Conflict Between Reality and Illusion as a Major Theme of ‘the Glass Menagerie’
Conflict between reality and illusion as a major theme of ‘The Glass Menagerie’
Introduction
The Glass Menagerie is a dramatic play about human nature and the conflict between illusion and reality. An illusion is pretense and not reality. In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams has made use of both reality and illusion together using conflict between them. Illusion is a misinterpretation of the facts. It is an opinion based on what we think is true rather than on what is actually true. In this play Williams has made illusion integral to his theme. He uses Tom Wingfield to tell us directly that the play is an illusion. Tom explains that his purpose is not simply to produce an illusion that appears true, but to reveal “truth” in the ‘disguise of illusion’. Tom wants us to see the truth about life within the illusion he creates.
Nature of the illusion in ‘The Glass Menagerie’
Definition of Illusion
Illusion: A perception, as of visual stimuli, that represents what is perceived in a way different from the way it is in reality. - Literary Terms.
In The Glass Menagerie, almost all the characters like to be in an illusion. For them it is as a defense against the harsh realities of life. An illusion is a faulty notion of happiness when life is surrounded by bitter and harsh facts. The play centers on the hopes, despairs, predicament and failure of Wingfield family. The Wingfields try to escape from reality to a world of fantasies, dreams and imagination to forget the pain resulting from a realization of failure and frustration of actual life. Temporary stay in the dream world is pleasant but the return to reality is inevitable. The gap between appearance and reality helps us understand the nature of illusion in the play. The Glass Menagerie offers a family that is systemically unable to fully live in the present so they search vainly for happiness.
Theme of reality versus illusion in ‘The Glass Menagerie’
The difference between
Introduction
The Glass Menagerie is a dramatic play about human nature and the conflict between illusion and reality. An illusion is pretense and not reality. In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams has made use of both reality and illusion together using conflict between them. Illusion is a misinterpretation of the facts. It is an opinion based on what we think is true rather than on what is actually true. In this play Williams has made illusion integral to his theme. He uses Tom Wingfield to tell us directly that the play is an illusion. Tom explains that his purpose is not simply to produce an illusion that appears true, but to reveal “truth” in the ‘disguise of illusion’. Tom wants us to see the truth about life within the illusion he creates.
Nature of the illusion in ‘The Glass Menagerie’
Definition of Illusion
Illusion: A perception, as of visual stimuli, that represents what is perceived in a way different from the way it is in reality. - Literary Terms.
In The Glass Menagerie, almost all the characters like to be in an illusion. For them it is as a defense against the harsh realities of life. An illusion is a faulty notion of happiness when life is surrounded by bitter and harsh facts. The play centers on the hopes, despairs, predicament and failure of Wingfield family. The Wingfields try to escape from reality to a world of fantasies, dreams and imagination to forget the pain resulting from a realization of failure and frustration of actual life. Temporary stay in the dream world is pleasant but the return to reality is inevitable. The gap between appearance and reality helps us understand the nature of illusion in the play. The Glass Menagerie offers a family that is systemically unable to fully live in the present so they search vainly for happiness.
Theme of reality versus illusion in ‘The Glass Menagerie’
The difference between
Bibliography: * Eakambaram, N. Tennessee Williams- The Glass Menagerie. (S. Chand & Company Ltd. New Delhi, 2005). * Goyal, B. S. Tennessee Williams- The Glass Menagerie. (Educational Publishers. New Delhi, 1989) * Literary Terms. * www.wikipedia.com