The modernist era sparked a new sense of wanting to defy the norm of society to discover what is best for the individual. In "The Glass Menagerie," by Tennessee Williams, multiple characters and events portray these radical modernistic ideas. Using specific textual evidence, select a character or an event in the play and show how it fits into this idea of modernism.
If you would like a little more background on Modernism, check out this website:
Posted by Dan and Haley
Modernist literature focuses on the characters' thoughts, emotions, and desires to enhance the plot rather than having an eventful plot. In Williams' "The Glass Menagerie," Tom exemplifies the perfect modernist character. His struggle attempting to provide for his family does not please his free spirit demeanor. His search for ways in which he can escape from the present reality and become care-free without burdens drives him to spend his nights at movies and drinking. His mother, disproving of his night time escapades, pleads with him to, "never be a drunkard. (1991)" She relies on his salary to keep the family and his lack of sleep could contribute to his menial job with a minimal salary, as opposed to a promotion and a larger pay check. However, he will never stop going out at night because "the movies" are his only escape to be free from his mother's control. This method of escaping from reality only hurts him, he is tired after the long nights and puts a minimal effort into his work, which is the only means of the family's income. Jim has noticed his lack of work ethic and recalls a conversation about Tom with their boss, Mr Mendoza. Tom inquires about the conversation and asks if he spoke, "favorably," of him. To which Jim replied, "what [did he] think?(2005)" Tom is aware of his lack of will to work, but he only wishes to write, the perfect job for a free-spirit.
ReplyDeleteTom, constantly confronted by people who care, pays no mind to their speeches. He will do as he pleases, and in the end he leaves, similar to Nora's departure, because he was unhappy with his life and family burdens. The burdens of society and the care for his family prove too much for him to bare, and his only method to solve his discontent was to flee, just as his father.
The influence of the modernist literary era is seen in Tennessee Williams play "The Glass Menagerie" through the characters' pursuit of the individual's needs over what is expected of the individual by society. This pursuit is depicted by Laura Wingfield, a socially awkward and handicap girl who defies others expectations of her to please her own desires. Upon being asked by her mother "Where have you been going when you've gone out pretending that you were going to business college?" It is learned that Laura "went in the art museum and the bird-houses at the zoo" rather than attending school. (1984). This important step that Laura has taken shows modernism in that she has resisted doing what makes her unhappy, and without the consent of others she is going to do as she wishes to make herself happy, regardless of society's criticism. This strong desire to make oneself content rather than those that have expectations for the individual show that the individual's wants have become a priority, prevalent theme of modernism.
ReplyDeleteIn "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams, Amanda's character shows her moderistic ideals. Her perfect world was to marry well, have properous children, and live a comfortable life. However she does not achieve this dream because her husband walks out on her and her two disfunctional children Tom and Laura. While she upholds ideas from Southern society, she is a modernist character because she subconciously wishes to defy these rules and travel back in time to her youth. She desires not to have to deal with keeping up a household and raising a mentally disabled child and an unhappy and disatisfied child. Amanda reminises about her perfect adolscent years when she was giddy, carefree, and the attention of multiple gentlemen callers. In order to escape society and her household problems she continue to recap and relive her youth and travel back in time to experience her glory days. Tom and Laura are constantly reminded of days when she was the best dancer at the balls, gaily picking flowers with her mother, or flirting with all her callers. One particular memory she constantly retells is when she "One Sunday afternoon...recieved...seventeen gentlemen callers" (1981). Through these continuous recollections, Amanda tries to forget society and her problems with her family and economic situation and relive the times when she didnt have work as hard and could just blow all her worries away with the summer wind. While she might uphould Southern society standards she actually retreats from these standards that she enforces upon her children, which is why she is a modernistic character.
ReplyDeleteThe modernist time period aimed to let people find their true inner selves. It also allowed for the readers to see the true natures and thoughts of characters. In Tennessee Williams “The Glass Menagerie”, many of his characters reflect modernist ideas and themes, including Amanda.
ReplyDeleteAs the mother figure in the play, Amanda is still stuck in her days as a young Southern belle. She reflects on how her life in the South was so much better because of all the attention she got from her gentlemen callers. In Scene six, she reflects on the memories she had in her “girlish frock of yellowed voile with a blue silk sash” and jonquils, her true obsession: “This is the dress in which I led the cotillion. Won the catwalk twice…I wore it on Sundays for my gentleman callers! I had it on the day I met your father-” (2002). Here she reflects how the normal Southern belle would be custom to be presented into society and obtain a fine husband, whom she would be faithful to. In reality, Amanda realizes herself as being anything but “domestic”, since “(she) could never make a thing but angel-food cake” (2007). Amanda had always thought she was going to marry a wealthy planter, have lots of servants, and be very well- off, but instead she married her husband, who “fell in love with long distance…but what am I going on for about my- tribulations! Tell me yours- I hope you don’t have any!” (2007).
Through the character of Amanda, Tennessee Williams makes evident, through modernist techniques, that life is not full of happily ever after and fantasy, but every human being will experience disappointment, tragedy, and sorrow.
Posts sound good so far- and the variety in the responses is excellent! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteTom is the epitome of the Modernist hero. His malcontent in his life is exhibited through his secret activities. One night after a late night out, Tom asks his mother " if [his] was able to meet it's limit" (1989). This explosion of emotion about his job indicates that he wants more from his life. Tom's " escape" during his visits to the movies from the harsh reality of his life, embody the modernist spirit. Tom’s grasping for adventure in his own life mirror the struggle that he has for finding himself. As Tom struggles to find himself throughout the play he continues the modernist outcry for acceptance. Tom wants to be a writer as described by Jim when he calls Tom “Shakespeare.” He feels like an outcast due t o the fact that he does not plod along in order to due what must be done, but rather resents his family’s sole dependency on his income. This resentment sets Tom and other modernist heroes out from the heroes in other styles of literature.
ReplyDeleteOne trait of modernist literature is the focus on the character psychology. Laura gets up to get dessert, but Amanda insists that she stay at the table and stay fresh for "gentleman callers." Laura replies that she's not expecting any callers, but Amanda says you never know. She then goes into a story that Tom and Laura both know all too well, about how one afternoon back home in the South, Amanda had seventeen unexpected gentlemen callers. As she comes back in with dessert and dishes it out, she goes into detail about those callers, talks about how she was able to make good conversation with all of them, and finishes by saying that instead of picking one of them she married Tom and Laura's father.
ReplyDeleteAmanda says she'll clean up, and tells Laura to go into the living room to practice her shorthand and keep fresh for callers. As Amanda clears the dishes, Laura says again that she's not expecting any. Amanda can't believe her ears. Laura tells Tom that Amanda's afraid she's going to become an old maid. This event at the beginning of Act I offers a window into the mind of Amanda. Another important element of the play, both thematically and dramatically, is also established in this scene. There is the very clear sense that Amanda is reliving her life through Laura, and that all her talk about keeping Laura fresh and tidy for callers is really an expression of her own belief that she's still young, pretty, and popular. It seems that somewhere inside herself, Amanda still believes she's the girl who received all those unexpected callers. This foreshadows her choices later in the play when she fusses over her own appearance as much as she fusses over Laura's in preparation for the Gentleman Caller's arrival. It also illuminates the theme embodied by the Gentleman Caller by suggesting that for her, hope is based on illusion.
A major focus of Modernism in literature is on the psychology of the individual. The characters' emotions and inner thoughts often are used to defy the norm of society to discover what is best for the individual.
ReplyDeleteAmanda's character embodies the whole meaning of the modernist era in literature. She is trying to live her childhood again through Laura because she is unhappy with her life as an older woman with a disfunctional family life. Her life is nothing like she imagined and dreamed it would be. Her psychological problems are mainly because she is living in her past by acting like a teenager and teaching her daughter exactly how to be, in order for her to live the life she really wanted. Amanda says, "Do you realize he's the first young man we've introduced to your sister? It's terrible, dreadful, disgraceful that poor little sister has never recieved a single gentleman caller!"(1997). She is so caught up in her daughter recieving gentleman callers, she has no interest in anything else. This is why "A Glass Menagerie" represent s the Modernist era very well.
During the modernist era of literature, many writers began practicing expressionism, that is, the philosophy that all work should reflect inner feelings. Not only does Tennessee Williams express his personal feelings in "The Glass Menagerie," but he writes about a character who uses his work for the same purpose. Tom Wingfield, the play's protagonist, is a burgeoning writer who uses his work as a release of his feelings; feelings of anger and tension towards his mother, Amanda, and sister, Laura.
ReplyDeleteIt is easy to see that Tom is an artist by the way he talks. "I have tricks in my pocket. I have things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion" (2). Tom is of course referring to his work when he talks about his tricks.
Tom is very angry with his mother because she refuses to take his "dream job" seriously. He is sent to work at a factory because he has to earn money to support Amanda and Laura, and of course the more that he works at the factory, the less time he has to write. Tom is nothing more than a "pencil-pusher." He hates having to follow authority and craves the feelings of freedom that writing gives him. "What do you think I'm at? Aren't I supposed to have any patience to reach the end of, Mother? I know, I know. It seems unimportant to you, what I'm doing, what I want to do, having a little difference between them."
Tom Wingfield is a thoroughly modernist character. It is almost as if Tennessee Williams is portraying one of his fellow writers in this character, as it is easy to imagine some of that literary era's greatest writers struggling with the same sense of instability and anger that Tom suffers from.
“The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams, is a great example of a Modernist piece of Literature. Throughout the play, characters and events represent the ideas of a modernist piece of literature. One example of this is seen throughout the play through the character of Laura. Laura is not the typical young woman of the time. She is not physically attractive, and she is not very appealing to other men in society. In fact, it is quite clear that Laura has not ever really been involved in a serious relationship. One of the biggest ties to the modernist ideas that Laura has is in the very brief ‘relationship’ she has with Jim. Before she is introduced to Jim, Laura is a character whom would much rather just keep to herself, and at times it appears she would rather just live quietly by herself rather than being in any kind of relationship. However, just for a moment while Jim is at the house, Laura ‘comes to life.’ In my opinion, her encounter with Jim represents what society actually expects out of a woman. However, the modernism really shows throughout the rest of the play in Laura. At one point while Laura and Jim are together, Laura claims she’s “never danced in [her] life.” The two have a fun and light-hearted conversation about Laura’s inexperience with dancing. Jim tells Laura “don’t tighten up.” To this, Laura “laughs breathlessly” and flirts back with Jim. For this brief moment, Laura steps out of her character. Williams provides this side of Laura to show what a young woman should really be like according to society. However, the rest of Laura’s character fits completely with the Modernist figure of a character who is in touch with herself, but out of touch with society.
ReplyDeleteThe Glass Menagerie is a play by Tennessee Williams with modernist ideas which are reflected through each character’s actions. This modernist period impacted the thoughts and actions of his characters because of the time which he wrote the play. Many of these modernist ideas include a “break for the norm” or what is expected from a certain individual. One of the most obvious characters is the narrator, Tom. Tom is a young man who must support the family working in a field that does not particularly interest him. But, as there is no other “head of the house”, Tom must step up to the plate and set aside his dreams. Although Tom does sacrifice his dreams for his family Tom shows his modernist qualities through his constant disrespect toward his mother. These actions include talking back to his mother, “I haven’t enjoyed one bite of this dinner because of your constant directions on how to eat it” (1980). Although his mother is being a bit annoying, Tom should respect her. Also Tom often calls her rude and disrespectful names and goes out to “movies” even though Amanda prefers him not to, “You’ll go up, up on a broomstick, over Blue Mountain with seventeen gentlemen callers! You ugly-babbling old-witch” (1988). These actions strike someone as modernistic because they portray the ideal of “breaking from the norm” for what was expected of a gentleman in the premodernist time period.
ReplyDeleteTennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie is a perfect example of modernist literature. This era of literature has a focus on characters who strive to break free of the norms of society and become their own person. It focuses on pursuit of true self. In The Glass Menagerie, Tom Wingfield is the epitome of a modernist character. Tom is thrown into the position of man of the house after his father leaves the family. He "makes a slave of himself" going to work at the factory to support his mother and sister. He feels trapped in his life and doesn't know how to cope with this suffocation. He feels like "none of [his] instincts are given much play at the warehouse".(1992) His only real way of escape and adventure is through the movies, as well as staying out late drinking. This is Tom's way of trying to escape from his life and discover who he really is. The movies give him a glimpse into a life that he can only dream of, while drinking keeps him disoriented enough to block out the disorder of his life. Although Tom is unsuccessful in really breaking free from his life, he does make efforts to find himself and find the person he wants to become. This leads him to be a true modernist character.
ReplyDeleteThe modernist time period is painted by the journey one takes down the path of self- discovery and fulfillment. A major character in a story molded under the impression of this time period brushes aside the thorns that protrude out in ones life path that are represented by the criticisms of society, and plows through until one’s true identity is revealed.
ReplyDeleteWritten during the modernist era, Tennessee Williams’ play “The Glass Menagerie” encompasses a character that fits the criteria of an outlined character of this literary era. Crippled by a physical handicap, Laura Wingfield is a character that ventures down the path of self- discovery, defying any resistances that society and the world around her places against her. Although her mother, Amanda, desires to live vicariously through her, she is determined to define herself while accomplishing happiness and contentment. Despite Laura’s mother’s “plans- [her] hopes and ambitions for [her daughter]- just gone up the spout, just gone up the spout like that,” Laura stood her ground and hoped to pursue her own ambitions for the future because abandoning her mother’s insisted schooling was “the lesser of the two evils” (1984). Laura’s ultimate character defining moment is intertwined with her need for self- knowledge, accomplishment, and happiness.
all of the blogs are great and the variety in characters and explanations made all the posts insightful! great job everyone!
ReplyDeleteIn our studies in English class, Modernism focuses on an unobtainable American dream that eventually turns into a nightmare. The play "A Glass Menagerie" is no exception. Throughout the play Amanda's dream of recapturing the Old South in her "new" lifestyle. She is single, poor, and living off of her son, quite less then what she expected growing up with "all her gentleman callers". With knowledge from the play one can see that Amanda's dream quickly unraveled and just became her nightmare. Her obsession with gentleman callers and getting Laura the amount that she had, ultimately leads to her crazy pursuit to find men for Laura, but in reality Laura just wants to be alone in her little fragile world. Amanda's dream of recapturing her past in the Old South is overall unacceptable because of her present situation.
ReplyDelete@ Sarah- the longing Amanda to live her childhood again through her daughter is a great observation and really shows Amanda is Modernist character.
ReplyDelete@ Erin- great connection between Tom’s writing and the expressionism of the Modernist Era. Showing that Tom wants more than his 9-5 job helps to exemplify his urge to become a writer and the connection to Tennessee Williams makes the post really great!
@ Brooks- your description of Laura and her disconnection from society is right on point.
@ Allison- I love the way you used something as common as disrespect between Tom and his Mother to show the Modernist ideas
@Margaret- great connection between Tom using drinking and the movies as an escape from his entrapping life.
@Ciara- great observation that even though Laura is physically unstable she still stands up against her mother and society to find herself.
@Ray- the connection between Amanda’s longing for the Old South and gentleman callers for Laura is spot on
@Jessica- I liked how you said that escaping each night actually hurts Tom and especially liked your connection between Nora Torvald and Tom, showing that perhaps Nora, too, could be considered a modernist character.
ReplyDelete@Alex- I definitely agree that Laura just wants to make herself happy and does so by simply not going to her classes.
@Lindsay- I agree that Amanda is unhappy with her life. However, I think it can also be argued that Amanda tries to uphold her Southern standards in her dysfunctional household by, for example, telling Tom how to chew his food properly, even though he is a grown man.
@Christiana- Your tie-in with the overall human theme of disappointment, tragedy, and sorrow is a great way of showing why Amanda wants to forget the present and relive the past, because it is impossible for any human to escape these three themes.
@Jessie- Great connection between Tom's search for adventure and his search for himself- that definitely fits right into the idea of a modernist character.
@Emily- Good job expanding out and picking a scene in the play rather than a specific character. Amanda truly is trying to live vicariously through Laura, even through Laura is not fond of it. I really liked your statement that "hope is based on illusion" because of the fact that this is a memory play, Williams really does use the lighting and stage directions to get the message across.