. The theme of Tennessee Williams' play The Glass Menagerie is that the world is a cruel place for the most sensitive of human beings. This theme also is found in the illusions that sensitive people must have in order to protect themselves from the cold cruelty of the world. When the illusions of fragile and romantic people meet the harsh reality of society, the romantic character will either be able to defend himself or herself (Amanda, Tom) or will be unable to do so and will be destroyed (Laura).
The story takes place in St. Louis, Missouri, in the apartment of the Wingfields, which is located next to an alley. The location is important because it makes us think about the theme and the contrast between the illusions of sensitive people and the harsh world in which they live. Williams wants us to have sympathy for these fragile people, and he does so in part by having them live in a situation of the "lower middle-class" which he considers "this largest and fundamentally enslaved section of American society" (1343). The harsh reality of the setting is meant to stand in contrast to the romantic illusions of Laura, Tom and Amanda.
The title of the play refers to the collection of glass animals of Laura Wingfield. This collection symbolizes the fragile nature of her mind, body and spirit. The fragileness of the glass animals relates to the theme because in the end we see that all of the three main characters are very fragile and have very fragile connections with reality.
This is especially true for Laura. When the gentleman caller accidentally breaks the glass unicorn, it doesn't bother Laura at all because she believes she has at last found the love which is what she always wanted. Then, when she realizes that Jim is not that love she has been yearning for, she gives him the broken unicorn as "a souvenir" (1385). This broken part of the glass menagerie shows that Laura has herself become so broken that she will not be put ...