Questions on “Portrait of a Girl in Glass”
1) Playwright Tennessee Williams described The Glass Menagerie, which developed from his story “Portrait of a Girl in Glass”, as a “memory play”. Thus, the story has a strong autobiographical
basis. So, who is the narrator of the story, and why then is this person especially significant regarding the author?
2) What is setting of the story? In what city do the events happen?
3) The narrator describes his sister Laura as “She made no positive motion toward the world but stood at the edge of the water.” After reading the story, why is she depicted this way?
4) In what course did Laura’s Mother enroll her? What was Laura’s problem with this course? How did this conflict end?
5) What did Laura and her brother Tom call the area between two wings of the building which Laura overlooked from her room? What happened there that deeply affected her?
6) What collection was precious to Laura? What symbolical significance does it have in the story?
Consider in your answer this quote from Tennessee Williams: “She lived in a world of glass and also a world of music.”
7) Tom, like his sister, prefers to live in a world of fantasy; he spurns reality as represented by his work in the warehouse, and goes to write poetry on the roof. However, there is a fundamental
difference between them? Explain.
8) What reason did Tom give for writing “such strange and sorrowful poems in those days”?
9) In spite of being very tight with money, Mother wants Tom to invite one of his friends to dinner. What is her motivation?
10) Who does Tom invite to dinner? What kind of person is he? How is he different from Tom’s other acquaintances?
11) How is the encounter between Laura and Tom’s guest? Tom is anguished at not having a topic of conversation after dinner and fears boredom, but things turn out well. What happens?
12) Laura was devoted to a novel by Gene Stratton Porter titled Freckles, whose protagonist is a “one– armed orphan youth”. Why does this acquire importance later on in the story?
13) At first Mother builds high hopes for the prospects of a relationship between Laura and their guest, but a big disappointment awaits her. Why is that?
14) Mother is angry at Tom, but Laura is surprisingly pleased, and her final comment is “People in love take everything for granted.” What do you think she meant by that?
15) At the end, what did Tom decide to do? Has he been able to forget her sister? Explain
