The first mention of the glass menagerie is in the opening description of the stage. This is not of enormous significance, but is oddly described as an “Old-fashioned whatnot”. This is an interesting choice of words. <Very particular.> Could this be an early indication to the importance of the menagerie? One could argue that Williams used these words, so that one would interpret the menagerie, as a mother like figure. The words are warmly, and could almost portray security. (Not that one would ever refer to their mother as an old fashioned whatnot.) Yet still there is that tenuous link, alluring almost. Especially when you consider the later references towards the glass menagerie. However, the more likely argument is that the words were chosen, due to the writer’s meticulous (Bordering on arrogant) attention to detail.
The next indication of the glass menagerie is when Laura is sat down. Laura is rather overdressed in her own surroundings. “She is washing and polishing her collection of glass.” This creates a very interesting parody. On one hand you have Laura behaving motherly, she is looking after her glass animals. Taking care of them, in the same way that her own mother has presumably overdressed, and taken care of her. Laura is metaphorically overdressing her glass animals. The other interesting thing is that as well as being motherly, Laura, is in fact confiding in her glass animals. She is absorbing courage from them. There is something incredibly comforting about the glass animals. They don’t answer back, not even with body language, they only listen. I believe that she needs this support, because she is so frightened, and unattached to her real mother. When her mother arrives home, Laura possessively hides her ornaments. This is a touching display of innocent selfishness, a selfishness that exudes vulnerability.
During Scene two, when Amanda confronts Laura about her truancy, she sullenly wanders what herself, and Laura are going to do all their lives. She sarcastically remarks that they might: “Amuse (themselves) with the glass menageries.” This obviously hurts Laura, even though it is not mentioned. It takes Laura a full page to silently answer back. She does this by reaching “Quickly for a piece of glass”. Laura probably regarded this as a moral victory. Further emphasizing Laura’s severe level of shyness. Also highlighting her dependency on these inanimate objects. She seems to rely whole-heartedly on the glass animals, as if they possessed some sort of tender life force for Laura. I think that perhaps, this could be some deep-rooted desire to be a mother. A mother that shields her children, in a similar nature to the way her own mother protects her. I suspect Laura would probably try and be a completely different mother, but pen ultimately being identical, producing true irony.
