Glass Menagerie

5 Pages 1235 Words

Broken Glass
In the play “The Glass Menagerie,” one of the central themes is people must grow and change throughout life. Some people change and grow gradually and some people all at once have change for life. Though all the characters in the play do not change and grow. Laura has the most significant and noticeable changes and growth in the play. Tom changes and grows too but it is much more subtle than Laura changes. Though Amanda does not change or grow at all in this play but she sticks with her old southern heritage.
Laura makes the most apparent change during the play. She starts out as helpless as a puppy. Amanda says, “resume your seat, little sister-I want you to stay fresh and pretty-for gentlemen callers” (1,942). Everything is done for her she has no responsibilities at all. “No, sister, no, sister-you be the lady this time and I’ll be the darky” Amanda says (1,941). Amanda says, “stay fresh and pretty!-It’s almost time for our gentlemen callers to start arriving”(2,943).
Laura is always down on herself she never says a good a thing about herself. Laura says, “I don’t believe we’re going to receive any… it isn’t a flood, it isn’t a tornado, Mother. I’m just not as popular as you were in Blue Mountain”(2,943). Later Laura goes on to say, “I’m-crippled”(2,947). She is unsure of herself and is just waiting for something to happen to change this perception she has. That’s when the gentlemen caller Jim is on his way over for dinner. Amanda has worked Laura up so much Laura can’t handle it. Laura says, “Mother, you’ve made me so nervous”(6,965). Laura really gets fired up when she finds out that the gentlemen caller is Jim, the Jim she had a crush on in high school the only crush she has had in her life.
When Laura finally sits down and starts talking with Jim, Laura is changed for life. Jim warms her up by having her sit down next him on the floor. ...