"THE GLASS MENAGERIE & A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cliff Notes)

NOTE: As you continue with the play you'll have numerous chances to laugh at comical lines (mostly Tom's) and situations. Some of the humor may be pure, unadulterated fun. But some of it may strike you as humorous only until you realize that the words or actions grow out of the characters' desperation. Would Amanda, for instance, find humor in Tom's rendition of her quest to find Laura a husband?

When Tom steps back into his role in the play, you find him embroiled in a shouting match with his mother. Evidently, she has interrupted him at his writing and has criticized the books he reads. "I won't allow such filth brought into my house!" screams Amanda. Tom won't permit Amanda to claim their apartment as "my house," for his salary pays the rent. Consider Tom's reasoning. Does the fact that he is the family breadwinner give him the right to disregard his mother's wishes?

The fury between mother and son intensifies. Tom is about to curse at his mother and rush out the door. Laura desperately calls out: "Tom!" At the sound of her voice, the shouting diminishes. Tom, now in control of his passion, talks intensely to Amanda about how he hates the life he leads.

NOTE: ON LAURA Do you find yourself taking sides in the fight between Amanda and Tom? You're not given much choice when the antagonists are a bossy, narrow-minded woman and her selfish, irresponsible son. Since Tom and Amanda will fight to a draw anyway, pay attention to Laura's role in the conflict. Isn't she, after all, the reason that Tom and Amanda fight? If there were no Laura, Tom would probably have moved out of the house long ago, and Amanda would have no one to worry about but herself. As in all families, each member has a particular function. In the Wingfield household, Laura serves as peacemaker. You'll see her step between Tom and Amanda several more times in the play.

Tom's catalog of grievances includes a miserable job at the Continental Shoemakers warehouse. He also hates living in this wretched little apartment where he has a nagging mother, no privacy, and nothing to call his own. He feels like a slave to his job and family. Every morning when Amanda's piercing "Rise and shine!" awakens him, he'd prefer to be dead. No, he's not selfish, Tom replies to Amanda's accusation. If he were, he'd be like his father--gone!

Does Amanda lack compassion for her own son? It may seem so at times. Perhaps fear of the future and anxiety for Laura blind her to Tom's problems. All she can think of is that Tom's erratic and irresponsible behavior jeopardizes her security as well as Laura's. Since both she and Laura depend on Tom for life's necessities, does she have a good reason to be apprehensive? How would you feel about depending on Tom for your livelihood?

As Tom starts to leave again, Amanda grabs at him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the movies!" he replies brutally.

She calls him a liar, an accusation which launches him into a semi-tragic, semi-comic list of his nightly sins. Although you can find humor in Tom's speech, you may also be struck by the bitterness of his words. Although his speech is one of the funniest moments in the play, its tone is bitter and sarcastic. Tom concludes by calling Amanda an "ugly--babbling old--witch...."

As he rushes from the apartment, his arm gets caught in the sleeve of his bulky coat. Impatiently, he hurls the coat away. It strikes the shelf holding Laura's menagerie, shattering the glass animals. Laura is stunned. When you consider how highly Laura values her menagerie, its wreckage probably marks a turning point in her life. But how sharply she might change remains to be seen. Do you think she has the capacity to change very much?

NOTE: You have seen that all the characters feel trapped by the circumstances of their lives. Since people naturally seek freedom, each has figured out a way to escape, at least temporarily: Amanda uses her illusions, Laura retires to her glass collection, Tom goes to the movies. How well each of these escape mechanisms works becomes clear in the next few scenes. Pay particular heed to Laura. See if the breaking of the glass menagerie sets her free from her illusory world. On the other hand, the damage to the glass could have the reverse effect. That is, it could shatter her inner peace.

Deeply hurt, Amanda calls after Tom, "I won't speak to you--until you apologize."

^^^^^^^^^^THE GLASS MENAGERIE: SCENE FOUR

Slightly drunk, Tom returns to the apartment at five in the morning. Laura opens the door for him. Last night, Tom explains, he went to the movie theater. The stage show featured Malvolio the Magician. (In those days, when you went to the movies, you were offered a full range of entertainment. Movies were often accompanied by live performances.) Malvolio performed tricks of illusion that had the appearance of truth: turning water to wine, then to beer, then to whiskey. But the best trick was Malvolio's escape from a nailed up coffin. Tom says bitterly, "There is a trick that would come in handy for me--get me out of this two-by-four situation."

NOTE: Tom's references to magic and illusions should call to mind the opening of Scene One. You have already observed several examples of deception and illusion in the characters' actions. Stay alert for more in the scenes ahead.

Tom's allusion to his trap--his "two-by-four situation"--reveals that escape is never far from his thoughts. Would it have startled you to learn that Tom had taken permanent leave from home last night after his blow-up with Amanda? He had a tailor-made opportunity to go, but here he is, back again. Why did he come back? What might it take to drive him off for good?

After you hear the six o'clock church bells, Amanda starts her day. Although she's still angry about last night, she unleashes a few "rise and shines" in Tom's direction, but she won't talk to her son. Laura, the peacemaker, tries without luck to get Tom to apologize to Amanda. What do you suppose prevents him from making up?

Soon Amanda sends Laura on an errand to the deli. Laura objects, however. She is afraid to face the scowling deli man when she asks for credit. But she goes, and then slips on the fire escape on her way out.

NOTE: ON SYMBOLISM It may seem like a trivial incident, but Laura's stumble shouldn't be ignored. Why did the playwright have her stumble on the fire escape? Symbolically, it could suggest the perils of entering the real world.

Some readers object to the search for symbolic meaning in every action or word. Be assured, however, that symbolism in The Glass Menagerie is not accidental. Tennessee Williams stated at the outset that the play is full of symbols, but ultimately you're the one who must decide whether to take his statement at face value. You needn't seek symbols in every line of dialogue and each piece of stage business. But if you uncover symbolic treasures as you continue, studying the play may be that much richer an experience for you.

In this scene thus far you might consider the potential symbolism in Tom's rainbow-colored scarf, and the illumination of Mr. Wingfield's photograph. You'll soon be hearing the strains of "Ave Maria," perhaps reminding you that Amanda resembles a suffering madonna when she is deeply disappointed by her children.

As soon as Tom apologizes, you see the gradual return of the old Amanda. First she bemoans her fate and then plays the role of a hurt and troubled mother: "My devotion has made me a witch and so I make myself hateful to my children." What can Tom possibly say in reply, especially after he has just apologized?

Amanda doesn't give up easily. She wants to discuss Tom's drinking and moviegoing again, hoping that Tom will see the connection between his habits and his sister's future. Tom explains that because he's restless for adventure, he goes to the movies. Amanda asserts that most men find adventure in their careers. Of all people, though, Amanda knows how comforting a short flight into illusion can be. So she accepts, somewhat reluctantly, Tom's reasons for his nightly escape. Instead of trying futilely to restrain him, Amanda makes a deal with him. She will not hold him back if, in return, he provides a man for Laura.

Tom has been manipulated by Amanda, but he doesn't seem to mind. He probably views the deal as a small price to pay for freedom. As he goes off to work, he agrees to bring home a friend from the warehouse.

^^^^^^^^^^THE GLASS MENAGERIE: SCENE V