"Gosh! Everybody excels in some one thing. Some in many! . . . All you've got to do is discover in what!" (The Glass Menagerie, 1280).
Maybe it's a little cliche, but it's worth noting.
Arguably, the themes we discussed at the beginning of this unit -- realism, family relationships, and memory -- are the most important within the play. However, I really latched on to this little speech that Jim gave Laura about her inferiority complex. Literally, Laura didn't say a word in the entire play after she gave Jim the broken glass unicorn, so I can't be absolutely certain that she received his message; nonetheless, it's a valid and relevant one.
All three Wingfields are somehow trapped. Amanda is stuck in the past, Laura is restricted by her extraordinary shyness, and Tom lacks the adventure he desires. As an audience, we know that Tom moved on when he left St. Louis. Amanda probably didn't move on -- she couldn't get over the fact that Jim was engaged. Laura may or may not have received the message.
The message is this: if we fail to determine and dedicate ourselves to the areas in which we excel, we become trapped and, if you will, fragile, like glass. Jim delivered this speech with a special focus on Laura who he says has an "inferiority complex" (and that seems like a reasonable judgment). If Laura doesn't gain some confidence and offer herself to the world, she'll continue to be trapped at home with her glass menagerie. But the message, as I said before, applies to all three trapped Wingfields. My eloquence is waning and doesn't compare to Jim's, so I'm going to stop now.
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