Representation of women in The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Orpheus Descent, Suddenly, Last Summer, and Period of Adjustment Tennessee Williams has become one of the best-known literary figures of modern America. His works are often controversial because of his concern with sex and violence and his courage in probing the dark areas of human life. Williams' early works often inspired his later works, and basic character types often reappear in each of his works. A recurring theme in each of his works is the role of women. The women featured in Tennessee Williams' comedies all suffer from physical or emotional mutilations and seek satisfaction in a partner. An influential factor in Tennessee Williams' writing was his personal experience. The Glass Menagerie is a play born in the memory of the author. Williams drew heavily on his own family experiences, describing the lives of his mother, his sister and himself. Many aspects of the play are reminiscent of some of Williams' past experiences during childhood. The apartment that Amanda, Laura and Tom Wingfield share is located in the center of the city, and is among many dark alleys with fire escapes. Tom and Laura do not like the gloomy atmosphere of their living conditions and their mother tries to make it as pleasant as possible. This apartment is almost a mirror image of one of the apartments the Williams family lived in in St. Louis, Missouri (American Writers IV). Amanda Wingfield is a typical Southern belle who fantasizes about her seventeen gentlemen calling her in Blue Mountain. She regularly attends meetings of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), which are important outlets for her social life... middle of paper... not having a partner is a disgrace and a failure. The life experiences of each of Williams' female characters are unique. However, what the characters have in common is an emotional or physical mutilation that they try to satisfy by finding a suitable mate. Works Cited Falk, Signi. “Tennessee Williams.” New York: Twayne Publishers, 1961. Griffin, Alice. "Understanding Tennessee Williams". University of South Carolina Press; Reprint edition. February 28, 2011. Pagan, N. “Rethinking Literary Biography: A Postmodern Approach to Tennessee Williams” Rutherford [NJ]: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. 1993 Tharpe, Jac, ed. "Tennessee Williams: A Tribute". Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 1980. "Williams, Tennessee." American writers. Volume IV 1985. Web. 27 May 2015. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5749/j.ctttv120