The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams

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The character of Laura Wingfield definitely showed an obvious increase of
maturity level in the play, The Glass Menagerie. Laura was an extremely shy
girl, it was a kind of sickness she had. Her mother sent her to Rubicam’s
Business College in hopes that Laura would be able to hold a job and not have to
depend on a husband. The class terrified her to the point of making her
physically ill so Laura stopped going to the class. She did not have the
maturity level of an adult and was not able to handle a simple situation such as
that one. Another sign of a low maturity level was Laura’s collection of
“glass menagerie”. A girl in her late 20’s owning a collection of glass
menagerie is quite particular, and not very common, but Laura had one! Laura
found out that there was to be a gentleman caller one night and she became
extremely nervous, but when she then found out this gentleman caller was Jim
O’Connor and old high-school crush she couldn’t handle it. She could barely
even open the door for Jim and Tom when they were trying to enter the house.
While Tom, Jim, and Amanda ate dinner together, Laura laid on the couch because
seeing her old crush made her feel ill. Soon, after dinner, Jim joined Laura for
a little conversation and which in the beginning she was incredibly quiet but
then loosened up to him. She began talking and soon enough they kissed! Laura
engaging in a conversation with her old crush showed a significant increase in
her maturity level. She did not faint during it or become physically sick, and
she even had some fun with Jim. Laura’s maturity level went from minimal to
almost maximal in one night and that is a great change.

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Themes Of The Glass Menagerie

“The Glass Menagerie” is a play that contains intense human
feelings; frustration, shyness, regretfulness, anger, and sadness. The play
is set in the apartment of the Wingfield family. In this cramped, dinghy
place lives three characters; Amanda, Laura, and Tom, who are desperate
to make their dream come true.
Amanda is a shrew, she wants to live through her daughter, Laura.
Her dream is for her daughter to marry to a well-educated man and
support her throughout the rest of her life. Amanda always make
complaining remarks about her husband who had left her with Tom and
Laura. Amanda nags Tom ...

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