The Glass Menagerie Characters
Quick Navigation
Let us know the central characters of the play “The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams:
Tom Wingfield
Tom is the narrator of the play “The Glass Menagerie,” and the memory of Tom portrays the action. He is the son of Amanda and the brother of Laura. He loves his mother and sister so much, but he is the victim of his fate. He is a poet by nature and is attracted by adventures and romance. The job at the warehouse bothers him so much. To relieve his frustration, he escapes from his current situation in life and goes to the movies night after night.
We find him leaving his family at the end of the play. But he cannot forget Laura wherever he goes. He reminds the audience that he regrets leaving his family without getting married between Laura and Jim. It’s true that Tom leaves his mother and sister but fails to forget his memories.
Laura Wingfield
Laura is a significant character in the play. She is the daughter of Amanda and sister of Tom. She is a timid woman. She feels shy to unveil herself in the outer world only because one leg is shorter than the other. This disability makes her walk with the help of a leg brace. She spends most of her time playing with the collection of glass figurines and listening to old records.
Jim gives her the nickname “Blue Roses,” suggesting her unparalleled beauty and isolation. When Jim confronts Laura at Amanda’s apartment, he breaks her favorite unicorn and symbolically breaks her heart.
Amanda Wingfield
Amanda is the mother of Tom and Laura. She recollects her evergreen and precious memories. She was a southern belle and was attracted by many gentlemen callers. Among the gentlemen callers, she was able to win the heart of Mr. Wingfiled. Everything is passed, and she lives in a tiny apartment in St. Louis with her son and daughter.
Though she is a passionate mother, her over-expectations make Laura’s life intolerable. Laura’s failure to attract any gentleman caller makes her so frustrated. To relieve her frustration, she enrolls Laura in Business school. But Laura cannot get any positive outcome because of her shyness and disabilities. She does everything for Laura to find a suitable gentleman caller, but she fails to attract any gentleman caller. Amanda is indeed tense about her children; after all, she is a comic and charming figure throughout the play.
Jim O’Connor
Jim is the gentleman caller for Laura. Laura attracted him in high school. He is a handsome and charming young boy. In his high school days, Jim was a famous athlete. Now he is working as a shipping clerk at the shoe warehouse with Tom. In contrast to the other characters in the play, Jim has a different personality. He is loyal enough to his work and does not want to escape from the real world, unlike Tom.
When Tom invites Jim to Amanda’s apartment for dinner, he knows that Laura knew Jim in high school, but he is unaware that Laura had a lot of affection for Jim. Ultimately Jim makes everyone frustrated by acknowledging he has to exit Amanda’s apartment to return to his fiancee.
Mr. Wingfield
Mr. Wingfield is a minor character in the play “The Glass Menagerie” who never appears on stage. He is Amanda’s husband and father of Tom and Laura. He worked in a telephone company and abandoned his family for sixteen years before the play’s action began. He was an irresponsible person for his family, and that’s why Amanda is bound to take total responsibility for her son and daughter. So we can consider Mr. Wingfield a symbol of exemption and romance because of his detachment from his family.
Azizul Hakim is the founder & CEO of englishfinders.com. He is a passionate writer, English instructor, and content creator. He has completed his graduation and post-graduation in English language and literature.
