The glass menagerie is an alltime favorite play for many

The Glass Menagerie is an all-time favorite play for many people including myself. Although there are a few differences in the film and in the text itself it is still a great thing to watch or read! The Wingfield’s, Tom, Amanda and Laura

After reading the play and viewing the film, some things came to mind. For instance, in the film how Amanda makes her character really come to life by showing how annoying and controlling she truly is simply because she wants Laura and Tom to do whatever she wants.

This is a good thing especially because readers don’t usually read a script with using the full emotion it is intended to be with. It really shows how Williams wants readers and viewers to see Amanda’s character. The first thing is when Amanda walks into Tom’s room while he is writing and notices that he is not sitting up straight and his says “ will you please sit up straight so your shoulders don’t stick out” (Glass).

It mentions this in the play as well as in the film when Amanda confiscates Tom’s books by Mr. Lawrence and says, “ I won’t have that filth in my house” (Glass). This is where Tom loses it with his mother going on about how nothing is to his name in the house and she acts so hurt when she knows it is the truth. Amanda also seemed to be like the one acting like the young girl in the film because she would flirt with the gentleman caller, Jim, as if she was going to be the one marrying him.

Another thing that stands out from the text and the film is when Tom is arguing with his mom and he bumps Laura’s Glass Menagerie off the table she yells “ my glass menagerie!” (page# scene# speech#) Laura did not yell in the film, she just stared at Tom as her mother walked away in grief after the argument with Tom. Not to mention that in the text, it says “ Laura has one leg slightly shorter than the other” (1727). It is quite unnoticeable in the film because the character does not seem to have a crippled leg, she seemed like everyone else. It also says that all through high school Laura wore a leg brace and she didn’t have it on throughout the movie. This would have to be a negative thing for the film because readers can not see Laura for who she really is or how she is described as in the play.

Even though there are a few differences in the movie and in the text, there are a lot more similarities then differences. One important similarity is that Tom is still the narrator just like he is in the text. Also, the apartment they lived in had the fire escape and dance hall in the alley and Tom would go out there and smoke just like the book. Tom also shows how much he loves his sister Laura just like he did in the play. For example, when Laura trips in the staircase he rushes over to see if she is okay and he even apologizes to his mom when she asked him to. The movie shows how much Tom actually respects his sister and mom even though he is under a lot of stress.

In comparing the text, “ The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams and the movie they have very similar content as well as their differences. The characters represented a very similar way in both settings. It seems like when they made the movie they wanted it to be as accurate as the book is.