The Use Of Symbolism In The Glass — страница 2

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innocence that made Laura so different is gone, because both Laura and the glass menagerie break when exposed to the uncaring outside world. When Laura gives Jim her broken unicorn, it symbolizes her broken heart that Jim will take with him when he leaves. The unicorn is no longer unique like her, rather it is common now, like Jim, so she lets him keep it. Just as she gives Jim a little bit of herself to take with him, he leaves behind a little bit of himself with her shattered hopes. Finally, the symbol of rainbows is used throughout the story, but is less prominent and obvious than those of the fire escape and the glass menagerie. Rainbows are traditionally a symbol of hope, and each time the symbol is presented it is in a hopeful situation. For instance, when Tom comes back

from the magic show with a rainbow-coloured ‘magical’ scarf, that can turn goldfish into canaries, who fly away. Just like the canaries, Tom also hopes to fly away, from his apartment. Next, the chandeliers which create rainbow reflections at the Dance Hall can be seen as foreshadowing for the dance between Jim and Laura, which gives Laura hope that her problems are solved. And at the end, when Tom looks at “pieces of colored glass, like bits of a shattered rainbow,” he remembers his sister and hopes that he “can blow her candles out”. There is also a lot of irony tied up in this symbol, in that although rainbows seem to be positive signs, they all end in disappointment. Tennessee Williams has managed to create a wonderful and powerful play using a combination of

different elements, with one being symbolism; the fire escape, as a sense of hope, and an escape both to the outside world and from it; the glass menagerie, a symbol for Laura’s fragility and uniqueness; and rainbows, as symbols of unrealized hopes and aspirations. Through these symbols a greater understanding of the theme is realized, and “The Glass Menagerie” is made into a powerful epic.