The Glass Menagerie II

Symbols are a major part of the Tennesse Williams' The Glass Menagerie. One of the most obvious symbols is Laura's collection of glass figurines. The author even specifies that these figurines symbolize Laure and her fragility, stating "...she is like a piece of her own glass collection, too exquisitely fragile to move from the shelf" (Williams, 1234) . However, there are many more similarities between Laura and her collection besides fragility. Like Laura, the figurines have little productivity or usefullness. They resided permonantly in the house, away from the prying eyes of the public. Laura's embarassment and anxioity force her to remain out of the public eye as well. It is clear that Laura also views herself as similar to the glass figures. Laura's favorite figurine, a tiny unicorn, tragically breaks its horn, sentencing it to look like her other horse figurines. However, Laura seems unbothered by the loss, stating it makes the unicorn less freakish. Obviously, Laura sees the unicorn as herself, and thinks that the unicorn losing what makes it different is a good thing because of her desire to be free of her brace. Only when Laura learns to break free of her shy persona, will she no longer by symbolized by her own figurines.