By the due date assigned, post your response of at least 150-200 words to the Discussion Area. By the end of the week, comment on at least two of your classmates’ submissions.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Your instructor will assign a play for the class to read and will post the information as a Week 3 Announcement.
The play the professor is the Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. You can find he play on the internet.
Prompt: The setting (space, place, and time) forms the backdrop and defines the atmosphere for a play. Settings sometimes symbolically present plot and character issues. For example, a locked door could represent an obstacle within a character’s life. At other times, the setting can limit or permit the characters’ actions.
Think about the setting in the play you read. Consider these aspects:
Discuss the setting and stage directions in the play you read. Does the setting produce certain responses from the audience? In what ways does the setting influence the events? Does the setting constrain or liberate the characters? How does the setting reflect the central ideas of the play?
Tips: Remember to provide evidence for your claims in the form of quoted passages from the play. Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries should be cited according to APA rules of style, including in-text and reference citations.
Quoted material should not exceed 25% of the document.
Check grammar and spelling before posting.
February 10, 2018 at 11:59pm.
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The setting of a story plays an essential part in ensuring that the reader understands the story’s flow. The Glass Menagerie is a powerful and moving play written by Tennessee Williams. According to Ranjani et al. (2020), the play tells the story of the Wingfield family struggling to make ends meet amid the Great Depression. The family comprises Amanda, the mother; Tom, the son; and Laura, the daughter. He also claims that the play is set in a small apartment in St. Louis, Missouri, and the audience can see the characters’ struggles through their interactions with one another. The glass menagerie represents the fragility and vulnerability of the characters and their lives. The play reflects on the American Dream and the idea that anyone can succeed with hard work and determination. This paper discusses the setting and stage directions in the play, how the setting produces certain responses from the audience, how the setting influences the events in the play if the setting constraints or liberates the characters, and how the setting reflects the central ideas of the play.
The Glass Menagerie is set in a small apartment in St. Louis, Missouri, during the 1930s. According to Rowell (2021), the apartment is shared by the Wingfield family, consisting of Amanda, the mother; Tom, the son; and Laura, the daughter. The apartment is also the location of the play’s only set, which is described as “modest but cozy.” The stage directions in the play indicate that the apartment is dimly lit, with the lighting focused on certain objects or characters at specific moments to create a sense of mood and atmosphere. He also claimed that the apartment is also described as cluttered, with various knick-knacks and objects scattered around the room, including Laura’s collection of glass animals, which serves as a symbol throughout the play. Additionally, the stage directions often include specific details about the movements and actions of the characters, as well as their thoughts and emotions, to help convey the story and themes of the play. Thus, the author has used the setting to show the story’s flow.
The setting in the play The Glass Menagerie produces responses from the audience. According to Akbar (2022), this setting immediately establishes a sense of confinement and lack of freedom for the characters, who all struggle to escape their current circumstances and find their way in the world. The play is set in a small, cramped apartment in St. Louis during the 1930s. The apartment, which serves as both the home of the Wingfield family and the primary setting for the play, is described as “shabby” and “dingy.” The furniture is old and worn, and the walls are yellowed and peeling. This physical setting reflects the emotional state of the characters, who are similarly trapped and confined by their struggles.
Furthermore, the setting also highlights the characters’ isolation and loneliness. The apartment is located in a tenement building, with neighbors on either side, yet the characters are disconnected from those around them. They are isolated in their world, unable to connect with others and find the fulfillment and happiness they desperately seek. Thus, In Tennessee Williams’ play The Glass Menagerie, the setting plays a crucial role in evoking certain responses from the audience.
The setting in the Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams influences the events in many ways. According to Nirauna (2020), the Setting of the Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, a small, cramped apartment in St. Louis during the Great Depression, influences the events of the play in several ways. The cramped living conditions of the apartment symbolize the characters’ emotional and psychological confinement, as well as their lack of opportunities for growth and change. The setting also reflects the characters’ poverty and their struggle to make ends meet, which adds to the tension and drama of the play. Nirauna (2020) also stated that the setting serves as a reminder of the character’s past and the memories they are trying to escape, further emphasizing the theme of escapism in the play. Therefore, the setting plays a crucial role in shaping the characters and the events of the play.
The Setting in the Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams constrains and liberates the play’s characters. According to Akbar (2022), the setting constrains the characters by symbolizing their emotional and psychological confinement and their lack of opportunities for growth and change. The cramped living conditions of the apartment reflect the characters’ poverty and struggle to make ends meet, which adds to the tension and drama of the play. According to Mangayarkarasi et al. (2020), the setting also liberates the characters by providing them with familiarity and comfort. The apartment serves as a sanctuary for the characters and a place where they can retreat to escape the harsh realities of the outside world. The setting is also a source of solace for the characters, as it allows them to connect with their past and find meaning in their lives. Thus, the Setting in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams both constrains and liberates the play’s characters.
The Setting in the Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams reflects the play’s central ideas. According to Mangayarkarasi et al. (2020), the setting reflects the theme of memory and the past. The apartment serves as a reminder of the character’s history and the memories they are trying to escape, further emphasizing the theme of escapism in the play. The Glass Menagerie, which belongs to Laura, also serves as a symbol of memory and the past, representing the fragility of Laura’s memories and the way they are constantly at risk of being broken.
Mangayarkarasi et al. (2020 also state that the setting reflects the theme of illusion and reality. The characters, particularly Tom and Laura, are constantly struggling with the reality of their lives and the illusions they have created for themselves. The setting, with its cramped and confining apartment, reflects this struggle and serves as a reminder of the harsh realities of the character’s lives, in contrast to their illusions of a better future. Thus, the setting in the Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams reflects the play’s central ideas in multiple ways.
In conclusion, The Glass Menagerie is set in a small apartment in St. Louis, Missouri, during the 1930s. The Wingfield family shares the apartment, consisting of Amanda, the mother; Tom, the son; and Laura, the daughter. The Setting in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams can produce certain responses from the audience, as it helps to establish the mood and atmosphere of the play. The Setting of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, a small, cramped apartment in St. Louis during the Great Depression, influences the events of the play in several ways. The cramped living conditions of the apartment symbolize the characters’ emotional and psychological confinement, as well as their lack of opportunities for growth and change. The setting also constrains and liberates the characters in the play. The cramped and confining apartment reflects the characters’ poverty, struggle to make ends meet, and lack of opportunities for growth and change. At the same time, it also serves as a sanctuary and a source of solace for the characters, allowing them to connect with their past and find meaning in their lives. The Setting in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams reflects the central ideas of the play in multiple ways; for example, the cramped and confining apartment reflects the characters’ emotional and psychological confinement and their desire to break free. The Setting of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams is a crucial element of the play that reflects the Wingfield family’s financial struggles, isolation, and fragility. This setting is an essential aspect of the story, providing a reason for the efforts and hardships faced by the characters in the play.
AKBAR, S. A. L. (2022). THE Conflict of Main Characters in Glass Menagerie. (Doctoral dissertation, Hasanuddin University).
Mangayarkarasi, M., & Rekha, E. Realistic in Tennessee Williams’ play the glass menagerie.
Niraula, R. (2020). New Womanhood in Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie (Doctoral dissertation).
Ranjani, M. P., & Christy, A. A. A critical study on Tennessee Williams’ the glass menagerie.
Rowell, J. (2021). Manufactured Memory and the Staging of Two Toms: The Absent Narrator in The Glass Menagerie. The Tennessee Williams Annual Review, (20), 83-112.