Conflict between Reality and Illusion in Tennessee Williams’ play The Glass Menagerie

Abstract

The Glass Menagerie is one of the finest plays of Tennessee Williams. It is often thought of as his first major play, because it was this piece that first brought serious critical and public attention to his work when, in 1945, its premiere production became the hit of the theatrical season- initially in Chicago and then in New York. It almost transformed the lifestyle of Williams overnight. It is a phenomenal memory play that won New York Drama Critics Circle Award, Donaldson Award, and Sidney Howard Memorial Award in 1945. To this day, The Glass Menagerie remains the most frequently produced of his plays, and arguably the most popular with the audience. Tennessee Williams presents before us the dark world of the one-dimensional society of the modern civilization that survives amid exploitation and monetary beliefs. He makes us realize that such worldly circumstances of the tainted world drive the misfits and the rebels to lead lives of dejected madness. It happens due to their failure to adjust to the worldly norms so they create a Utopia through fabricated illusions to feel a sense of freedom. This difficulty the characters have in accepting and relating to reality while they cherish illusions in their lives is the most prominent and urgent theme of the play. The difference between truth and appearance creates an ironic gap and in light of these factors, this essay analyses the theme of conflict between illusion and reality in Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie.