To what extent do you share the view that "although he never appears on stage, the Wingfields' absent father is the most important character in the play?"

The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams

Semester 1 Examination Corrections

Question: To what extent do you share the view that “although he never appears on stage, the Wingfields’ absent father is the most important character in the play?”

Mr. Wingfield plays a relatively prominent throughout the play. His decision to leave the Wingfield household has left lasting effects on the rest of his family. This has helped in establishing certain themes and issues in the play. The mentioning of his character in almost every scene throughout the play suggests its role in the action of the play. However, I would not agree to the view that he is the most important character in the play.

Williams’s stage directions explaining the details of the setting of the Wingfield apartment states ‘a blown-up photograph of the father hangs on the wall of the living room’. The size of the photograph described as ‘blown-up’ here indicates its prominence throughout the play. Since most of the action of the play happens in the living room, it would be difficult for both the characters in the play and the audience to overlook the size of the photograph of a ‘very handsome young man in a doughboy’s First World War cap.’ Williams gives specific details of the photograph, ‘gallantly smiling, ineluctably smiling, as if to say “I will be smiling forever”’, highlighting its expression as a mocking one. Throughout the play, the photograph reflects the effect of Mr. Wingfield on the family. For example, when Tom comes home drunk at the beginning of scene 4 asking Laura who has gotten out of a coffin “removing one nail”, Williams’s stage directions state “as if in answer, the photograph lights up”. In scene 6, we see Tom acknowledging the disturbing presence of the photograph when he says “Did you notice how he’s grinning in his picture in there? And he’s been absent going on sixteen years”

This is a preview of the whole essay

The importance of Mr. Wingfield is also reflected in Tom’s opening narration. When Tom introduces the characters in the play, he includes his father as one of them although clearly stating that he is not going to appear on stage. Tom also gives a brief description of his father, helping to establish a lasting impression on the audience after seeing the photograph which Williams has described to be “blown-up” and Tom describes as “larger-than life”. Mr. Wingfield is described by Tom as a “telephone man who fell in love with long distances”, “gave up his job with the telephone company and skipped the light fantastic out of town”. In addition to that, Tom provides us in his opening narration information about the postcard from his father containing the message of two words “Hello – Goodbye!” From Tom’s narration, we see the lasting effects of Mr. Wingfield’s abandonment on Tom. Tom is unable to forget what his father has done and his memory of the details of the photograph and the postcard highlights his feelings of displeasure towards his father.As the play develops, we see Mr. Wingfield being a contributing factor to Tom’s departure from the Wingfield household. In fact, Tom cites his father as both an example and excuse for his departure. In scene 6, Tom explains to Jim “I’m like my father. The bastard son of a bastard!”

As mentioned earlier, Mr. Wingfield’s departure has left an impact on every family member and Amanda is still suffering from the results of his irresponsibility. His departure has left Amanda with the burden of raising Tom and Laura as a single parent. Her financial and emotional struggles are all very apparent. She is the one character that continuously mentions about Mr. Wingfield, portraying her as someone who is still clinging on to the past and a subject to such nostalgias. She speaks rather fondly of Mr. Wingfield and does not appear to hold any grudges on the fact he has left the family. For example, in scene 2, she tells that Laura that he “had plenty of charm” while turning around to look at the photograph. Here, we are again exposed to the significance of the photograph in the living room. The effect of Mr. Wingfield departure on Amanda is depicted in her lines in scene 4, “More and more you remind me of your father! He was out all hours without explanation! – Then left! Goodbye!” Then in scene 5, Amanda explains to Tom “that innocent look of your father’s had everyone fooled! He smiled – the world was enchanted!” Obviously, Amanda still has not forgotten moments of the courtship in the past. When Jim appears on stage, Amanda tells Jim too about her husband - “a telephone man who fell in love with long distance”. The effect of abandonment by Mr. Wingfield on Amanda is perhaps presented most outstandingly in the final scene when Amanda takes a final look at the photograph before retrieving to the back of the portieres.

For Laura, the effects of her father’s abandonment are not portrayed through her lines. Instead it’s displayed through her gestures and body language. The vitrola, for example, has become an established symbol for both Laura and the effects of Mr. Wingfield’s abandonment on her. Laura is extremely reliant on the vitrola to provide her the comfort and assurance she needs to cope with the real world. This is evident in scene 2 when she moves towards the vitrola while Amanda is confronting her about her experience in the Business School and in scene 6 where we see Laura hurries to the living room and pauses at the vitrola after she opens the door for Jim and Tom. We see here that the items that Mr. Wingfield has left behind, the vitrola and the records remind both the audience and the characters in the play of his existence.

Based on the impact Mr. Wingfield has on the Tom, Amanda and Tom, we can deduce that he plays an important role in the play. However, to say that he is the most important character in the play would be too extreme. His character, unlike the rest that appears on stage, is only presented and developed by the lines of Tom and Amanda. The presentation of his character is fairly limited since he does not take part directly in the play and only influences the characters in the play.

To what extent do you share the view that "although he never appears on stage, the Wingfields' absent father is the most important character in the play?"

This is a preview of the whole essay

Document Details

Related Essays

In what ways do you think that the dreams of the characters are different f...

A director of The Glass Menagerie has written that “all four of the pl...

The Glass Menagerie - To what extent to you agree to the critic who claimed...

To what extent is the glass menagerie about glass? Discuss.