Persona as a Literary Device (The Glass Menagerie)

Many authors will use a characters personality as a tool to lead the reader’s thoughts and feelings about the story as a whole. This is often transparent to the reader and will often go unnoticed by the author. By having a central character to create an aura of intense emotion or realism the author can not only drive the reader, but themselves as well. Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie tells us of Amanda living with her two children, Tom and Laura. Amanda is a dominant figure over both of her children. Their respect and acceptance of her personality guide the story. Flannery O’Connor writes A Good Man is Hard to Find. The grandmother in her story is never given a formal name, however she is also has a central role in the dialogue. The grandmother is intrusive on her son’s family which takes care of her; she agitates the other characters with her beliefs and actions. Amanda in The Glass Menagerie and the grandmother in A Good Man is Hard to Find are the origin of ...