When reflecting on this play I can sympathize with all the characters for they all have issues and struggles that prevent them from being truly happy but I tend to sympathize with Laura Wingfield the most. She represents that forgotten individual for which the world has neglected to admire; for she has a beautiful soul in every way. She is sad when others suffer around her as we can see in the fourth scene, "Amanda: You know how Laura is. So quiet but- still water runs deep! She notices things and I think she- broods about them. A few days ago I came in and she was crying. Tom: What about? Amanda: You. Tom: What gave her that idea? Amanda: What gives her any idea?" (Pg. 1012). Since Laura is introverted she tends to be very observant and is sad to see her brother not being content with the life he has. This is an act of selflessness that makes Laura seem like the most mature character of the play. She has both physical and social handicaps that have internally tortured her for years but she also portrays a sense of understanding of other people's nature which is more thoroughly explained in the later parts of the play (1037).
The reason I believe Laura has a beautiful soul is for her capacity to see the best in others (while, unfortunately, neglecting to see the best in her). In Scene VII, Laura and Jim O'Connor, the gentleman caller, are having a personal conversation after dinner is finished. Laura is showing Jim her collection of glass ornaments. "Jim: I'd better not take it. I'm pretty clumsy with things. Laura: Go on, I trust you with him! (Places it in his palm.) There now you're holding him gently! Hold him over the light, he loves the light! You see how the light shines through him?" (1040). This is a peculiar little moment where the tables are slightly turned and it is Laura who is abandoning her shy nature and encouraging Jim to overcome his self-imposed fear of clumsiness. Knowing the lesson Jim is trying to pass on to Laura over her "inferiority complex" (1039), I think that Laura also has some stuff to teach to Jim. Jim should stop every now and then and appreciate the little, beautiful things in life that most of the world overlooks. In the course of chasing those big goals and hopes one might have in life, we can miss those rare little gems of this world such as a glass menagerie or a Blue Rose.
Btw guys. Sorry I took this long to post but I've been unusually busy with work all weekend and didn't have much time to fully concentrate on this until now..
ReplyDeleteNicely done and well said. I totally agree with you about Laura helping Jim overcome his issues with clumsiness and that the tables have turned. At first it seems like Laura was incapable to doing such a thing but Jim's presence had such a powerful affect on Laura that she was almost capable of doing anything.
ReplyDeleteGreat view of Laura. She is a very selfless person and wants to make everyone happy. I enjoyed how you explained that she not only learned something from Jim, but was able to teach him something as well.
ReplyDeleteGood blog. I really like how you viewed Laura and how she is very selfish. Throughout the play Amanda makes it seem that Laura is this girl who cannot talk to anyone without feeling sick to her stomach. Overall I like your blog very much.
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