Need To Be Free

A detailed Summary of Need To Be Free


The Glass Menagerie, written by Tennessee Williams, is known world wide because of its extraordinary writing styles, and the simplicity, which is also complicated. Through the years, The Glass Menagerie has achieved a firmly established place in the Canon of American plays, yet the text of the play is many times distorted from what Williams wanted them to be. Some reasons why are because of the usage of allusions, symbolism, and irony. Each of these examples gives reason to why the play is miss-understood so many times. The main theme of the play, according to many other people who critique Williams's play is freedom.

The Glass Menagerie does not have many characters, and the characters in the play each share the same earning for freedom, but it many different ways. Amanda, the mother, wants freedom of her self. She wants to escape the worrying about her children, and she wants to be comfortable knowing her children are well taken care of. Laura, the crippled daughter wants freedom from her mother, and her constant nagging about gentlemen callers. Laura is trapped inside her own little world, and she needs someone to help her escape. Jim, the gentlemen caller, wants to escape his boring dull life,


Each character in this play share the same theme in their roles, Freedom or Escape, but only one actually achieves full Freedom, Tom. To achieve freedom is hard, and only a few accomplish it. Escape is the main theme of the play and many people relate to the situations because they too have the need to escape.

Much like Jim, Tom wanted escape from his boring life. He used the fire escape many times, and Williams uses the fire escape as a symbol of freedom for Tom. When he is on the fire escape, no one can get to him (Dull). Tom uses many soliloquies in the play, and he is fond of using irony. When Amanda asks Tom where he goes, he reply with,

In high school, Jim O'Connor used to be the popular guy at school, but now, his view has changed. Tom talks about Jim and how he is now,

Tom: Twenty more than I make. (Williams 1733)

Jim: Well, well, well. I never even noticed. (Williams 1748)

Being crippled, Laura Wingfield did not have many of the advantages the other students had, but it was herself who made her so introverted. When she walks into the classroom, she automatically believes that everyone in the room hears her leg brace clumping, and she becomes scared and leaves the classroom. She discusses the clumping with Jim,



Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1177
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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