"THE GLASS MENAGERIE & A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cliff Notes)Winter has surrendered to spring. The legend projected on the screen reads "Annunciation," suggesting that in this scene an announcement of some note will be made.
NOTE: The "Annunciation" refers to the biblical account of the angel Gabriel's announcement to the Virgin Mary that she was to bear the son of God. The annunciation in this scene may not seem quite as momentous as the original, but to Amanda it is almost as important, as you will see. Also, the feast of the Annunciation is celebrated on March 25, so the legend on the screen helps to note the arrival of spring. The months have not altered Amanda. She still badgers Tom and laments his lack of ambition. She's still hoping that Tom will settle down, and find contentment as a CPA. Tired of the nagging, Tom retreats to the fire escape, where, as narrator again, he addresses the audience. He observes life outside the Wingfield apartment. Every evening, young couples used to come to the Paradise Dance Hall to while away hours dancing or kissing in the adjacent alley. That, Tom says, was their form of escape from dull, dreary lives. Little did these young people know that change was approaching in the form of war. Many of them would be killed fighting the Nazis. But in their innocence, they danced to the music of "The World is Waiting for the Sunrise." As Tom comments, the wait was really for "bombardments." NOTE: Tom names people and places associated with the coming of World War II. Berchtesgaden = Hitler's mountain headquarters. Chamberlain = British prime minister blamed for failing to stop Hitler's march across Europe. Guernica = a Spanish town destroyed by the fascists in 1937 and which became a symbol for atrocities against innocent people. Pablo Picasso's "Guernica" painting, depicting the horrors of war, is world famous. On this warm spring evening Amanda joins Tom on the fire escape. While talking with Tom, she sounds much like a young girl flirting with a gentleman caller on the plantation porch. Tom uses the opportunity to give Amanda the news she's been wanting to hear for many months. He has invited a young man, Jim O'Connor, to dinner--tomorrow! Amanda is ecstatic, of course, but also very businesslike, thinking of what has to be done to prepare for the guest. Her mind races through the list of chores: do the laundry, polish the silver, put up fresh curtains, plan the menu. She quizzes Tom about Jim's job, background, and looks. She wants to know especially if he drinks. Jim would not be right for Laura if he were a drinking man. Although she's just heard of the invitation, Amanda speaks of Jim as Laura's future husband, as a man with family responsibilities. Amanda has probably imagined this moment so often, has anticipated every detail of the courtship, that the news merely triggers the plan into action. Tom tries to yank Amanda back to reality. He hasn't told Jim about Laura's existence. The invitation was casual, not couched in terms of "don't you want to meet my sister?" Furthermore, Tom reminds Amanda, Laura is not one to make an instant good impression. She's peculiar, living "in a world of her own--a world of little glass ornaments... She plays old phonograph records and--that's about all." Tom's accurate description of Laura troubles Amanda. But it's only a temporary setback. She has too much invested in her illusion to be waylaid by the truth. ^^^^^^^^^^THE GLASS MENAGERIE: SCENE SIX You're soon to meet Jim O'Connor, the man designated by Amanda to rescue Laura from a life of dependency. Early in his narration, Tom called Jim a symbolic figure--"the long-delayed but always expected something that we live for." At the start of this scene Tom tells you about the real Jim O'Connor: Tom recalls that Jim was the most revered student at Soldan High School--popular, talented, athletic--the kind everyone envies. You suspect, too, that Jim is the high school hero Laura liked years ago. But the real world failed to treat Jim as kindly as the world of school. Six years after graduation, he holds only a modest job at the Continental Shoemakers warehouse. Because Tom remembered the days of Jim's triumphs, Jim valued Tom's friendship. He also nicknamed Tom "Shakespeare" for his habit of writing poetry in the warehouse bathroom during slow hours. Jim's arrival approaches. Amanda has brightened up the apartment overnight. Laura wears a new dress. The stage directions say that a "fragile, unearthly prettiness has come out in Laura: she is like a piece of translucent glass touched by light, given a momentary radiance, not actual, not lasting." Do you find the last few phrases of that description ominous? Is Laura's prettiness an illusion? Amanda intends to snare the unsuspecting Mr. O'Connor. The final touch is her own "spectacular appearance." She dons the same party dress that she wore as a girl--the one she wore the day she met her future husband. The garment is totally out of place in a St. Louis tenement, but to Amanda, for the time being, the apartment could just as well be a mansion in Mississippi on the night of the Governor's Ball. Can there be any doubt that Amanda has attempted to re-create a piece of her own youth? If Laura can't win Mr. O'Connor with her lovely fragility, Amanda intends to overwhelm him with charm. Amanda has kept Jim's name from Laura until now, just a few minutes before her prospective beau is due to arrive. Another little deception, Amanda? Laura is horrified by the revelation. She's overcome with fright and claims to feel sick. She refuses to open the door when the knock comes. Instead, she darts to the record player, her safe haven. But Amanda forces her to let Jim in. Jim acknowledges Laura, but hardly notices her. He's too involved in telling Tom about a public speaking course he's taking. Jim is also intent on advising Tom to shape up at the warehouse. The boss disapproves of Tom's work and has talked about firing him. The warning doesn't trouble Tom. Rather, he almost welcomes it because he knows that he has completed his side of the bargain with Amanda. He tells Jim that he's ready to quit the job anyway. He's even tired of the vicarious thrills he gets in the movies. He wants firsthand excitement now. Tom shows Jim a Union of Merchant Seamen card, which he bought with money that he should have used to pay the light bill. Jim, however, dismisses Tom's revelations as hot air. Could it be that Jim doesn't believe his friend, or that he doesn't understand him? Presently Amanda, oozing charm, joins the two young men. Her appearance shocks Tom. Even Jim is taken aback slightly. Amanda must think that talking nonstop is the best way to impress Jim. She plunges ahead at full throttle, skipping from topic to topic at random. This is Amanda in her prime, entertaining a flock of gentleman callers in Blue Mountain. Tom is embarrassed, but Jim, after his initial shock, is won over. He nods and smiles at Amanda's monologue, and during the remainder of the scene says literally only one single word. Meanwhile Laura remains terror stricken in the kitchen. Her illness is not feigned. Fear has brought on a fever. Amanda explains to Jim that Laura became ill standing over a hot stove. Tom helps Laura into the living room to lie down. ^^^^^^^^^^THE GLASS MENAGERIE: SCENE SEVEN Although Laura lies huddled on the couch all through dinner, Amanda remains cheerful. She's so high spirited that you'd think that Jim was invited to dinner for her and not for Laura. No sooner does the scene start than the lights go out. Tom, you've heard, has not paid the light bill, and the electric company has chosen this moment to cut off the power. Can you imagine what Amanda might say about Tom's failure to pay the bill if Jim weren't present? NOTE: ON "LIGHT" You have seen numerous references to lights of all kinds throughout the play: moon, lightbulbs, match flame, candlelight, torch, lightning. If moonlight conventionally symbolizes romance, what could lightning represent? Could it be the harsh light of reality? When Tom remarks that "nowadays the world is lit by lightning" he seems to be referring to war. Since a courtship of sorts dominates this scene, you'll see many lights usually associated with romance: candles, moonlight, and so forth. The abrupt loss of electricity, while reminding you that you can't ignore the reality of paying your bills, also provides a convenient reason for using candles to illuminate this "love" scene between Jim and Laura. At the same time, though, keep in mind that the whole play is dimly lit to represent memory. |
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