tom’s escape.
Tom Wingfield
Tom Wingfield
Author’s Descriptions:


A poet with a job in a warehouse.
His nature is not remorseful, but to escape from a
trap he has to act without pity.
Tom Wingfield
Quotes



“The signs [of waking
up] are interior” (30)
“I’m starting to boil
inside. I know I seem
dreamy, but inside –
well, I’m boiling!”
“I’m not patient.” (31)
Analysis

Since, Tom is both the
narrator and one of
the main characters, he
holds an omniscient
ability in delivering
the story. This allknowing role is
presented in the
quotes that
demonstrates Tom’s
self awareness.
Tom Wingfield
Quotes


“He knew of my secret
practice or retiring to the
a cabinet of the washroom
to work on poems… he
called me Shakespeare”
(25)
“[He shudders whenever
he picks up a shoe]
Whatever that means, I
know it doesn’t mean
shoes – except as
something to wear on a
traveler's feet” (31)
Analysis

Through these quotes the
audience is reminded that
Tom is a poet. Tom’s
inclination to write instead
of doing his work properly
and his colleague calling
him “Shakespeare” shows
where his interest lies.
Furthermore, his use of
figurative and
metaphorical language
reflects his being an
author.
Tom Wingfield
Quotes



“I’m planning to change. […
he looks like a voyager] I’m
right at the pint of committing
myself to a future that doesn’t
include the warehouse and Mr.
Mendoza or even a nightschool course in public
speaking.” (30)
“I paid my dues this month,
instead of the light bill.”
“I’m like my father, the bastard
son of a bastard” (31)
Analysis

The following quotes are
pivotal in the audiences
feelings towards Tom, as
he announces that he
will abandon his mom
and sister to have
“adventures” like his
father (“like father like
son”). However, the
audience sympathizes
with him as abandoning
his family is his only way
to “escape his trap”.
Symbols
Connection to “The Visit”
Compared Animals: ‘Wild Cat’ and ‘Unicorn’
•Dehumanization: ‘Stone idol’ and ‘Glass’
•Demeaning of Sex: ‘Husbands’ and ‘Girls’
•Heroines of the play: Claire and Amanda (character honest)
•The long awaited hopes: Money and Gentleman caller, Jim
•Reunion with their old loves: Claire and Laura
•Artificial body parts: Claire and Laura’s buffed bosom
•Anticipation of a Happy ending
•
Symbolism with animals
Claire is symbolized
by a wildcat. Wildcat
gives the audience a
fierce sense and
ferocious nature of
Claire.

Laura is symbolized
as a unicorn which is
known to be the
mythical and
extraordinary. This
show how unusual and
unique Laura is.
Dehumanization
Claire  Stone
“You will remain there.
A dead man beside
a stone idol.” (88)

Laura  Glass
“like a piece of translucent
glass touched by light,
given a momentary
radiance, not actual not
lasting” (25)
Demeaning of Sex
“husbands are
display purposes
only”

“All pretty girls are
trap” (26)
Heroine Roles
Claire is a heroine
who fights for justice
and donates a
million to the
townspeople for that
justice.

Amanda is a
heroine who
cares and looks
after other
people such as
her daughter.
The long awaited hopes
Money for the
Guelleners to escape
from poverty
The banners, choir,
speeches…


The gentleman caller
for the Tom and
Amanda to escape
from Laura’s
dependence on family
“the long-delayed but
always expected
something that we
live for.” (3)
Reunion of old “lovers”
“Ill. We were the
best of friends.
Young and
hotheaded…[we
walked] barefoot in
the Konrad’s Village
Wood” (15)

“Yes. I liked one
once…His name
was Jim” (8)
Artificial body parts (buffed bosom)
“Ill: Clara, are you
all artificial?
Claire: Practically.”
(31)

“Amanda produces
two powder puffs
which she wraps in
handkerchiefs and
stuffs in Laura’s
bosom.” (25)
Anticipation of a “happy ending”
Gulleners receive the
million from Claire
for killing Ill as
promised

Laura’s encounter
with Jim has
brightened her and
given her courage
Important Quotes
“Tom: Yes, movies! ...I’m tired of the
movies and I am about to move!”
(31)
“Amanda: well, well, well, so this
is Mr O’Connor…”(32)
“Well, in the South we had so
many servants. Gone, gone, gone.
All vestige of gracious living! Gone
completely!…” (32)
“Tom: Yes, movies! Look at
them ? [A wave toward the
marvels of Grand Avenue.] ll
of those glamorous people
having, adventures-hogging it
all, gobbling the whole thing
up!...I’m tired of the movies
and I am about to move!” (31)
“Amanda: well, well, well, so
this is Mr O’Connor. Already
summer!- I ran to the trunk an’
pulled out this light dressterribly old! Historical almost!
Bu feels so good- so good an’
co-ol, y’know…” (32)
“Well, in the South we had so
many servants. Gone, gone,
gone. All vestige of gracious
living! Gone completely! I
wasn’t prepared for what the
future brought me…” (32)
Importance of Scene 6
What is the purpose of the scene and what
would be the consequences of omitting it from
the play?
The overall plot development
This scene introduces Jim O’ Connor, gentleman caller and Laura’s high school crush.
While waiting for Jim’s arrival, Amanda and Laura are busy preparing themselves
and supper. Through this, audience can make intimate connections to ‘The Visit’. In
addition, this scene is very significant to the play because through this scene,
audience is further introduced to Amanda’s garrulousness, Laura’s shyness, Tom’s
dreams and to Jim.
Characterization of Amanda, Jim,
Tom and Laura
Connections to ‘The Visit’
CHEERS!
The Glass Menagerie (Scene 6)