The Glass Menagerie is a play by Tennessee Williams set in St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1930's. The play is an important part of the American theatrical repertoire and continues to be performed successfully by both professional and amateur theatres.

The play centers around the Wingfields: [[MyBelovedSmother Amanda]], [[AloofBigBrother Tom]], and [[ShrinkingViolet Laura]]. Their relationship has become strained since [[DisappearedDad Mr. Wingfield]] left them. While Tom works in a warehouse to support the family, he dreams of leaving home and frequently watches movies in cheap theaters. Amanda obsesses over finding a suitor for Laura, while Laura herself is so shy that she locks herself up and only admires the glass figurine collection (menagerie) she has.

Tennessee Williams based the play on his own family; he himself is the basis for the character of Tom, his mother for Amanda, and his sister (who in real life suffered from Schizophrenia) for the character of Laura.

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!!This play provides examples of:
* AloofBigBrother: Tom, although more to his mother than to his sister.
* AuthorAvatar: The play is semi-autobiographical: Tom is Tennessee Williams himself, Laura is his mentally disabled sister Rose and Amanda is his mother.
* BeautifulAllAlong: Laura. Cruelly subverted that [[spoiler: just after she made an indication that she could do so, the crushing blow of TheReveal was too much that she went back to Shrinking Violet territory]]
* BreakingTheFourthWall: The play opens with Tom explaining to the audience that the play is based on his memories.
** After Tom's first speech, the literal fourth wall of the apartment lifts.
* BrokenAngel
* BrotherSisterIncest: The {{subtext}} was definitely there in the movie remake, although very nonexistent in the original play.
* ChristmasCake: The implication is that if Jim doesn't get together with Laura, [[spoiler: and he doesn't,]] she will become this.
* DeadpanSnarker: A few of Tom's lines.
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Tom[[spoiler:, in his monologue in the end]].
* DisappearedDad: Mr. Wingfield.
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: Not only Jim is already betrothed, Tom finally decides he has had it and leaves the family.]]
* FlowerMotifs: Blue roses and jonquils.
* GenerationXerox: [[spoiler:Tom and his father abandoning Amanda and Laura.]]
* {{Hikikomori}}: Laura.
* InformedFlaw: Laura being crippled. It doesn't show in the present, though she's been embarrassed having a brace in high school.
* IWasQuiteALooker: Amanda, she boasts on and on about the [[strike:gentleman caller]] ''seventeen gentlemen callers'' she had back in her youth. The fact that now she settles with two children on a dingy apartment in a big city with her husband somewhere in TheDeepSouth is an indication of ''something's amiss''.
* {{Jerkass}}: Tom, but for good reason. Amanda could be more of a Jerkass than Tom, however.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: Jim keeps bringing up "If you were my sister" to Laura.
* LonelyDollGirl: Laura, with her collection of glass figurines.
* MakeAWish: Played with. Tom assumed Amanda's wish on the moon would be a gentleman caller for Laura and informs her he found one for her, while Amanda wished the best for her children. Finding a gentleman caller has been Amanda's wish for a long time, [[spoiler:but both wishes are subverted when the gentleman in question is taken and none of the characters save Jim are happy in the end.]]
* MyBelovedSmother: Amanda.
* MinimalistCast: The play only features four characters.
* NiceGuy: Jim. In fact, that's pretty much Tennessee William's whole character description of Jim.
* OutDamnedSpot: [[spoiler:Tom's whole reason for telling this story is that he feels guilty for abandoning his family.]]
* ParentalAbandonment: Mr. Wingfield
* PoorCommunicationKills: Tom doesn't tell Jim that the dinner is supposed to introduce Jim as a suitor to Laura. [[spoiler: Jim is taken.]]
* PricelessMingVase: The glass menagerie itself, and especially [[spoiler: the little unicorn]]. Not PlayedForLaughs.
* PrinceCharming: Subverted slightly, but cruelly; [[spoiler: the Prince is taken]].
* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Jim is getting married.]]
* ShaggyDogStory: The entire plan to bring Jim to a "casual dinner" [[spoiler: is ruined, and their sacrifices are made in complete vain.]]
* ShrinkingViolet: Laura, and how! Laura is so shy she locks herself up at home. The only attempt she had in typing class ended in failure when she threw up due to shyness. To top it off, she skipped classes every day and visited zoos instead.
* SourceMusic: The theater near the tenement. Its music conveniently stops during TheReveal.
* SouthernBelle: Amanda, also see above.
* TitleDrop
* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: Tom and Amanda's arguments get increasingly bitter: a significant escalation is when Tom accidentally breaks one of Laura's figurines. He's sorry for it at once.
* TrivialTitle: Named after a collection of glass animals owned by one of the characters. It should be specified, though, that the incidental element has symbolic meaning: The glass animals represent the fragility of the characters' relationship with each other.
* UnreliableNarrator
* WaferThinMint: Amanda yelling at Tom for [[spoiler:inviting a man who's already engaged, which causes Tom to leave]].
* YankTheDogsChain: Just when you think [[spoiler: Laura will "win" Jim due to their little dance and kiss, TheReveal hits]].
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: [[spoiler: When Laura's favorite glass piece - a unicorn - that she showed to Jim breaks. Even more so because it breaks off its horn: "Now it's just like all the other horses".]]
* WholeEpisodeFlashback: The play is a flashback.
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