Discuss the role and character
of Laura Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie.
The character of Laura
Wingfield, form a play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams’, is a young
lady that has a physical defect that made her walk lamely. She mostly turns
away when dealing with her emotions where she withdraws herself from the
society. Her emotion is so fragile, which made her trap in her fantasy dreams.
Laura is devastatingly timid and embarrassed because of her infirmity. Her
legs are cripple- considering one of her leg in some extent is shorter so as to
the other leg- and have on a metal brace on her foot that is hardly to notice.
Being a slightly handicap, Laura does not have any involvement from her outside
world. “She lives in the world of her own- a world of -little glass ornaments”
(979). Laura is in the maximum threat to her family. She has no strength like her
mom, Amanda, and capability to getaway like brother Tom. She is so apprehensive
that even in her business class, she cannot intact her-self together. Her view
of escape is totally different from her family; her escape is seems to be
hiding inside their apartment, not outside of it.
Laura is a selfish person unknowingly. Amanda
made her attend to the Business College for her to have a better future but
after the throw up incident in her typing class, Laura decided not to go to
school. She felt so embarrassed for what she had done in front of the class.
Meanwhile Amanda thought that her daughter is doing well in school where she
pays Laura’s whole tuition fee. She even did not care about her mother’s
feelings. She did not even apologize to what she did- wasting Amanda’s money,
dreams for her, and the effort that her mom puts on her and her future. She
even pretended that she went to school every day but instead she visits the zoo
and the Jewel Box (960). Her lack of self-confidence made her think of just herself
alone. She does not think what others do to her. Her selfishness can also be
notice in her lines in the play, which she only had a few conversations to
other characters.
