Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Oh Laura

I think that Laura's disability in the play is more her shy personality, rather than the brace she has to wear on her leg. She was able to walk around for hours when she was supposed to be in school, so I think that the disability is a front for her shyness and inability to meet people. However, her mother would rather pass her off as being a cripple, rather than actually being afraid of people. I think it is also possible that Laura is afraid of people and what they think because so much emphasis was made on her condition by her mother that she became too self-conscious about it. Therefore, not only is Laura a shy person, but she is a shy person with a defining disability that is pronounced by her mother at home. Poor Laura! She has always been told that her disability was something to hide and not discuss that of course she was going to be shy about it. I think that Amanda is what caused the problems for her children. She wanted to protect them so much that she actually drove them away and farther into themselves. Tom left home just like his father and Laura retreated into her shy self because it is what she thought she had to do since she was crippled.

The Glass Menagerie #6

The physical effects of the play, namely the lighting, screen, and music, help to show that this play is a memory play. One time in the play when the father was mentioned his picture lighted up and it showed that while he is not present in their daily lives, he is still a big part of the family. He is absent, but Amanda thinks about him often and is adamant that her son will not turn out like his father, even though she drives him off. Another thing is the see-through screen. This helps create a fourth wall so it is more realistic, but also enforces the dream-like nature of the play. It creates a boundary between Tom the narrator and Tom the character. Finally, the music is important because it signals when something important is happening and when the menagerie is referenced. Laura is compared to the figurines because they are delicate and beautiful, but can be broken easily, like her. The events that are characterized especially by the music and lighting are the ones that contain reasons for Tom's departure and show the themes of the play.

The Glass Menagerie #1

The play employs realistic and nonrealistic conversations. The conversations between the characters are realistic because there are conversations that show Amanda's overbearing nature and Tom's distractedness. It can also be nonrealistic because the play is a memory play, so everything is Tom's memories. Because it is Tom's memory, the conversations can be skewed towards him. There are breaks from conversation a lot in the play because it always seems that Amanda is admonishing one of her children. After, they escape; Tom goes out the fire escape to the movies and Laura retreats inside herself. I think that they are natural because most people will not stay long enough for people to keep scolding them. Also, I think that Amanda's personality is unrealistic because she is very motherly, but she also calls Laura a cripple in a fit of anger, so she doesn't really have respect for her.