Symbolism is a vital aspect of every play, and the author employs symbols to provide greater depth to a space. In Tennessee Williams’ drama, The Glass Menagerie, he explores three unique individuals, their hopes, and the harsh reality they encounter in contemporary society. The Glass Menagerie depicts the lost hopes of a religious family and their frantic battle to escape reality. Everybody in the drama seeks shelter from their lives, seeking to avoid an imaginative realm. Williams utilizes the fire escape as a mechanism for the Wingfields, the book’s heroes, to escape their actual lives and enjoy an illusionary life. The fire escape illustrates every character’s urges to utilize the fire escape as an actual departure from their world.
The fire escape is referenced in the opening scene, which underlines its relevance to the drama. Williams defines the fire escape as a “framework whose name is a hint of unintentional poetic truth because all of these gigantic structures are continually blazing with the slow and inexorable flames of human despair” (Williams 27). This representation of the fire escape is precisely what it represents to the Wingfield family. The fire escape signifies a propensity to flee to fantasy when the truth is not desirable. The only reason why they must stay in this confined flat has to do with their poverty. “Their flat does not have a doorway which expresses their yearning to flee and the fact that they are kept hostage in their residence”(Williams 34). The thought of fleeing their own life and retiring into an imaginary world has reached several of the character’s brains.
The fire escape is used to show the immense poverty that strikes society. None of the Wingfield household members like residing in the apartment and therefore have to find a way to escape reality. The only thing keeping them in their servile abode is poverty. Each of the characters has considered the possibility of fleeing their own life and withdrawing into an imaginary world. “I have never told you but I – adored your father,” she admits to Tom following their reunion. (Williams 979). Throughout the play, the connection between Laura and also the fire escape is often oblique. However, readers may extrapolate her personality depending on how she behaves when others ascend the fire escape. As Amanda’s ascent is heard in the second scene, she “catches her breath, thrusts the bowl of ornaments away…” (Williams 969). Another example is when Jim and Tom come to the door, and she is reluctant to answer it. The metaphor of fire escape is evident when Laura’s frequent severe response to what occurs at the fire escape demonstrates how highly impacted she is by what Amanda and Tom do to escape their problems.
The fire escape represents the difference in personalities among the characters. Amanda’s fire escape differs from Tom’s and Laura’s in that Tom’s fire is based on the ideal; Amanda’s fire is reality. Since her husband’s unexpected departure, she has been continually concerned about the family’s money. For example, Amanda remarks on how costly Tom’s smoking is and how money saved may provide him with “…a night-school course in accounting at Washington U” (Williams 982). She also oversees the Companion subscription to earn more money. Despite the lack of clear evidence, Amanda still loves her husband, but she cannot accept his “painful” desertion. (Williams 971). Because of this love and the dread of losing another cherished, she becomes progressively afraid as she sees Tom following in her husband’s footsteps. Aside from that, Amanda is concerned that Laura is going about doing nothing. That is why she plans for Laura’s freedom and makes preparations for it.
The fire escape is symbolically used to hide people from reality. Laura’s only option is to flee inside due to a physical disability that prevents her from traveling far. When his sister finds sanctuary in her own Utopia, Tom decides to leave. In her unicorn description, “Laura has unintentionally connected herself with her glass collection, making it less strange” (Williams 987). Amanda, on the other hand, flees to her lost past. She does, however, desire the outside world, as seen by her fondness for penguins and subtropical flowers, both of which are found in exotic locations. Unfortunately, she remains locked at home at the end (Williams 1003). Her inability to flee is due to her reliance on Tom Amanda, which their worrying queries would mirror.
The fire escape is a method of avoiding life’s difficulties. The escape acts as an exit throughout the play; this is a real escape out of the flat and a symbolic flight from the Wingfield family. Amanda emerges on the fire escape just several times during the action. One famous example is when she says, “a fire-escape landing’s a terrible substitute for a porch.” (Williams 982). She is aware of Jim, the gentlemen caller’s impending arrival. As a result, Amanda’s sentence might be read as “one cannot avoid issues permanently as if avoiding has become his life” (Williams 998), just as a fire escape would never be a porch. It is a fair statement, given her husband’s and Tom’s unexpected absence. Laura’s response to Amanda’s ascension up the fire escape demonstrates how important Amanda is to Laura.
The emblem of the fire escape has several meanings in the theatre. Its purpose and importance shift with each character’s fire and escape. The fire escape illustrates every character’s urges to utilize the fire escape as an actual departure from their world. The fact that the plot concludes with a fire escape indicates the significance of the fire escape. The author perfectly employs symbolism in the literary work and perfectly connects the symbols with events and characters.
Works Cited
Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. New Directions Publishing, 2011.