Book Review

 

The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams

This one was a reading assignment in high school that I naturally ditched and completely ignored. But I've been on a mission since leaving high school to give some of these books a second chance. Books? Yeah, I thought this was a book. I was genuinely surprised to learn that this was a play and that Williams wasn't even a novelist but a playwright. Man, I really didn't pay attention in school...

But no worries. Like Eden, I was happily surprised that I liked this, making my adventures with American authors this year two for two. It's an extremely short, one-act play, which is why I've finished it within a few days of the last book so I decided to give my opinion of both today.

Another tragedy, I'm starting to notice a pattern among American classics. They're given to much metaphor. I noticed it when reading Bradbury a few years ago too. This seems like the simple story of an overbearing mother who is somewhat detached from reality and her two grown, miserable children as she tries to steer their lives in ideal directions and fails. But, again, the characters are caricatures of broader personalities, in this case because there is no time for development. The overarching themes are what a reader is meant to take in and process. Tom's frustration over an incomplete and unsatisfying lifestyle. Laura's fragility from crippling insecurities. Amanda's general fear of a lack of security. All appear to speak towards a fear of living life. Of course, because I'm me, I usually notice different aspects than most people do and I wonder if anyone else notices that the advice given by Jim, the gentleman caller, is actually sound in spite of the fact that he's kind of a cad in his behavior towards delicate Laura. All of them could've benefited from what he was saying if they'd tried it instead of being slaves to their emotions. But I suspect that this has become as popular as it has because of the feels and the bemoaning of Laura's broken heart. It's actually a lot deeper and more interesting than that. There's a lot of discussion material in there. I sincerely enjoyed the way it motivates a person to think, if it does. Another five stars for sure.