Appearance Versus Reality in Tennessee Williams The...

Appearance Versus Reality in Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie In any Tennessee Williams play, nothing is as it seems. Everything represents more than itself. Williams creative use of symbols creates a drama that far exceeds the apparent or surface level. Williams himself admits that art is made out of symbols the way your body is made out of the vital tissue, and that symbols are nothing but the natural speech of drama [. . . ,] the purest language of plays [. . . ; S]ometimes it would take page after tedious page of exposition to put across an idea that could be said with an object or a gesture on the lighted stage (Demastes 174). The reader must engage not only what appears to be just a needed prop or dialogue, but†¦show more content†¦Tom Wingfield is not only a symbolic character in the play but is also very symbolic of Williams himself. Although Williams went by the name Tennessee, his legal name was Thomas Lanier Williams. Art is imitating life greatly between Williams life and the Tom character in the play. Tom, as the narrator of the play, states, I have a poets weakness for symbols (Williams 1.1866). Tom Wingfield, who is the son and real provider for the family, dreams of living his own life and escaping the responsibilities that his fathers leaving left on his shoulders. However, he turns out to be a younger version of his father. He escapes physically from the guilt of leaving and not fulfilling his own perceived responsibilities to Laura, Amandas daughter and Toms older sister. Laura suffers from a physical disability of one legs being shorter than the other that has also handicapped her emotionally, or so it seems at the plays opening. She has her world of glass that she escapes to when she cannot handle reality. Finally, Jim OConnor is the gentleman caller who seems to be just a nice ordinary man. However, he stands for much more, for he represents the long delayed but always expected something we live for (Williams 1.1866). Tennessee Williams uses so many symbols to express the deeper level of this play expressed in the most important theme, thatShow MoreRelatedConflict Between Reality and Illusion as a Major Theme of ‘the Glass Menagerie’1718 Words   |  7 PagesConflict between reality and illusion as a major theme of ‘The Glass Menagerie’ Introduction The Glass Menagerie is a dramatic play about human nature and the conflict between illusion and reality. An illusion is pretense and not reality. In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams has made use of both reality and illusion together using conflict between them. Illusion is a misinterpretation of the facts. It is an opinion based on what we think is true rather than on what is actually true. In thisRead More Illusion vs. Reality in Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie1614 Words   |  7 PagesIllusion vs. Reality in Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, contains multiple themes.   While there are many themes, the theme that holds the piece together is illusion versus reality.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This theme is established very quickly, In fact, the first paragraph of the play describes the illusions to take place, But I am the opposite of a stage musician.   He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth.   I give you truth