The Glass Menagerie

“The Glass Menagerie” is Laura’s escape from the horrible reality in which she lives. Laura seems to live in a fantasy world along with her collection of glass toys. This collection of fragile toys symbolizes her need to create a world of illusion. These toys are her world, and she even refers to them as if they were alive. This is where she conceals her reality. The unicorn represents a fantasy world in which …

…her shyness by giving him the broken unicorn, which is really a piece of her broken heart and represents her shattered dreams. Laura has lived her life inside the illusion of the glass menagerie not facing reality, however, now she is forced to face reality. Overall, this play seems to deal with illusions of misplaced dreams, and a life of failure. Hopefully, Laura will have a wake up call thanks to Jim and his insensitivity.