What Makes The Glass menagerie play So Appealing?

   However what allows the play to become further appealing is the introduction of hope through the character Tom. Unlike the other characters and many people of the time, Tom fulfils his dream of freedom and total independence. Tom was ironically described as a “selfish dreamer” by Amanda, selfish yes; but a dreamer no. this aspect to the play would capture individual failures and give them hope.

   The play simply as a script has several interesting qualities. The generation of different levels of sympathy for each character would allow an audience to become personally involved. Williams cleverly attracts sympathy towards each character to stimulate a personal response. This is a very effective technique because if people become personally involved then they almost become a part of the play itself. Not many plays are capable of doing this which makes “the Glass menagerie so appealing. Williams created a huge range of sympathetic factors spread across the characters to satisfy the demands of each different personality within the audience. The sympathy ranges from Laura the perceived pathetic victim within the play to Tom the prisoner of the family. What makes the play interesting through this is that two or more interpretations can be made from each factor generating sympathy.  “I’m crippled”. Yes Laura deserves sympathy for being physically crippled, but is that an excuse for every problem and failure she has. On other interpretation could be that missing college is an unarguable weakness on her part to which deserves no sympathy. Williams uses the split opinion device for attracting attention towards each character. This dilemma for the audience to decide upon creates interest and appeal for the play.

  Some critics became interested in Tennessee Williams himself. To aid them in understanding the life he led and how he interacted with others around him they could use the Glass Menagerie and study the character tom in depth. It sees that Tom represented Williams; this allows the play to become more interesting as an audience could see how his personal involvement affected the play. Quite often ordinary individuals of the general public acquire a passion for famous people. In the instance of obsession with Williams the play would become more appealing as it is a reflection upon his own life.  

   It is now clear that Williams suffered alongside others that did in the 1930s. The play became very appealing as a result of this. The man was famous and an inspiration to many. The appeal came from the solitude sought via watching the play in the knowledge that they weren’t alone, and hope was still present to comfort people.