Impressions of The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Willams is a classic work written in the mid-1940s, shortly after the end of World War II. At a time when people were becoming more interested in material wealth, Williams focused on the soul and the human condition. It showed that many people are trapped in a fantasy world and some find it so attractive that they can't face reality. The Glass Menagerie is the story of a family of three: a mother and two adult children, living in a St. Louis apartment (xvii). Daughter Laura is slightly crippled, very shy and spends most of her time cleaning her collection of small glass figures. Her mother, Amanda, constantly recalls her life in the South, where she was called upon by many young people and enjoyed an active social life. She eventually married a man who abandoned her to travel the world. She is worried that her daughter will never get married and that she will not be able to take care of herself. Tom, the son, is described as a poet who works in a warehouse (xviii), who wants to get away from his family and start a new life. The play is about Amanda's efforts to find a "gentleman caller" (Williams 10) for Laura. Amanda tries to convince Tom to bring one home from work, and when he does, it turns out to be someone Laura knew in high school. Eventually, Laura overcomes her shyness and becomes romantically interested in the gentleman caller, Jim. However, her hopes of a relationship with Jim are dashed when she discovers that he is engaged. Soon after, Tom joins the merchant marine and leaves his family behind, just like his father. The Glass Menagerie was an interesting work and I enjoyed it very much. Tennessee Williams had the ability to create a story that is somehow beneath the writing itself. This was especially prevalent in the glass menagerie. In places, however, this lack of an obvious plot made the work difficult to follow. For example, many things happened in the family that were not clearly stated. Also, Tom never really talks about his job, but it's obviously an important point in his life. The whole play has a surreal effect, which is what Williams wanted, I think. This surrealism made the show difficult to follow at times, because the setting could suddenly jump forward a few hours, days, or even months without warning. I say all this without having seen the show. If I had actually seen it, maybe I could have understood the script better. The format of the book is really awkward. Reading each person's line individually is very confusing and the story doesn't flow well that way. Perhaps as a novel it would be more understandable. As I said before, Willams does a great job of telling a story without coming out and saying what he means. Most of the work, especially the backstory, is implied or only mentioned in passing. While it has its flaws, it works well since the work itself only takes up a relatively small part of the character's life. The use of Tom as narrator is also brilliant. Since it speaks directly to the audience, it allows them to be involved in the characters' lives because they feel like they have had contact with one of the characters. Also, when the author needs to say something, he can do it using Tom. Overall, I enjoyed the creativity of The Glass Menagerie. I am an avid reader and would recommend The Glass Menagerie to anyone looking for an interesting story told by a capable author. A word of warning: You may find yourself rereading some passages just to understand the story. The extra effort, in my opinion, is worth it.