Symbolism, I believe, is the magic beneath. It is the beauty of life, it is essence of being, it is that gasp of the heart when you read that perfect line. So much of the full meaning of The Glass Menagerie comes from the symbols Williams weaves into this poignant story. Which symbol--the unicorn, the candelabrum, the fire escape, electricity, Jim and Laura's waltz, the Paradise Dance Hall, Blue Roses, jonquils, the photograph of Mr. Wingfield, light, Laura's limp, etc--was the magic beneath the lines of the play for you? Explain what this symbol means and how it helped you to fully understand the many messages of the play. (The deadline to post a response to this blog question is midnight Sunday, April 24, 2011.)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The Magic Beneath
Symbolism, I believe, is the magic beneath. It is the beauty of life, it is essence of being, it is that gasp of the heart when you read that perfect line. So much of the full meaning of The Glass Menagerie comes from the symbols Williams weaves into this poignant story. Which symbol--the unicorn, the candelabrum, the fire escape, electricity, Jim and Laura's waltz, the Paradise Dance Hall, Blue Roses, jonquils, the photograph of Mr. Wingfield, light, Laura's limp, etc--was the magic beneath the lines of the play for you? Explain what this symbol means and how it helped you to fully understand the many messages of the play. (The deadline to post a response to this blog question is midnight Sunday, April 24, 2011.)
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My favorite symbol was Jim. As Tom said, he symbolized a dose reality and normality in a very surreal and insane group of people. Jim represents the country, taking a course in radio engineering (the technological advances of the time) and public speaking (the United States was about to speak up and end WWII). He represents in normality when he breaks it off with Laura. Jim, being a "normal" person, has moved on a gotten engaged. Laura, however, is very antisocial and gets sick around strangers. Jim really helped me understand the other symbols of the play, such as electricity and Laura's limp because of the way he interacted with these symbols. For example, as he danced with Laura, her limp went away.
The best symbol to me is the unicorn. Like Laura, the glass is extremely fragile and unique. The unicorn is displayed with glass horses which proves its oddness. To become normal, the unicorn must break. This symbolizes Laura can never be normal, and, therefore, she will never marry. Since she will never marry, Tom must hurt his family by abandoning them.
The glass unicorn is the most loudly spoken symbol of "The Glass Menagerie" and is therefore my favorite. Laura chose this figurine as her most prized because it resembled her so perfectly. Like Laura's limp, the unicorn has a characteristic that sets it apart from the other horses. She tells Jim that the unicorn gets along fine with the other horses. When the unicorn's horn breaks off, this connects with Laura coming out of her shell and her flaw almost disappearing. But sadly, this is not final, and Jim tells her that he is engaged. She gives the unicorn to Jim as a token, along with her happiness.
My favorite symbol in this play is Blue Roses. It is not only Laura's nickname; it is a symbol of how beautifully unique and rare she is. In some ways she may look like the other roses, but she will be, for all of her life, different and unique. She has an awkward prettiness, but that's what makes her so rare. At first when people notice her, they think she is so different and weird, but if they take a while to understand her, they find out that she is just as beautiful as the other roses.
My favorite symbol in the play is the glass unicorn. It symbolizes the character of Laura best. Laura is in so many ways similar to the glass figurine. The unicorn has a horn, something that makes it stand out from the other "regular" horses on the shelf. The figurine is extremely unique and fragile and especially important to Laura. It is her favorite because it is so much like her. To be normal, the unicorn must break. Therefore there is no way for Laura to be normal without "breaking"; she will forever stand out.
My favorite symbol is Blue Roses. Blue roses are unique, different, and rare. They also symbolize Laura in this play. It shows how Laura's characher is beautifull and unique. This symbol helped me realize the messages because it shows how people find Laura odd at first, but then, when they get to know her, they find her beautiful. It also shows the worlds each character is living in is unique to that character. For example, Amanda's world is something only she has experienced. Tom's world is his fantasy of having a perfect life. These worlds seem odd to other characters, but to that one character it is rare and beautiful.
My favorite symbol is the glass unicorn. The horn represents both Laura's defects and her spirit, so when it broke, it symbolized her becoming normal and foreshadowed her heartbreak. Also, the fragility of the unicorn represents Laura's frailty. The unicorn also shows how beautiful Laura could be if she allowed herself to realize it. By giving the unicorn to Jim, she demonstrates that she has no hope for normalacy or beauty without him.
The symbol that was the magic beneath the lines of the play for me was the glass unicorn. The glass unicorn symbolized Laura's life. Just like the unicorn, Laura is fragil but unique. The unicorn breaks and it becomes like a normal horse. This represents the one time when Laura has a chance to be normal. However, her chance is shattered when Jim mentions he is not single, and she returns back to not being normal.
The glass unicorn was my favorite symbol because it mirrored Laura's life. Like the unicorn, Laura was different than most. She was not only physically different, but mentally different as well. When the unicorn's horn fell off, Laura observed that it was now like the normal horses. At the same time, Laura was finally beginning to fit in and become comfortable with Jim and confident in herself.
The primary symbol I felt conveyed the theme was the unicorn. It symbolized Laura, and how she was different from everyone. Whenever the horn broke, one would think that she would now become a new person and fit in with everyone else. Unfortunately this is not the case, and shows that sometimes people just cannot become a new person.
The unicorn was my favorite symbol in the play, and it helped me the most to understand The Glass Menagerie. The main reason for this is because it helped me to connect with Laura's character. Before the introduction of the unicorn, Laura was a very complex character to me. However, the unicorn helped me to understand Laura. Like the unicorn, Laura is very unique and lives a life secluded from others. She is also very fragile and different. When the unicorn breaks, it represents how in order for Laura to become normal in society, she must undergo a massive change. However, she will be unable to do so. The unicorn was definitely a crucial symbol in this play.
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