The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams is a play abounding with symbolism. Connections that exist are between the fire escape and the way Tom escapes from his problems, the glass figurines and Laura's life, and the unicorn and her self-image. These create a higher level on which the play must be examined. Without comprehension of William's use of symbolism, one could never have a proper understanding of the theme of the play and how the …

…glass unicorn to help convey the emotional anguish of the character, Laura. The unicorn symbolizes Laura's feelings of being "freakish" which has made her a recluse, and Tom abandoning them just as his father did. All of these symbols tie in together to create a much deeper context than what is shown. At the end Laura's transformation to a more normal person is displayed by the breaking of the horn off of her favorite figurine.