Reality vs. Illusion in The Glass Menagerie

It is often difficult to decipher between what is real and what is merely an illusion. I’m sure we have all see a movie that has a scene set in the desert where the actor cannot determine whether an oasis in front of him is really there, or is just a mirage. This can be compared to some of the concepts Williams presents to us in The Glass Menagerie. Williams wrote it as a memory play; therefore, it can be viewed as nonrealistic. The play is filled with illusions, dreams, and fantasies. Amanda and Laura, two of the characters in the play, have trouble grasping reality in their world. But Tom, another character we are introduced to, lives in the real world and tries to show his mother and sister how things really are, with the help of his workmate Jim. Williams reveals to us that “truth [can often be found] in the pleasant disguise of illusion” (4).

Amanda, the mother in the play, has high hopes for both of her children, Laura and Tom. Amanda wishes for Laura to be bless...