The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie

• Genre: Fiction; drama
• Originally Published: 1945
• Reading Level/Interest: Grades 10-12; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 2 parts; 7 scenes; approx. 104 pages; approx. 1 hour, 43 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: The play reveals Tom Wingfield’s haunting memories of his young adulthood in 1930s St. Louis. Tom’s strong-willed mother, Amanda, convinces him to bring a gentleman caller to meet his shy sister, Laura.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Dated, racist language in Scene 1

Tennessee Williams (Thomas Lanier Williams), Author

• Bio: 1911-1983; born in Columbus, Mississippi; studied at the University of Iowa; pursued playwriting after college and while working other jobs such as Hollywood scriptwriter; first major success and critical review came with The Glass Menagerie, followed by Pulitzer Prizes for A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; cared for his institutionalized sister throughout his life and established a trust fund for her before he died
• Other Works: A Streetcar Named Desire (1947); Summer and Smoke (1948); Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955); The Night of the Iguana (1961)
• Awards: New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best American Play (1945); many production awards for various revivals, including Tony Awards for acting, directing, and technical elements

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Time and Memory
• Generational Burdens
• Aging



STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the historical context of the world outside the Wingfield household that affects the characters’ fears and desires.
• Discuss or analyze paired resources to make connections with the themes of Time and Memory and Generational Burdens.
• Analyze and evaluate the author’s use of contemporary cultural references to write structured essay responses about the characters and various influences on their behavior.