We
all have our own ways of forgetting reality, like the characters in this play.
Laura is a main character who escapes through playing with her glass menagerie. At
the beginning of scene 2, Laura is seen “washing and polishing her collection
of glass” (11). When her mother, Amanda appears on the fire escape, then
“Laura catches her breath, thrusts the bowl of ornaments away” (11). Laura
cleans/plays with/etc. glass figures instead of practicing her typing skills.
She interacts with the collection to escape from her disability and her
problems, such as quitting typewriting class because of her nervousness. Her
mother is disappointed because Laura’s playing with her glass collection
doesn’t help with Laura’s future. Additionally, Laura shows how the glass
menagerie helps her. Prior to talking about her glass collection, she is shy
and has a barrier when talking with Jim, but when she begins to talk about her
collection, Laura seems more open and less awkward, “Little arcticles of it,
they’re ornaments mostly! Most of them are little animals made out of glass,
the tiniest little animals in the world. Mother calls them a glass menagerie!
Here’s an example of one, if you’d like to see it! This one is one of the
oldest. It’s nearly thriteen.”(82).
