The Glass Menagerie is a very static play, the audience do not leave the two rooms of their apartment and the characters lives are so uninteresting the highest point of the play is when a gentleman comes to the house for dinner. The family have become so consumed by the pressure and worries of the American depression, that their lives have become monotonous and lacklustre. Their struggle for survival is so apparent, that their dreams and life have been oppressed and unmotivated. Which explains both Tom's unhappiness and Amanda's obsession with the past. Laura's Glass Menagerie is a symbol of the family, it is static, fragile and without life. Laura loves the security of her home life with Tom and Amanda, and when any change is presented to her she goes to The Glass Menagerie for comfort. This is apparent at the end of the first scene, when Amanda talking of gentlemen callers for Laura. Laura is chronically shy and the idea of change petrifies her, so immediately she seeks the solace of The Glass Menagerie. And later, in scene two, Amanda has just confronted Laura about the business college, and has come to the conclusion that 'Girls that aren't cut out for business careers usually wind up married to some nice young man. Sister, that's what you'll do!' Laura's immediate reaction is to laugh nervously and then reach for a piece of glass. Williams creates music that the audience associates with The Glass Menagerie, it really represents Laura's subconscious handling the prospect of a change in her life. For example when Tom and Amanda have a fight at the end of scene two, it is apparent to Laura that Tom is unhappy, which is a threat to her world, The Glass Menagerie music starts to play, representing her subconscious' struggling to block out the idea that he may leave, which is why it is significant that Tom breaks a piece of glass. And later Jim breaks off the unicorn's horn, which represents something inside of Tom snapping, causing him to finally leave.
Another effect Williams uses is lighting. Generally, it is used to set the mood of a scene, for example when Amanda and Tom are having an argument, when they finally appear- initially the audience can only hear the argument- the room is 'lit with a turgid smoky red glow' . When Jim comes to dinner and the lights go out, his and Laura's conversation is lit with candles, only glowing on their faces. This creates an intimate atmosphere but also increases the tension of the scene. Jim begins to draw Laura out of herself in this scene, and she does begin to respond, this reaction could be as much attributed to the lighting of the scene as to Jim's personality.
Williams also uses lighting when he wants the audience to concentrate on a certain character. When in the first scene Amanda is reminiscing about her youth, a spot light appears on her to show that she is no longer in the room with Tom and Laura but back in the past. When Amanda's and Tom's first argument begins, the only light on is a spotlight on Laura, this is because although she is not actually speaking Williams wants the audience to know that she is the main character of that scene, he wants her discomfort to be noticed.
Music is also used to convey messages, for example using The Glass Menagerie music is played to express Laura's silent fears but other music is played in other scenes to express general feelings. For example in scene five, dance music called 'The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise', this is used to show society's general lack of motivation not just the family's.
The last scene of the play is when Tom storms out of the apartment and he is standing on the stairs telling the audience what he then went on to do. In the background is Amanda comforting her daughter, and it is not a side that the audience has witnessed of Amanda before. This final moment is obviously a very important moment for Amanda and Laura because they are bonding, yet Williams has this scene in silence. This silence does not devalue this moment between the two at all, but makes it more powerful, because acts speak louder than words, hence 'A play is not just language...'.
