You are on page 1of 14

The Glass Menagerie

Scenes 5 & 6

Historical Contexts

Scene 5 mentions many events and people


important to the world of the 1930s.

Since this play was written in 1945 and is


narrated by Tom in past tense, these
references to the 1930s are meant to
provide context for the action of the play

Newspaper captions Franco Triumphs

a reference to General Francisco


Franco, leader of the Nationalist side
of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)

Since the caption says that Franco has


claimed victory, the action of the play
must take place in 1939

Suspended in the mist over


Berchtesgaden

Berchtesgaden was a village high in the


Bavarian Alps that Nazi leadership
occupied as a retreat. In this
statement, Tom is making reference to
Hitlers early plans of aggression in
Europe, which were developed in
Berchtesgaden.

Caught in the folds of Chamberlains


umbrella.

Neville Chamberlain, Englands Prime


Minister from 1937-1940, is widely
criticized now for his policy of
appeasement regarding the Nazis,
which led him to concede
Czechoslovakia at Munich in 1938.

Peace of our time

Germans bombed the city of guernica this painting


is a cry for help becasue the country is being torn
apart

In Spain there was Guernica!

Guernica by Pablo Picasso, 1937, Oil on Canvas

Guernica was named for a town in


Spain that was bombed by Nazi forces in
April of 1937.

Picasso on the painting:

The Spanish struggle is the fight of reaction against the


people, against freedom. My whole life as an artist has been
nothing more than a continuous struggle against reaction and
the death of art. How could anybody think for a moment that I
could be in agreement with reaction and death? ... In the panel
on which I am working, which I shall call Guernica, and in all
my recent works of art, I clearly express my abhorrence of the
military caste which has sunk Spain in an ocean of pain and
death.

Tom mentions Guernica to show that


Spain (and by extension, Europe and the
world) was already reacting to the
changes happening in the 1930s that
would result in WWII. By contrast,
young Americans were unprepared for
the enormous changes that would be
made in their lives.

All the world was waiting for


bombardments!
He try's to escape by going into the
merchant marine

Scene 5

the setting and context of the 1930s how the setting influenced the play the
depression and how it aects the depression, the Spanish civil war, refer noes to
nazism and world war 2

Positive and negative qualities of the wing fields Laura shy awkward caring
loving annoying

Views of life hunter lover fighter and that life is a adventure and to do great
things

Tom is motivated to bring home a


gentleman caller for Laura because
(according to his deal with Amanda) this
means he can leave for the Merchant
Marine
Jim o Conner is the gentle man caller and the
same guy she liked in high school

Tom says Jim is the most realistic character in


the play because he is not apart of the family

Tom brings home Jim OConnor, the


same boy that Laura liked in school (Blue
Roses).

This makes her uncontrollably nervous


before he arrives.

Jim - future of television

Laura - glass maneuvered

Amanda - Christian adults wants softly

Tom man is a instinct lover hunter and a fighter

Tom something about world war 2

Laura collapsed and can't join the dinner and Jim


Amanda and Tom have dinner

Laura refuses to answer the door.


Amanda makes her, but Laura leaves the
room soon after.

Jim, Tom, and Amanda have dinner


together, while Laura sits alone, too
embarrassed to join them.

About Jim
Jim this play is the 30s in hte depression Jim was mr everything everyone
liked him and this was the guy every one thought would go on to great
things but he is not successful he is average and this disappointing to him

Tom tells us that Jim was a hero in high


school, but his life since then has not
been what he hoped for

Jim calls Tom Shakespeare because he


found out that Tom writes poetry

Tom say Jim wants self improvement

Jim says " I believe in hte future of television


" this is on hte tests

About Jim (Cont.)


This is how tom leaves because he committed to leave already not
because he got his sister a man and she got married

Jim is constantly trying to improve


himself. He tries to get Tom to take a
public speaking course with him.

Tom refuses because he has big changes


planned in his life (trying to get out of the
is were the comparison to his father yes because they
house). This
both leave and what makes these guys leave and is one
justified

This is about how Tim feels bad about leaving Laura behind this is tom working our the guilt
over sister

Essay Topics

Throughout the play, Williams firmly establishes the world


of the 1930s through character action and Toms speeches to
the audience. How does the decade of the 1930s influence
this play (its characters and its action)?

Despite their disagreements and their shortcomings, each


member of the Wingfield family also reveals positive
qualities as the play goes on. Choose two members of the
family and discuss their positive and their negative qualities.

What are Toms and Amandas views of life? Support this


with reference to the text.

You might also like