& # 8211 ; Williams Autobiography Essay, Research Paper

Tennessee Williams full life was about flight and so it is non surprising that he should take to stress this subject in many of his major plants. The Glass Menagerie is an autobiographical narrative about his life and the battles that he faced with his household and himself. The drama mirrors many facets of his immature life, and emphasizes the demand for flight in order to last. The three chief characters who illustrate this demand most clearly are Amanda, Laura and Tom.

Amanda Wingfield vividly depicts the similitude of Williams existent female parent, Edwina Dakin Williams. She was an overbearing, manipulative hysterical adult female who thrived on the memories of a better clip, much like Amanda Wingfield does. Edwina was the puritanical girl of an Episcopal curate and grew up in a comfy, epicurean, affluent southern life style. Her remotion from this life style had annihilating effects on her and the upbringing of her kids. They fell into poorness and as a consequence of their fiscal strain and recent move to St Louis, she became invariably ill. After ongoing issues with maltreatment and disregard from her hubby, Edwina turned her dorsum on him and placed her full focal point on her kids. She was really overprotective of them because she saw them as really delicate. Williams seemed weak and different, and at age 5, he contracted diphtheria go forthing him in an even worsened status. His sister Rose, represented by the character Laura Wingfield, was besides really sensitive and suffered from schizophrenic disorder. In the drama, Amanda sees similar failings in her kids and responds in a similar manner. She utilizes an about hysterical mechanism of denial in order to get by. Her method of flight is to fall deep into the past and reminisce about her glorification yearss. She surrounds her world with images of the yearss when she saw herself as the southern belle, and whenever she urges her household forward ; she necessarily retreats to a clip when her head job was to take a boyfriend over all the other boyfriend. In existent life some of Edwina s fondest minutes were spent with a immature adult male named Paul Jameson, and although she was married and ne’er became romantically involved with him, it is clearly suggested the he represents Amanda s gentleman company & # 8230 ; The 1 who got off. And I could hold been Mrs. Duncan J. Fitzhugh, head you! But I picked your male parent! ( line 33, pg. 1295 ) . In order to live over some of these fond memories once more, Amanda sets up a company for Laura every bit good. She is so cloaked up in the psychotic beliefs of her maidenhood conquerings that she is incognizant of the worlds of the universe around her. She does non see that Laura s life is non her ain. However, when she discovers that her program has failed, that Jim is really engaged, she forgets all her cockamamie prevarications and sees the humiliating place that she has put herself and Laura in. That s right, now that you ve had us do such saps of ourselves & # 8230 ; All for what? To entertain some other misss fianc! ( line 320, pg. 1337 ) . Finally she realizes that she is entirely and sees the world of the state of affairs for what it is. She is, & # 8230 ; a female parent deserted, [ with ] an single sister who s crippled and has no occupation! ( line 320, pg. 1337 ) .

Rose Williams was Williams most darling sister and the character Laura Wingfield is modeled really closely after her. Their relationship turning up was really close and they had an about psycho-spiritual affinity with each other. Rose had ever been a really quiet, perceptive, delicate miss but her passage to St. Louis, where she was removed from security and thrown into a universe of dismay and desperation, caused her horrid interior convulsion and she was unable to get by with life. Laura Wingfield is unable to get by every bit good and alternatively she creates an luxuriant universe in which she can safely retreat. Laura uses her Victrola and aggregation of delicate glass decorations to assist keep her fantasy universe. Frightened of interacting with people and the outside universe, she looks to her aggregation of gl

buttocks animate beings as a topographic point of secure credence. She self-induces illness in her typing category and even as the gentleman company awaits her in the life room in order to avoid or prorogue world. Laura s character is really important to Williams and hence is surrounded in symbolism to heighten this importance. The unicorn symbolizes Laura, who is a delicate translucent being, out of topographic point in the modern-day universe. The name Blue Roses besides serves to demo that she is really delicate and alone. This is Williams elusive testimonial to his precious sister Rose. Later in life, Rose becomes really sick, wholly debilitated by her ain anxiousness and frights. She is diagnosed as a schizophrenic and her female parent, who is by now at her marbless end with the changeless battles that she is repeatedly faced with, allows a pre-frontal leukotomy to be preformed on Rose. She is sent to a sanatorium where she remains for most of her life. The glass menagerie illustrates her difference and her daintiness, as the other symbols do, but it is besides a aggregation of rarenesss, and so it could be inferred that in fact the menagerie is a morbidly dry representation of the sanatorium where Rose is finally force to populate. A aggregation of lost psyches, every bit delicate and every bit estranged from world.

Tennessee William s existent name was Thomas Lanier Williams, Tom for short. The character Tom is non meant to simply stand for him & # 8230 ; It is him. Turning up Williams was faced with many battles and adversities. After traveling to St. Louis he became sick, and the childs at school taunted him and called him Sissy because he was so weak and could non play baseball. At place, his ain male parent would name him Miss Nancy. After acquiring hapless classs at high school, his male parent pulled him out and suggested that he work with him, down at International Shoe. Williams called these black old ages, Populating Death. To vent his defeats with his unfulfilling work, Williams retreated to his room after work each dark to compose. Similarly, Tom chooses to get away the drab universe he lives in by composing poesy, and stealing off to the films where he can populate vicariously through the lives and escapades of other people. He dreams about fall ining the Merchant Marines and one-day going a published author. Tom relies on self-denial to warrant his concerns and feelings of insecurity. I m like my male parent. The bogus boy of a asshole! ( line 128, pg. 1321 ) . By doing himself believe that he is a righteous male, he convinces himself that his ain demands supersede those of his household. Tom & gt ; I paid my dues [ to the Union of Merchant Seamen ] this month, alternatively of the light measure. ( line 124, pg. 1321 ) Jim & gt ; How about your female parent? ( line 127, pg. 1321 ) Tom & gt ; Mother is non yet acquainted with my programs! ( line 130, pg. 1321 ) . Claiming to be an creative person of emotions, he undertakings to the audience a frontage of control and maleness, yet his biggest dreams flash before his eyes on a screen in a darkened room, and in that small flat, he faces merely duskiness. Finally, Tom leaves, but his traveling off is non the flight that he craved for so long. The guilt of abandoning his sister Laura is overpowering and he realizes excessively late that go forthing is non an flight at all but truly merely a way towards an even more powerful despair. The shoe mill occupation, the poesy authorship, the cramped life quarters and the really close relationship with his sister, are all reverberations of William s ain experiences. These autobiographical touches possibly explicate his ain designation with the character s demand for flight.

Williams uses the subject of flight throughout The Glass Menagerie to show the hopelessness and futility of each character s dreams, while stressing the importance of making an environment where each can brood safely, and in making so, survive against hardship. Amanda, Laura and Tom use assorted flight mechanisms to avoid world and their actions parallel those of Williams existent female parent and sister, Edwina and Rose, every bit good as his ain.