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Title: The Glass Menagerie. by Tennessee Williams ISBN: 0-8222-0450-9 Publisher: Dramatist's Play Service Pub. Date: January, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.55 (98 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Brilliant
Comment: Quite simply, The Glass Menagerie is the very reason you read a book. For the passion, the pain, the happiness, that indescribable feeling you get when you've finished the very last sentence. Tennessee Williams doesn't disappoint. The Glass Menagerie tells the story a family trapped in the ruthless battle of life, struggling to survive their circumstances and the memories that plague the Wingfield apartment. So subtlety and tenderly does Williams weave the reader within the words of his play that we too are left like his characters, gasping for a breath away from the intoxicating despair that inhabits their existence. The Glass Menagerie's brilliance lies in Tom as narrator, Williams continues symbols (eg. the Paradise Dance Hall, the gentlemen caller, the fir escape) and his ability to create characters so real you can almost hear their heart beat. Basically if you haven't read The Glass Menagerie you should, it's an unforgettable experience.
Rating: 4
Summary: The Glass Menagerie
Comment: I read the play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. I really enjoyed reading this book because it was easy to follow, and it was very interesting. The book is about a dysfunctional family who lives in St. Louis during the Great Depression. The play has three main characters. Tom is the narrator and the oldest son. Tom has been out of high school for six years and works at Continental Shoemakers Warehouse. He supports the entire family. He has a bad habit of smoking, which his mother, Amanda, does not like. Amanda is a mother who has high expectations for her children. She emphasizes all the wrong things Tom does, which frustrates him to a degree where he leaves and does not come home until late at night. The last main character is Laura. She is quiet and does not like going out in public.She usually gets stuck in the middle of the arguments between Tom and Amanda.
I like this book because Tennessee Williams relates incidents to how things actually were during the 1930's. For example during the play, Laura is supposed to be taken tests to see if she is eligible to get a job, but she skips them. Amanda's resolution for Laura is for her to get married. Back in the 1930's, if women could not make it on their own by working, they got married to a man who could support them. Another example would be Amanda does not have a job. Tom has to support his mother and his sister. This shows how people survived during the depression.
I also liked how Mr. Williams conveyed each character in the family with problem of some kind. Tom is bored of his life and wants to go out and have adventure. That is why he goes out to the movies every night. Laura is extremely shy and never leaves the house. She has a collection of glass ornaments that she organizes and keeps with her at all times. Amanda is an over protective mother that will not let Tom go. He is six years out of high school and she still tries to control what he does, and that leads to many arguments between the two of them.
The last main aspect I like about this play was how Tennessee Williams made each character have something special of their own to escape the hardships of life. Laura's glass menagerie of animals helped her escape reality. Those glass animals are all she cared about. Tom, on the other hand, escaped reality by going to the movies. He would go out late into the night and watch movies of people having adventurous lives, just as he dreamt about. Lastly, Amanda's escape from reality was Blue Mountain. She would ponder on the old times when she was popular and was loved by everyone.
Rating: 4
Summary: "The Glass Menagerie" Book Review
Comment: This timeless play has been studies and performed around the world since 1945. Tennessee Williams', "The Glass Menagerie" has been classified as legendary for decades and will continue to appear in classrooms and theaters for decades to come. This play is still so popular today because it can still be related to today. It has effective description, realistic characters, and modern language so it is easily understood.
This play seems ageless although it was written over a half of a century ago. There are several similarities with today's society. In the play, tom, the narrator and main character is less than satisfied with his life. He works as a shoemaker but has big dreams for himself. He complains about his job and life when he says, "Listen! You think I'm crazy about the warehouse? You think I'm in love with the Continental Shoemakers? You think I want with-fluorescent-tubes! Look! I'd rather somebody picked up a crowbar and battered out my brains-than go back mornings"(page 23). Tom wants to be a poet and experience adventure. We can all relate to this. At times we are not satisfied with life and it's good to dream a little and have goals for yourself.
Another good aspect of this play is how realistic the characters are. The main characters Tom, Amanda, and Laura don't lead a perfect life. They all have weaknesses. Tom hates his job; Amanda has problems raising and supporting Laura and Tom; Laura has a physical disability. The family goes through real life situations and problems.
The description and overall narration of the play is a key role in its effectiveness. The characters and plot are described so you can get a picture in your mind of the people and the apartment they lie in. The narrator being a character helped a lot with getting a visual of things. This description of the Wingfield's apartment is an example of the detailed description in the play. "The Wingfield apartment is in the rear of the building, one of those vast hive-like conglomerations of cellular living-units that flower as warty growths in overcrowded urban centers of lower middle-class population and are symptomatic of the impulse of this largest and fundamentally enslaved section of American society to avoid fluidity and differentiation and to exist and function as one interfused mass of automatism"(page 3).
Sometimes when reading plays it can be difficult to fully grasp a good sense of the plot. However, it is not the case in "The Glass Menagerie". The plot is fully developed through the characters actions and dialogues. Also, the vivid description Tom gives is very helpful. It is easy to understand because Tom comes right out and tells you what to expect like when he tells us, "I am the narrator of the play, and also a character in it. The other characters are my mother, Amanda, my sister, Laura, and a gentleman caller who appears in the final scenes"(page 5).
Not only is this a well written play, but also it is an easy read. It uses everyday language. It's not difficult to comprehend as it uses modern speaking and dialogues. It's a short play that will grasp you attention and be over before you know it. "The Glass Menagerie" is so popular for a reason. It's a classic play that will be studied and referenced for years to come. It's amazing how a play written so long ago is not obsolete and still relates to today's society.
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Title: Death of A Salesman by Arthur Miller ISBN: 0140481346 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 06 October, 1998 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
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Title: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald ISBN: 0684801523 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: 01 June, 1995 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams ISBN: 0451167783 Publisher: Signet Pub. Date: August, 1989 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: A Raisin in the Sun by LORRAINE HANSBERRY ISBN: 0679755330 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 29 November, 1994 List Price(USD): $5.95 |
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Title: Williams' Glass Menagerie and Streetcar Named Desire (Cliffs Notes by James L. Roberts ISBN: 0822005336 Publisher: Cliffs Notes Pub. Date: 05 January, 1965 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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