Issue 2

The Glass Menagerie: An Honest Review

By: Vlad Perciun

It was only recently that I found myself in some remote part of London, a dimly lit side street, the name of which I could not possibly recall. The rain was soft, the wind softer still. Then I saw, tucked behind a tannery, a shabby little book shop, and after a few minutes of small talk, and me trying to withstand what was clearly a well revised sales pitch, I caved in, and out I walked with a second-hand copy of The Glass Menagerie. My bag was now slightly heavier, my wallet emptier, and I – no less drenched than I was before.  

Strangely enough, I was somewhat accustomed to Tennessee’s work, having read A Streetcar Named Desire a few years back, only by chance. The heavy autobiographical nature of his writing, and the gut-wrenching tragedy that his characters are seemingly defined by, make for powerful plays that have, at least historically, proven to be very entertaining and certainly impactful. My expectations for The Glass Menagerie were thus high, and in all honesty, felt like I somewhat knew what I was getting myself into.  

I could not be more wrong.  

While they felt similar in tone, both touching upon the fading southern ideals Tennessee seemed so fixated upon, structurally, The Glass Menagerie completely repugns any of his other works, serving as a self-contained piece of literature, destructive then, and consequential now. The plot takes place in the past, and as time moves forward, the characters stand still. Tom, being the only one that made it out - which I will get to later - gets to tell the story which we all hear, yet the female characters seem to be less fortunate. Laura succumbs to both her mother’s, and society’s expectations. A ‘peculiar’ and fragile girl at heart, Laura is given all the hope in the world, only to have it taken away in a matter of minutes. Like her glass figures, she hides, she observes, and in the end – breaks.  

Amanda in my opinion serves a more complex role. Where Laura is utilised to make us feel pity, or even disdain for the society we live in – a commentary on youth, innocence, and corruption, Amanda’s scenes are defined by moral ambiguity; she’s caring, and fragile, and scared, but also manipulative and at times ignorant. We relate to her and feel her pain, her obsession with nostalgia, but we cannot forgive her for the way she treats Laura, or in other words – the way Edwina, Tennessee’s mother, treated Rose. Tennessee was profoundly close to his sister – perhaps the most enduring emotional bond of his life. During her twenties, she suffered from schizophrenic episodes, and later underwent a forced lobotomy, something which Tennessee never managed to forgive his mother for.  

And finally, Tom. As Tennessee put it, “I am the narrator of the play, and also a character in it.” Tom is Tennessee, and Tennessee is Tom. They both leave everything behind, and search for freedom in art and literature. In some ways, Tom achieves everything he has longed for, yet no matter how far he goes, the thought of Laura never manages to leave his mind.  

The takeaway from Tennessee’s play is that nothing is as simple as it seems, everyone has flaws and trauma, things they regret. He teaches us that some people just, ‘depend on the kindness of strangers’, and need a bit more patience and understanding. The world is a cruel and unforgiving place; it’ll take everything from you and still ask more, and in spite of all you must keep going. Cherish the past, but don’t get caught up in it.