How does Williams present the relationship between Amanda and Laura in Scene 2?

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How does Williams present the relationship between Amanda and Laura in Scene 2?The second scene of Tennessee Williams’ play The Glass Menagerie is mainly about the relationship between Amanda and her daughter Laura.  Williams uses every way possible to give the audience an idea of this relationship, from body language, stage directions and language, to the set, clothes and props. Throughout the play, Williams uses images set against screens to accentuate the mood, or theme, of the upcoming scene.  The image presented at the start of this scene is “blue roses”, this being the nickname Laura was given at school by a boy she was fond of – “When I had that attack of pleurosis – he asked me what was the matter when I came back.  I said pleurosis – he thought that I said Blue Roses!”  Ironically, blue roses is more than just a name for Laura – she is portrayed as a rose, pure, innocent and delicate, and the adjective blue gives the impression of coldness, which could be linked to Laura’s sad and lonely state.Laura’s mental and physical state is central to Amanda and Laura’s relationship, as it is through this that difficulties arise (although it is quite likely that Amanda would always be a rather demanding mother).  Laura is crippled – we are given the impression that it isn’t particularly serious, but
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conversely, nothing to be brushed lightly aside either.  Amanda’s inability to accept this fact creates a tension between not only Amanda and her daughter, but Tom as well – who feels he has to protect Laura from her mother’s “ambitions” for her.  It is important to realise that Amanda does know her daughter is crippled, but just cannot accept the fact that this disability could have a very real negative effect on her daughter’s life.  At the end of Scene 2, Amanda sums up her feelings towards Laura’s problem when she says “Nonsense!  Laura, I’ve told you never, never to ...

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