The Tragic Heroines In The Glass Menagerie

Tennessee Williams is an extraordinary American postwar playwright, and many of his works become classics on the American stage. His reputation as one of the greatest playwrights of the twentieth century is established only through the popularity and acceptance of a couple of his plays among which the Glass Menagerie is the perfect representative.Most studies conducted upon Tennessee Williams at home and abroad focus on his dramatic techniques, especially the visual elements such as symbolism and expressionism. This paper is a systematic one to explore Tennessee Williams' representation of the female characters Amanda and Laura, in the Glass Menagerie, and elaborates his outlook on Amanda about her awakening, agony and frustration; As well as his outlook on Laura about her suffering and indulging in her fantasy world composed of glass animals.Through an extensive reading of Williams' plays, the author found that Amanda, as a tragic heroine, strove hard for self-realization as a mother in a man-oriented society. The Glass Menagerie depicts such a character as Amanda, who, despite her failure in her own eyes or others', displays her heroic nature as the stereotyped role of women. The character Amanda under discussion is a memorable woman on American stage. Living in a subtly different environment, Amanda of the Glass Menagerie maintains her awareness of the reality. However, predetermined societal roles restrict what she can do to her children and can be, and her efforts seem all but impossible in the culture and the society. So, faded belles bearing and searching for future success are put in an environment where such a hope is forever gone.Another character Laura is also a memorable woman in the play. She is deeply involved in her own fantasy world, retreats from the real world, unable to communicate with the reality, and never fights against the misfortune as her mother, Amanda does. Amanda and Laura's failure leaves the room for further discussion. The tragedy of Amanda and Laura provides a vivid example of tragic heroines in that culture and society.