The Glass Menagerie
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Memory Play Staging
- Introduces Tennessee Williamsâs The Glass Menagerie and frames it as a 1945 âmemory play.â
- Emphasizes performance and stage spectacle over simply analyzing plot, character, setting, and theme.
- Explains Williamsâs use of cinematic techniques, especially flashbacks, subtitles, and musical commentary.
- Describes Tom Wingfield as author, narrator, director, and actor within the playâs remembered action.
- Highlights the playâs subjective, fragmented quality as a âtheater of the mind.â
Tennessee Williams
1914-1983
The Glass
Menagerie
1945
In studying a play we habitually isolate such
constituents of drama as plot, character,
setting, and theme, whereas in attending a
play we tend to become, as we say,
"involved." Williams' Production Notes
emphasize not the constituents so much as
the unfolding performance in a theater,
and his plentiful stage directions are a
reminder that what Aristotle called
"spectacle" need not be regarded as the
mere addition of theatrical effects, but
rather the encompassing and progressing
action upon the stage.
In this "memory play" Williams borrows
from the medium of cinema, especially from
silent film, to present the interrupted
continuity of Tom Wingfield's stream of
thought, which bears his story. The scenes
are offered as "flashbacks," punctuated by
the slightly nostalgic and self-mocking
subtitles. Tom holds in hand a movie script
and from time to time waves in a musical
sound track providing bittersweet
commentary. He is successively author,
narrator, director, and actor. All unreels as
on the screen of his memories. The
combination of the constituents of the play
with the mode of cinema creates the effect
of discontinuous subjectivity which is the
essence of this particular work. The theater
in which The Glass Menagerie is performed
becomes the theater of the mind.
749
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS
The Glass Menagerie
WILLIAMS
The Author's Production Notes
The Plastic Theatre Concept
- Tennessee Williams argues that unconventional dramatic techniques aim for a deeper truth than literal realism.
- He critiques the 'photographic' nature of realistic plays, comparing them to academic landscapes that lack organic life.
- The author introduces the concept of 'plastic theatre' as a vital replacement for exhausted theatrical conventions.
- A specific 'screen device' involving projected images and titles is proposed to provide structural clarity and thematic accent.
- While omitted from the Broadway production due to the lead actress's power, the device is included in the script to aid the audience's focus.
- The screen serves to strengthen allusions and prevent the episodic narrative from feeling merely fragmentary.
The straight realistic play with its genuine frigidaire and authentic ice-cubes, its characters that speak exactly as its audience speaks, corresponds to the academic landscape and has the same virtue of a photographic likeness.
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS
The Glass Menagerie
WILLIAMS
The Author's Production Notes
Being a "memory play," The Glass Menagerie can be presented with unusual freedom of convention. Because of its considerably delicate or tenuous material, atmospheric touches and subtleties of direction play a particularly important part. Expressionism and all other unconventional techniques in drama have only one valid aim, and that is a closer approach to truth. When a play employs unconventional techniques, it is not, or certainly shouldn't be, trying to escape its responsibility of dealing with reality, or interpreting experience, but is actually or should be attempting to find a closer approach, a more penetrating and vivid expression of things as they are. The straight realistic play with its genuine frigidaire and authentic ice-cubes, its characters that speak exactly as its audience speaks, corresponds to the academic landscape and has the same virtue of a photographic likeness Everyone should know nowadays the unimportance of the photographic in art: that truth, life, or reality is an organic thing which the poetic imagination can represent or suggest, in essence, only through transformation, through changing into other forms than those which were merely present in appearance.
These remarks are not meant as a preface only to this particular play They have to do with a conception of a new, plastic theatre which must take the place of the exhausted theatre of realistic conventions if the theatre is to resume vitality as a part of our culture
THE SCREEN DEVICE. There is only one important difference between the original and acting version of the play and that is the omission in the latter of the device which I tentatively included in my original script. This device was the use of a screen on which were projected magic-lantern slides bearing images or titles. I do not regret the omission of this device from the present Broadway production. The extraordinary power of Miss Taylor's performance made it suitable to have the utmost simplicity in the physical production. But I think it may be interesting to some readers to see how this device was conceived So I am putting it into the published manuscript These images and legends, projected from behind, were cast on a section of wall between the front-room and dining-room areas, which should be indistinguishable from the rest when not in use.
The purpose of this will probably be apparent It is to give accent to certain values in each scene Each scene contains a particular point (or several) which is structurally the most important In an episodic play, such as this, the basic structure or narrative line may be obscured from the audience; the effect may seem fragmentary rather than architectural. This may not be the fault of the play so much as a lack of attention in the audience. The legend or image upon the screen will strengthen the effect of what is merely allusion in the writing and allow the primary point to be made more simply and lightly than if the entire responsibility were on the spoken lines. Aside
The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams Copyright 1945 by Tennessee Williams and Edwina D Williams and renewed 1973 by Tennessee Williams Reprinted by permission of Random House, Inc
Caution: Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that The Glass Menagerie, being fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America, the British Empire including the Dominion of Canada, and all other countries of the copyright union, is subject to royalty All rights, including professional, amateur, motion picture. recitation. lecturing, public reading, radio broadcasting, and the rights of translation into foreign languages, are strictly reserved Particular emphasis is laid on the question of readings. permission for which must be secured from the author's agent in writing All inquiries should be addressed to the author's agent. Liebling-Wood, 551 Fifth Avenue, New York City
Atmosphere and Character Portraits
- The recurring musical theme functions as a nostalgic thread, representing the delicate beauty and inherent fragility of the characters' lives.
- Lighting is intentionally non-realistic and dim, utilizing focused shafts of light to emphasize emotional centers rather than literal action.
- Laura is visually associated with the clarity of religious iconography, reflecting her status as a figure of 'pristine' but static grace.
- Amanda Wingfield is defined by a 'confused vitality,' embodying a tragic yet heroic struggle to cling to a vanished past.
- Laura's physical disability serves as the catalyst for her total retreat into a world as fragile as her glass collection.
- Tom Wingfield is established as a poet-narrator who must paradoxically embrace ruthlessness to escape his stifling environment.
It expresses the surface vivacity of life with the underlying strain of immutable and inexpressible sorrow.
The Glass Menagerie
from this structural value, I think the screen
will have a definite emotional appeal, less de-
finable but just as important. An imaginative
producer or director may invent many other
uses for this device than those indicated in
the present script. In fact the possibilities of
the device seem much larger to me than the
instance of this play can possibly utilize.
THE MUSIC Another extra-literary accent in
this play is provided by the use of music. A
single recurring tune, âThe Glass Menagerie,â
is used to give emotional emphasis to suitable
passages. This tune is like circus music, not
when you are on the grounds or in the im-
mediate vicinity of the parade, but when you
are at some distance and very likely thinking
of something else. It seems under those cir-
cumstances to continue almost interminably
and it weaves in and out of your preoccupied
consciousness; then it is the lightest, most
delicate music in the world and perhaps the
saddest. It expresses the surface vivacity of life
with the underlying strain of immutable and
inexpressible sorrow. When you look at a
piece of delicately spun glass you think of
two things: how beautiful it is and how easily
it can be broken. Both of those ideas should be
woven into the recurring tune, which dips in
and out of the play as if it were carried on a
wind that changes. It serves as a thread of con-
nection and allusion between the narrator with
his separate point in time and space and the
subject of his story. Between each episode it
returns as reference to the emotion, nostalgia,
which is the first condition of the play. It is
primarily Lauraâs music and therefore comes
out most clearly when the play focuses upon
her and the lovely fragility of glass which is
her image.
THE LIGHTING The lighting in the play is
not realistic. In keeping with the atmosphere
of memory, the stage is dim. Shafts of light are
focused on selected areas or actors, sometimes
in contradistinction to what is the apparent
center. For instance, in the quarrel scene be-
tween Tom and Amanda, in which Laura has
no active part, the clearest pool of light is on
her figure. This is also true of the supper scene,
when her silent figure on the sofa should re-
main the visual center. The light upon Laura
should be distinct from the others, having a
peculiar pristine clarity such as light used in
early religious portraits of female saints or
madonnas. A certain correspondence to light
in religious paintings, such as El Grecoâs,
where the figures are radiant in atmosphere
that is relatively dusky, could be effectively
used throughout the play. (It will also permit
a more effective use of the screen.) A free,
imaginative use of light can be of enormous
value in giving a mobile, plastic quality to
plays of a more or less static nature.
THE CHARACTERS
AMANDA WINGFIELD the mother A little
woman of great but confused vitality clinging
frantically to another time and place. Her
characterization must be carefully created, not
copied from type. She is not paranoiac, but
her life is paranoia. There is much to admire
in Amanda, and as much to love and pity as
there is to laugh at. Certainly she has en-
durance and a kind of heroism, and though
her foolishness makes her unwittingly cruel
at times, there is tenderness in her slight
person.
LAURA WINGFIELD her daughter Amanda,
having failed to establish contact with reality,
continues to live vitally in her illusions, but
Lauraâs situation is even graver. A childhood
illness has left her crippled, one leg slightly
shorter than the other, and held in a brace.
This defect need not be more than suggested
on the stage. Stemming from this, Lauraâs
separation increases till she is like a piece of
her own glass collection, too exquisitely fragile
to move from the shelf.
TOM WINGFIELD her son. And the narrator of
the play. A poet with a job in a warehouse.
His nature is not remorseless, but to escape
from a trap he has to act without pity.
JIM OâCONNOR the gentleman caller A nice,
ordinary, young man.
Memory and Human Desperation
- The setting is a 'hive-like' tenement in St. Louis, representing the automated and 'enslaved' existence of the American lower-middle class.
- The fire-escape serves as a literal and symbolic entrance, representing the 'slow and implacable fires of human desperation' burning within the residents.
- The play is established as a 'memory play,' utilizing non-realistic lighting and poetic license to reflect emotional values rather than objective reality.
- Tom Wingfield acts as both a character and an undisguised narrator who admits to using 'the pleasant disguise of illusion' to reveal truth.
- The physical environment is cluttered and grim, featuring a collection of glass animals and a haunting photograph of a father who abandoned the family.
All of these huge buildings are always burning with the slow and implacable fires of human desperation.
752
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene I
SCENE. An alley in St. Louis.
PART I. Preparation for a Gentleman Caller
PART II. The Gentleman calls.
TIME: Now and the Past.
SCENE I.
5 The Wingfield apartment is in the rear of the
building, one of those vast hive-like conglomera-
tions of cellular living-units that flower as warty
growths in overcrowded urban centers of lower
middle-class population and are symptomatic of
10 the impulse of this largest and fundamentally
enslaved section of American society to avoid
fluidity and differentiation and to exist and func-
tion as one interfused mass of automatism.
The apartment faces an alley and is entered by a
15 fire-escape, a structure whose name is a touch of
accidental poetic truth, for all of these huge
buildings are always burning with the slow and
implacable fires of human desperation. The fire-
escape is included in the setâthat is, the landing
20 of it and steps descending from it.
The scene is memory and is therefore non-
realistic. Memory takes a lot of poetic license. It
omits some details; others are exaggerated, ac-
cording to the emotional value of the articles it
25 touches, for memory is seated predominantly in
the heart. The interior is therefore rather dim and
poetic.
At the rise of the curtain, the audience is faced
with the dark, grim rear wall of the Wingfield tene-
30 ment. This building, which runs parallel to the
footlights, is flanked on both sides by dark, narrow
alleys which run into murky canyons of tangled
clotheslines, garbage cans and the sinister lattice-
work of neighboring fire-escapes. It is up and
35 down these side alleys that exterior entrances and
exits are made, during the play. At the end of
TOM'S opening commentary, the dark tenement
wall slowly reveals (by means of a transparency)
the interior of the ground floor Wingfield apart-
40 ment.
Downstage is the living room, which also serves
as a sleeping room for LAURA, the sofa unfolding
Time Tom narrates his memories at about the time of the
outbreak of World War II (1939-1945)
to make her bed. Upstage, center, and divided by a
wide arch or second proscenium, with transparent
faded portieres (or second curtain), is the dining 45
room. In an old-fashioned what-not in the living
room are seen scores of transparent glass animals.
A blown-up photograph of the father hangs on
the wall of the living room, facing the audience,
to the left of the archway. It is the face of a very 50
handsome young man in a doughboy's First World
War cap. He is gallantly smiling, ineluctably
smiling, as if to say, "I will be smiling forever."
The audience hears and sees the opening scene
in the dining room through both the transparent 55
fourth wall of the building and the transparent
gauze portieres of the dining-room arch. It is
during this revealing scene that the fourth wall
slowly ascends, out of sight. This transparent
exterior wall is not brought down again until 60
the very end of the play, during TOM'S final
speech.
The narrator is an undisguised convention of
the play. He takes whatever license with dramatic
convention as is convenient to his purposes. 65
TOM enters dressed as a merchant sailor from
alley, stage left, and strolls across the front of the
stage to the fire-escape. There he stops and lights
a cigarette. He addresses the audience.
TOM. Yes, I have tricks in my pocket, I have 70
things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of
a stage magician. He gives you illusion that
has the appearance of truth. I give you truth
in the pleasant disguise of illusion.
To begin with, I turn back time. I reverse it 75
to that quaint period, the thirties, when the
huge middle class of America was matriculat-
ing in a school for the blind. Their eyes had
failed them, or they had failed their eyes, and
so they were having their fingers pressed 80
forcibly down on the fiery Braille alphabet of
a dissolving economy.
In Spain there was revolution. Here there
was only shouting and confusion.
In Spain there was Guernica. Here there 85
were disturbances of labor, sometimes pretty
Guernica a town in northern Spain, heavily bombarded
by German aircraft in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War
The Memory Play Begins
- The narrator, Tom, introduces the play as a memory piece, characterized by dim lighting, sentimentality, and a non-realistic atmosphere accompanied by music.
- The setting is contrasted with the global and domestic turmoil of the 1930s, including the Spanish Civil War and labor disturbances in American cities.
- The family dynamic is defined by the absence of the father, a 'telephone man who fell in love with long distances' and abandoned them with a two-word postcard.
- A 'gentleman caller' is introduced as both a realistic character and a symbol of the long-delayed hopes the family lives for.
- The opening scene depicts a tense dinner where Amandaâs overbearing instructions on 'mastication' drive Tom to frustration and rebellion.
- Amanda reveals her preoccupation with social status and traditional roles, insisting Laura remain 'fresh and pretty' for potential suitors.
He was a telephone man who fell in love with long distances; he gave up his job with the telephone company and skipped the light fantastic out of town . . .
752
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene I
SCENE. An alley in St. Louis.
PART I. Preparation for a Gentleman Caller
PART II. The Gentleman calls.
TIME: Now and the Past.
SCENE I.
5 The Wingfield apartment is in the rear of the
building, one of those vast hive-like conglomera-
tions of cellular living-units that flower as warty
growths in overcrowded urban centers of lower
middle-class population and are symptomatic of
10 the impulse of this largest and fundamentally
enslaved section of American society to avoid
fluidity and differentiation and to exist and func-
tion as one interfused mass of automatism.
The apartment faces an alley and is entered by a
15 fire-escape, a structure whose name is a touch of
accidental poetic truth, for all of these huge
buildings are always burning with the slow and
implacable fires of human desperation. The fire-
escape is included in the setâthat is, the landing
20 of it and steps descending from it.
The scene is memory and is therefore non-
realistic. Memory takes a lot of poetic license. It
omits some details; others are exaggerated, ac-
cording to the emotional value of the articles it
25 touches, for memory is seated predominantly in
the heart. The interior is therefore rather dim and
poetic.
At the rise of the curtain, the audience is faced
with the dark, grim rear wall of the Wingfield tene-
30 ment. This building, which runs parallel to the
footlights, is flanked on both sides by dark, narrow
alleys which run into murky canyons of tangled
clotheslines, garbage cans and the sinister lattice-
work of neighboring fire-escapes. It is up and
35 down these side alleys that exterior entrances and
exits are made, during the play. At the end of
TOM'S opening commentary, the dark tenement
wall slowly reveals (by means of a transparency)
the interior of the ground floor Wingfield apart-
40 ment.
Downstage is the living room, which also serves
as a sleeping room for LAURA, the sofa unfolding
Time Tom narrates his memories at about the time of the
outbreak of World War II (1939-1945)
to make her bed. Upstage, center, and divided by a
wide arch or second proscenium, with transparent
faded portieres (or second curtain), is the dining 45
room. In an old-fashioned what-not in the living
room are seen scores of transparent glass animals.
A blown-up photograph of the father hangs on
the wall of the living room, facing the audience,
to the left of the archway. It is the face of a very 50
handsome young man in a doughboy's First World
War cap. He is gallantly smiling, ineluctably
smiling, as if to say, "I will be smiling forever."
The audience hears and sees the opening scene
in the dining room through both the transparent 55
fourth wall of the building and the transparent
gauze portieres of the dining-room arch. It is
during this revealing scene that the fourth wall
slowly ascends, out of sight. This transparent
exterior wall is not brought down again until 60
the very end of the play, during TOM'S final
speech.
The narrator is an undisguised convention of
the play. He takes whatever license with dramatic
convention as is convenient to his purposes. 65
TOM enters dressed as a merchant sailor from
alley, stage left, and strolls across the front of the
stage to the fire-escape. There he stops and lights
a cigarette. He addresses the audience.
TOM. Yes, I have tricks in my pocket, I have 70
things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of
a stage magician. He gives you illusion that
has the appearance of truth. I give you truth
in the pleasant disguise of illusion.
To begin with, I turn back time. I reverse it 75
to that quaint period, the thirties, when the
huge middle class of America was matriculat-
ing in a school for the blind. Their eyes had
failed them, or they had failed their eyes, and
so they were having their fingers pressed 80
forcibly down on the fiery Braille alphabet of
a dissolving economy.
In Spain there was revolution. Here there
was only shouting and confusion.
In Spain there was Guernica. Here there 85
were disturbances of labor, sometimes pretty
Guernica a town in northern Spain, heavily bombarded
by German aircraft in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War
violent, in otherwise peaceful cities such as
Chicago, Cleveland, Saint Louis . . .
This is the social background of the play
[MUSIC]
5 The play is memory.
Being a memory play, it is dimly lighted, it
is sentimental, it is not realistic
In memory everything seems to happen to
music. That explains the fiddle in the wings
10 I am the narrator of the play, and also a char-
acter in it
The other characters are my mother, Amanda,
my sister, Laura, and a gentleman caller who
appears in the final scenes.
15 He is the most realistic character in the play,
being an emissary from a world of reality that
we were somehow set apart from.
But since I have a poet's weakness for sym-
bols, I am using this character also as a symbol;
20 he is the long delayed but always expected
something that we live for.
There is a fifth character in the play who
doesn't appear except in this larger-than-life-
size photograph over the mantel.
25 This is our father who left us a long time ago.
He was a telephone man who fell in love
with long distances; he gave up his job with
the telephone company and skipped the light
fantastic out of town . . .
30 The last we heard of him was a picture post-
card from Mazatlan, on the Pacific coast of
Mexico, containing a message of two wordsâ
"Hello-Good-bye!" and no address.
I think the rest of the play will explain it-
35 self . . .
[AMANDA'S voice becomes audible through the
portieres.]
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "OĂ SONT LES NEIGES."]
He divides the portieres and enters the upstage
40 area. AMANDA and LAURA are seated at a drop-
leaf table. Eating is indicated by gestures without
food or utensils. AMANDA faces the audience.
TOM and LAURA are seated in profile. The in-
Scene I | The Glass Menagerie
terior has lit up softly and through the scrim
we see AMANDA and LAURA seated at the table 45
in the upstage area.
AMANDA [Calling]. TOM?
TOM. Yes, Mother.
AMANDA. We can't say grace until you come
to the table! 50
TOM. Coming, Mother. [He bows slightly and
withdraws, reappearing a few moments later in
his place at the table.]
AMANDA [To her son]. Honey, don't push
with your fingers If you have to push with 55
something, the thing to push with is a crust of
bread. And chewâchew! Animals have sec-
tions in their stomachs which enable them to
digest food without mastication, but human
beings are supposed to chew their food before 60
they swallow it down. Eat food leisurely, son,
and really enjoy it. A well-cooked meal has lots
of delicate flavors that have to be held in the
mouth for appreciation. So chew your food and
give your salivary glands a chance to function! 65
[TOM deliberately lays his imaginary fork down
and pushes his chair back from the table.]
TOM. I haven't enjoyed one bite of this din-
ner because of your constant directions on how
to eat it. It's you that make me rush through 70
meals with your hawk-like attention to every
bite I take. Sickeningâspoils my appetiteâall
this discussion ofâanimals' secretionâsali-
vary glandsâmastication!
AMANDA [Lightly]. Temperament like a 75
Metropolitan star! [He rises and crosses down-
stage.] You're not excused from the table.
TOM. I'm getting a cigarette.
AMANDA. You smoke too much. [LAURA
rises.] 80
LAURA. I'll bring in the blanc mange. [He
remains standing with his cigarette by the
portieres during the following.]
AMANDA [Rising]. No, sister, no, sisterâyou
be the lady this time and I'll be the darky. 85
LAURA. I'm already up.
AMANDA. Resume your seat, little sisterâI
want you to stay fresh and prettyâfor gentle-
men callers!
LAURA. I'm not expecting any gentlemen 90
callers.
Legend on Screen a caption in the style of "titles" (com-
ment or dialogue) in silent movies; here a line from the
French poet Francois Villon (1431-1463?). "Where are
the snows of yesteryear?"
The Legend of Blue Mountain
- Amanda Wingfield escapes her current reality by recounting a legendary Sunday in Blue Mountain where she hosted seventeen gentlemen callers.
- The narrative highlights Amanda's obsession with a lost era of Southern social grace, wit, and 'the art of conversation.'
- Amanda lists her former suitors' tragic or successful fates, emphasizing the wealth and status she bypassed to marry Tom and Laura's father.
- The tension between the siblings is evident as Tom reacts with cynical exhaustion while Laura patiently endures the repetitive storytelling.
- Amanda projects her past expectations onto Laura, urging her to stay 'fresh and pretty' for callers who are unlikely to arrive.
- The scene underscores the theme of memory as a refuge from a bleak, impoverished present.
He got in a quarrel with that wild Wainwright boy. They shot it out on the floor of Moon Lake Casino.
violent, in otherwise peaceful cities such as
Chicago, Cleveland, Saint Louis . . .
This is the social background of the play
[MUSIC]
5 The play is memory.
Being a memory play, it is dimly lighted, it
is sentimental, it is not realistic
In memory everything seems to happen to
music. That explains the fiddle in the wings
10 I am the narrator of the play, and also a char-
acter in it
The other characters are my mother, Amanda,
my sister, Laura, and a gentleman caller who
appears in the final scenes.
15 He is the most realistic character in the play,
being an emissary from a world of reality that
we were somehow set apart from.
But since I have a poet's weakness for sym-
bols, I am using this character also as a symbol;
20 he is the long delayed but always expected
something that we live for.
There is a fifth character in the play who
doesn't appear except in this larger-than-life-
size photograph over the mantel.
25 This is our father who left us a long time ago.
He was a telephone man who fell in love
with long distances; he gave up his job with
the telephone company and skipped the light
fantastic out of town . . .
30 The last we heard of him was a picture post-
card from Mazatlan, on the Pacific coast of
Mexico, containing a message of two wordsâ
"Hello-Good-bye!" and no address.
I think the rest of the play will explain it-
35 self . . .
[AMANDA'S voice becomes audible through the
portieres.]
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "OĂ SONT LES NEIGES."]
He divides the portieres and enters the upstage
40 area. AMANDA and LAURA are seated at a drop-
leaf table. Eating is indicated by gestures without
food or utensils. AMANDA faces the audience.
TOM and LAURA are seated in profile. The in-
Scene I | The Glass Menagerie
terior has lit up softly and through the scrim
we see AMANDA and LAURA seated at the table 45
in the upstage area.
AMANDA [Calling]. TOM?
TOM. Yes, Mother.
AMANDA. We can't say grace until you come
to the table! 50
TOM. Coming, Mother. [He bows slightly and
withdraws, reappearing a few moments later in
his place at the table.]
AMANDA [To her son]. Honey, don't push
with your fingers If you have to push with 55
something, the thing to push with is a crust of
bread. And chewâchew! Animals have sec-
tions in their stomachs which enable them to
digest food without mastication, but human
beings are supposed to chew their food before 60
they swallow it down. Eat food leisurely, son,
and really enjoy it. A well-cooked meal has lots
of delicate flavors that have to be held in the
mouth for appreciation. So chew your food and
give your salivary glands a chance to function! 65
[TOM deliberately lays his imaginary fork down
and pushes his chair back from the table.]
TOM. I haven't enjoyed one bite of this din-
ner because of your constant directions on how
to eat it. It's you that make me rush through 70
meals with your hawk-like attention to every
bite I take. Sickeningâspoils my appetiteâall
this discussion ofâanimals' secretionâsali-
vary glandsâmastication!
AMANDA [Lightly]. Temperament like a 75
Metropolitan star! [He rises and crosses down-
stage.] You're not excused from the table.
TOM. I'm getting a cigarette.
AMANDA. You smoke too much. [LAURA
rises.] 80
LAURA. I'll bring in the blanc mange. [He
remains standing with his cigarette by the
portieres during the following.]
AMANDA [Rising]. No, sister, no, sisterâyou
be the lady this time and I'll be the darky. 85
LAURA. I'm already up.
AMANDA. Resume your seat, little sisterâI
want you to stay fresh and prettyâfor gentle-
men callers!
LAURA. I'm not expecting any gentlemen 90
callers.
Legend on Screen a caption in the style of "titles" (com-
ment or dialogue) in silent movies; here a line from the
French poet Francois Villon (1431-1463?). "Where are
the snows of yesteryear?"
754
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene I
AMANDA [Crossing out to kitchenette Airily]
Sometimes they come when they are least
expected! Why, I remember one Sunday after-
noon in Blue Mountainâ [Enters kitchenette.]
TOM. I know whatâs coming!
LAURA. Yes. But let her tell it.
TOM. Again?
LAURA. She loves to tell it.
[AMANDA returns with bowl of dessert.]
AMANDA. One Sunday afternoon in Blue
Mountainâyour mother receivedâseventeen
âgentlemen callers! Why, sometimes there
werenât chairs enough to accommodate them
all. We had to send the nigger over to bring in
folding chairs from the parish house.
TOM [Remaining at portieres] How did you
entertain those gentlemen callers?
AMANDA. I understood the art of conversa-
tion!
TOM. I bet you could talk.
AMANDA. Girls in those days knew how to
talk, I can tell you.
TOM. Yes?
[IMAGE: AMANDA AS A GIRL ON A PORCH,
GREETING CALLERS.]
AMANDA. They knew how to entertain their
gentlemen callers. It wasnât enough for a girl
to be possessed of a pretty face and a graceful
figureâalthough I wasnât slighted in either
respect. She also needed to be a nimble wit
and a tongue to meet all occasions.
TOM. What did you talk about?
AMANDA. Things of importance going on in
the world! Never anything coarse or common
or vulgar. [She addresses TOM as though he
were seated in the vacant chair at the table
though he remains by portieres. He plays this
scene as though he held the book.]° My callers
were gentlemenâall! Among my callers were
some of the most prominent young planters of
the Mississippi Deltaâplanters and sons of
planters!
[TOM motions for music and a spot of light on
AMANDA. Her eyes lift, her face glows, her voice
becomes rich and elegiac.]
[SCREEN LEGEND: âOĂ SONI LES NEIGES.â]
There was young Champ Laughlin who later
became vice-president of the Delta Planters
Bank.
Hadley Stevenson who was drowned in 50
Moon Lake and left his widow one hundred
and fifty thousand in Government bonds.
There were the Cutrere brothers, Wesley and
Bates. Bates was one of my bright particular
beaux! He got in a quarrel with that wild 55
Wainwright boy. They shot it out on the floor
of Moon Lake Casino. Bates was shot through
the stomach. Died in the ambulance on his
way to Memphis. His widow was also well-
provided for, came into eight or ten thousand 60
acres, thatâs all. She married him on the re-
boundânever loved herâcarried my picture
on him the night he died!
And there was that boy that every girl in the
Delta had set her cap for! That beautiful, 65
brilliant young Fitzhugh boy from Greene
County!
TOM. What did he leave his widow?
AMANDA. He never married! Gracious, you
talk as though all of my old admirers had 70
turned up their toes to the daisies!
TOM. Isnât this the first youâve mentioned
that still survives?
AMANDA. That Fitzhugh boy went North
and made a fortuneâcame to be known as the 75
Wolf of Wall Street! He had the Midas touch,
whatever he touched turned to gold!
And I could have been Mrs. Duncan J. Fitz-
hugh, mind you! ButâI picked your father!
LAURA [Rising]. Mother, let me clear the 80
table.
AMANDA. No, dear, you go in front and
study your typewriter chart. Or practice your
shorthand a little. Stay fresh and pretty!âItâs
almost time for our gentlemen callers to start 85
arriving. [She flounces girlishly toward the
kitchenette] How many do you suppose weâre
going to entertain this afternoon?
[TOM throws down the paper and jumps up
with a groan.] 90
LAURA [Alone in the dining room]. I donât be-
lieve weâre going to receive any, Mother.
AMANDA [Reappearing, airily]. What? No
book script of the play
Deception and Disappointment
- Amanda expresses disbelief and anxiety over Laura's lack of 'gentleman callers,' contrasting it with her own social success in Blue Mountain.
- Laura acknowledges her mother's deep-seated fear that she is destined to become an 'old maid.'
- Amanda returns home in a state of performative despair, wearing her outdated 'full-dress' outfit and skipping her social meeting.
- Laura attempts to hide her glass collection and pretend to study her typewriter keyboard when she hears her mother approaching.
- Amanda reveals she has discovered a 'deception,' leading her to tear up Laura's typing and shorthand charts in a fit of martyred sorrow.
- The tension between the two women peaks as Amanda questions Laura's maturity and stares at her with a look of grim hopelessness.
I did not have the strength-to go to the D.A.R. In fact, I did not have the courage! I wanted to find a hole in the ground and hide myself in it forever!
one-not one? You must be joking! [LAURA
nervously echoes her laugh. She slips in a fugitive
manner through the half-open portieres and draws
them gently behind her. A shaft of very clear light
5 is thrown on her face against the faded tapestry
of the curtains. MUSIC: "THE GLASS MENAGERIE"
UNDER FAINTLY. Lightly]. Not one gentleman
caller? It can't be true! There must be a flood,
there must have been a tornado!
10 LAURA. It isn't a flood, it's not a tornado,
Mother I'm just not popular like you were in
Blue Mountain... [TOM utters another groan.
LAURA glances at him with a faint, apologetic
smile. Her voice catching a little]. Mother's
15 afraid I'm going to be an old maid.
The Scene Dims Out With "Glass Menagerie"
Music
SCENE II.
"Laura, Haven't You Ever Liked Some Boy?"
On the dark stage the screen is lighted with the
20 image of blue roses. Gradually LAURA's figure
becomes apparent and the screen goes out. The
music subsides.
LAURA is seated in the delicate ivory chair at
the small clawfoot table. She wears a dress of soft
25 violet material for a kimono-her hair tied back
from her forehead with a ribbon. She is washing
and polishing her collection of glass
AMANDA appears on the fire-escape steps. At
the sound of her ascent, LAURA catches her
30 breath, thrusts the bowl of ornaments away and
seats herself stiffly before the diagram of the
typewriter keyboard as though it held her spell-
bound. Something has happened to AMANDA. It is
written in her face as she climbs to the landing:
35 a look that is grim and hopeless and a little absurd.
She has on one of those cheap or imitation
velvety-looking cloth coats with imitation fur
collar. Her hat is five or six years old, one of those
dreadful cloche hats that were worn in the late
40 twenties and she is clasping an enormous black
patent-leather pocketbook with nickel clasps
and initials. This is her full-dress outfit, the one
Music especially composed for this play by Paul Bowles
she usually wears to the D.A.R. Before entering
she looks through the door. She purses her lips,
opens her eyes very wide, rolls them upward and 45
shakes her head. Then she slowly lets herself in
the door. Seeing her mother's expression LAURA
touches her lips with a nervous gesture.
LAURA. Hello, Mother, I was- [She makes a
nervous gesture toward the chart on the wall. 50
AMANDA leans against the shut door and stares
at LAURA with a martyred look.]
AMANDA. Deception? Deception? [She slowly
removes her hat and gloves, continuing the sweet
suffering stare. She lets the hat and gloves fall 55
on the floor-a bit of acting.]
LAURA. [Shakily] How was the D.A.R.
meeting? [AMANDA slowly opens her purse and
removes a dainty white handkerchief which she
shakes out delicately and delicately touches to 60
her lips and nostrils]. Didn't you go to the
D.A.R. meeting, Mother?
AMANDA. [Faintly, almost inaudibly]-No.-
No [Then more forcibly] I did not have the
strength-to go to the D.A.R. In fact, I did not 65
have the courage! I wanted to find a hole in the
ground and hide myself in it forever! [She
crosses slowly to the wall and removes the dia-
gram of the typewriter keyboard. She holds it in
front of her for a second, staring at it sweetly 70
and sorrowfully-then bites her lips and tears
it in two pieces.]
LAURA. [Faintly]. Why did you do that,
Mother? [AMANDA repeats the same procedure
with the chart of the Gregg Alphabet]. Why are 75
you-
AMANDA. Why? Why? How old are you,
Laura?
LAURA. Mother, you know my age.
AMANDA. I thought you were an adult; it 80
seems that I was mistaken. [She crosses slowly
to the sofa and sinks down and stares at LAURA.]
LAURA. Please don't stare at me, Mother.
[AMANDA closes her eyes and lowers her head.
Count ten.] 85
D.A.R. Daughters of the American Revolution. a patriotic
society of ladies who trace their descent from ancestors
who assisted in the Revolutionary War
The Deception of Laura Wingfield
- Amanda discovers that Laura dropped out of Rubicam's Business College weeks ago after a physical breakdown during a typing speed test.
- Laura reveals she has been spending her school hours wandering the city, visiting the zoo, art museums, and tropical greenhouses to maintain the illusion of attendance.
- The financial sacrifice of fifty dollars in tuition is highlighted as a significant loss for the struggling family.
- Laura explains her deception was motivated by a desperate fear of her mother's disappointment and 'suffering look.'
- The confrontation underscores the vast disconnect between Amanda's ambitious expectations and Laura's crippling social anxiety.
I visited the penguins every day! Sometimes I did without lunch and went to the movies.
756
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene II
AMANDA. What are we going to do, what is
going to become of us, what is the future?
[Count ten]
LAURA. Has something happened, Mother?
[AMANDA draws a long breath and takes out the
handkerchief again. Dabbing process]. Mother,
has - something happened?
AMANDA. I'll be all right in a minute, I'm just
bewildered - [Count five] - by life.
LAURA. Mother, I wish that you would tell
me what's happened!
AMANDA. As you know, I was supposed to
be inducted into my office at the D.A.R. this
afternoon. [IMAGE: A SWARM OF TYPEWRITERS].
But I stopped off at Rubicam's Business Col-
lege to speak to your teachers about your hav-
ing a cold and ask them what progress they
thought you were making down there.
LAURA. Oh....
AMANDA. I went to the typing instructor and
introduced myself as your mother. She didn't
know who you were. "Wingfield," she said.
"We don't have any such student enrolled at
the school!"
I assured her she did, that you have been
going to classes since early in January.
"I wonder," she said, "if you could be talk-
ing about that terribly shy little girl who
dropped out of school after only a few days'
attendance?"
"No," I said, "Laura, has been
going to school every day for the past six
weeks!"
"Excuse me," she said. She took the at-
tendance book out and there was your name,
unmistakably printed, and all the dates you
were absent until they decided that you had
dropped out of school.
I still said, "No, there must have been some
mistake! There must have been some mix-up
in the records!"
And she said, "No-I remember her per-
fectly now. Her hands shook so that she
couldn't hit the right keys! The first time we
gave a speed-test, she broke down com-
pletely - was sick at the stomach and almost
had to be carried into the wash-room! After
that morning she never showed up any more.
We phoned the house but never got any
answer" - While I was working at Famous and
Barr, I suppose, demonstrating those-Oh!
I felt so weak I could barely keep on my feet!
I had to sit down while they got me a glass of
water!
Fifty dollars' tuition, all of our plans - my
hopes and ambitions for you - just gone up
the spout, just gone up the spout like that.
[LAURA draws a long breath and gets awkwardly
to her feet. She crosses to the victrola and winds
it up]. What are you doing?
LAURA. Oh! [She releases the handle and re-
turns to her seat.]
AMANDA. Laura, where have you been going
when you've gone out pretending that you
were going to business college?
LAURA. I've just been going out walking
AMANDA. That's not true.
LAURA. It is. I just went walking.
AMANDA. Walking? Walking? In winter?
Deliberately courting pneumonia in that light
coat? Where did you walk to, Laura?
LAURA. All sorts of places - mostly in the
park.
AMANDA. Even after you'd starting catching
that cold?
LAURA. It was the lesser of two evils, Mother.
[IMAGE: WINTER SCENE IN PARK]. I couldn't
go back up. I-threw up - on the floor!
AMANDA. From half past seven till after five
every day you mean to tell me you walked
around in the park, because you wanted to
make me think that you were still going to
Rubicam's Business College?
LAURA. It wasn't as bad as it sounds. I went
inside places to get warmed up.
AMANDA. Inside where?
LAURA. I went in the art museum and the
birdhouses at the Zoo. I visited the penguins
every day! Sometimes I did without lunch and
went to the movies. Lately I've been spending
most of my afternoons in the Jewel-box, that
big glass house where they raise the tropical
flowers.
Famous and Barr a large department store in St Louis
Scene II | The Glass Menagerie
AMANDA. You did all this to deceive me, just
for deception? [LAURA looks down.] Why?
LAURA. Mother, when you're disappointed,
you get that awful suffering look on your face,
like the picture of Jesus' mother in the museum!
AMANDA. Hush!
LAURA. I couldn't face it.
[Pause. A whisper of strings.]
[LEGEND: "THE CRUST OF HUMILITY"]
AMANDA [Hopelessly fingering the huge
pocketbook]. So what are we going to do the
rest of our lives? Stay home and watch the
parades go by? Amuse ourselves with the glass
menagerie, darling? Eternally play those worn-
out phonograph records your father left as a
painful reminder of him?
We won't have a business careerâwe've
given that up because it gave us nervous in-
digestion! [Laughs wearily.] What is there left
but dependency all our lives? I know so well
what becomes of unmarried women who aren't
prepared to occupy a position. I've seen such
pitiful cases in the Southâbarely tolerated
spinsters living upon the grudging patronage
of sister's husband or brother's wife!âstuck
away in some little mouse-trap of a roomâ
encouraged by one in-law to visit anotherâ
little birdlike women without any nestâeating
the crust of humility all their life!
Is that the future that we've mapped out for
ourselves?
I swear it's the only alternative I can think of!
It isn't a very pleasant alternative, is it?
Of courseâsome girls do marry.
[LAURA twists her hands nervously.]
Haven't you ever liked some boy?
LAURA. Yes. I liked one once. [Rises]. I
came across his picture a while ago.
AMANDA [With some interest]. He gave you
his picture?
LAURA. No, it's in the year-book.
AMANDA [Disappointed]. Ohâa high-school
boy.
[SCREEN IMAGE: JIM AS HIGH-SCHOOL HERO
BEARING A SILVER CUP.]
LAURA. Yes. His name was Jim. [LAURA lifts
the heavy annual from the claw-foot table.]
Here he is in The Pirates of Penzance.
AMANDA [Absently]. The what?
LAURA. The operetta the senior class put on.
He had a wonderful voice and we sat across the
aisle from each other Mondays, Wednesdays
and Fridays in the Aud. Here he is with the
silver cup for debating! See his grin?
AMANDA [Absently]. He must have had a
jolly disposition.
LAURA. He used to call meâBlue Roses.
[IMAGE: BLUE ROSES.]
AMANDA. Why did he call you such a name
as that?
LAURA. When I had that attack of pleurosis
âhe asked me what was the matter when I came
back. I said pleurosisâhe thought that I said
Blue Roses! That's what he was always called me
after that. Whenever he saw me, he'd holler,
"Hello, Blue Roses!" I didn't care for the girl
that he went out with. Emily Meisenbach.
Emily was the best-dressed girl at Soldan. She
never struck me, though, as being sincere...
It says in the Personal Sectionâthey're en-
gaged. That'sâsix years ago! They must be
married by now.
AMANDA. Girls that aren't cut out for busi-
ness careers usually wind up married to some
nice man. [Gets up with a spark of revival.]
Sister, that's what you'll do!
[LAURA utters a startled, doubtful laugh. She
reaches quickly for a piece of glass.]
LAURA. But, Motherâ
AMANDA. Yes? [Crossing to photograph.]
LAURA [In a tone of frightened apology]. I'mâ
crippled!
[IMAGE: SCREEN.]
AMANDA. Nonsense! Laura, I've told you
never, never to use that word. Why, you're not
crippled, you just have a little defectâhardly
noticeable, even! When people have some
slight disadvantage like that, they cultivate
other things to make up for itâdevelop charm
âand vivacityâandâcharm! That's all you
have to do! [She turns again to the photograph.]
One thing your father had plenty ofâwas
charm!
pleurosis lung inflammation
The Crust of Humility
- Amanda expresses despair over Laura's failed business college attempt, fearing she will become a 'pitiful spinster' dependent on relatives.
- Laura reveals a past crush on a high school boy named Jim, who nicknamed her 'Blue Roses' after mishearing her diagnosis of pleurosis.
- The memory of Jim highlights Laura's isolation, as she notes he is likely married to a girl she deemed insincere.
- Amanda pivots from career goals to the necessity of marriage, urging Laura to cultivate 'charm' to overcome her physical disability.
- Laura's self-perception as 'crippled' is sharply rebuked by Amanda, who views the condition as a minor defect to be ignored.
- The narrative shifts to Tom's perspective, noting that finding a 'gentleman caller' has become his mother's singular obsession.
I've seen such pitiful cases in the Southâbarely tolerated spinsters living upon the grudging patronage of sister's husband or brother's wife!âstuck away in some little mouse-trap of a roomâencouraged by one in-law to visit anotherâlittle birdlike women without any nestâeating the crust of humility all their life!
Scene II | The Glass Menagerie
AMANDA. You did all this to deceive me, just
for deception? [LAURA looks down.] Why?
LAURA. Mother, when you're disappointed,
you get that awful suffering look on your face,
like the picture of Jesus' mother in the museum!
AMANDA. Hush!
LAURA. I couldn't face it.
[Pause. A whisper of strings.]
[LEGEND: "THE CRUST OF HUMILITY"]
AMANDA [Hopelessly fingering the huge
pocketbook]. So what are we going to do the
rest of our lives? Stay home and watch the
parades go by? Amuse ourselves with the glass
menagerie, darling? Eternally play those worn-
out phonograph records your father left as a
painful reminder of him?
We won't have a business careerâwe've
given that up because it gave us nervous in-
digestion! [Laughs wearily.] What is there left
but dependency all our lives? I know so well
what becomes of unmarried women who aren't
prepared to occupy a position. I've seen such
pitiful cases in the Southâbarely tolerated
spinsters living upon the grudging patronage
of sister's husband or brother's wife!âstuck
away in some little mouse-trap of a roomâ
encouraged by one in-law to visit anotherâ
little birdlike women without any nestâeating
the crust of humility all their life!
Is that the future that we've mapped out for
ourselves?
I swear it's the only alternative I can think of!
It isn't a very pleasant alternative, is it?
Of courseâsome girls do marry.
[LAURA twists her hands nervously.]
Haven't you ever liked some boy?
LAURA. Yes. I liked one once. [Rises]. I
came across his picture a while ago.
AMANDA [With some interest]. He gave you
his picture?
LAURA. No, it's in the year-book.
AMANDA [Disappointed]. Ohâa high-school
boy.
[SCREEN IMAGE: JIM AS HIGH-SCHOOL HERO
BEARING A SILVER CUP.]
LAURA. Yes. His name was Jim. [LAURA lifts
the heavy annual from the claw-foot table.]
Here he is in The Pirates of Penzance.
AMANDA [Absently]. The what?
LAURA. The operetta the senior class put on.
He had a wonderful voice and we sat across the
aisle from each other Mondays, Wednesdays
and Fridays in the Aud. Here he is with the
silver cup for debating! See his grin?
AMANDA [Absently]. He must have had a
jolly disposition.
LAURA. He used to call meâBlue Roses.
[IMAGE: BLUE ROSES.]
AMANDA. Why did he call you such a name
as that?
LAURA. When I had that attack of pleurosis
âhe asked me what was the matter when I came
back. I said pleurosisâhe thought that I said
Blue Roses! That's what he was always called me
after that. Whenever he saw me, he'd holler,
"Hello, Blue Roses!" I didn't care for the girl
that he went out with. Emily Meisenbach.
Emily was the best-dressed girl at Soldan. She
never struck me, though, as being sincere...
It says in the Personal Sectionâthey're en-
gaged. That'sâsix years ago! They must be
married by now.
AMANDA. Girls that aren't cut out for busi-
ness careers usually wind up married to some
nice man. [Gets up with a spark of revival.]
Sister, that's what you'll do!
[LAURA utters a startled, doubtful laugh. She
reaches quickly for a piece of glass.]
LAURA. But, Motherâ
AMANDA. Yes? [Crossing to photograph.]
LAURA [In a tone of frightened apology]. I'mâ
crippled!
[IMAGE: SCREEN.]
AMANDA. Nonsense! Laura, I've told you
never, never to use that word. Why, you're not
crippled, you just have a little defectâhardly
noticeable, even! When people have some
slight disadvantage like that, they cultivate
other things to make up for itâdevelop charm
âand vivacityâandâcharm! That's all you
have to do! [She turns again to the photograph.]
One thing your father had plenty ofâwas
charm!
pleurosis lung inflammation
758
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene III
[Tom motions to the fiddle in the wings.]
The Scene Fades Out With Music
SCENE III
LEGEND ON SCREEN: "AFTER THE FIASCO-"
TOM speaks from the fire-escape landing.
5 TOM. After the fiasco at Rubicamâs Business
College, the idea of getting a gentleman caller
for Laura began to play a more and more im-
portant part in Motherâs calculations.
It became an obsession. Like some archetype
10 of the universal unconscious, the image of the
gentleman caller haunted our small apart-
ment . . .
[IMAGE: YOUNG MAN AT DOOR WITH FLOWERS]
An evening at home rarely passed without
15 some allusion to this image, this spectre, this
hope . . .
Even when he wasnât mentioned, his pres-
ence hung in Motherâs preoccupied look and
in my sisterâs frightened, apologetic mannerâ
20 hung like a sentence passed upon the Wing-
fields!
Mother was a woman of action as well as
words.
She began to take logical steps in the planned
25 direction.
Late that winter and in the early springâ
realizing that extra money would be needed to
properly feather the nest and plume the birdâ
she conducted a vigorous campaign on the
30 telephone, roping in subscribers to one of
those magazines for matrons called The Home-
makerâs Companion, the type of journal that
features the serialized sublimations of ladies of
letters who think in terms of delicate cup-like
35 breasts, slim, tapering waists, rich, creamy
thighs, eyes like wood-smoke in autumn,
fingers that soothe and caress like strains of
music, bodies as powerful as Etruscan sculp-
ture.
40 [SCREEN IMAGE: GLAMOR MAGAZINE COVER.]
[AMANDA enters with phone on long extension
cord. She is spotted in the dim stage.]
AMANDA. Ida Scott? This is Amanda Wing-
field! We missed you at the D.A.R. last Monday!
I said to myself: Sheâs probably suffering 45
with that sinus condition! How is that sinus
condition?
Horrors! Heaven have mercy!âYouâre a
Christian martyr, yes, thatâs what you are, a
Christian martyr! 50
Well, I just now happened to notice that
your subscription to the Companionâs about to
expire! Yes, it expires with the next issue,
honey!âjust when that wonderful new serial
by Bessie Mae Hopper is getting off to such an 55
exciting start Oh, honey, itâs something that
you canât miss! You remember how Gone With
the Wind took everybody by storm? You simply
couldnât go out if you hadnât read it. All every-
body talked was Scarlett OâHara. Well, this is a 60
book that critics already compare to Gone With
the Wind. Itâs the Gone With the Wind of the
post-World War generation!âWhat?âBurn-
ing?âOh, honey, donât let them burn, go take
a look in the oven and Iâll hold the wire! 65
HeavensâI think sheâs hung up!
DIM OUT
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "YOU THINK I'M IN
LOVE WITH CONTINENTAL SHOEMAKERS?"]
[Before the stage is lighted, the violent voices 70
of TOM and AMANDA are heard. They are quar-
reling behind the portieres. In front of them stands
LAURA with clenched hands and panicky expres-
sion. A clear pool of light on her figure throughout
this scene.] 75
TOM. What in Christâs name am Iâ
AMANDA [Shrilly]. Donât you use thatâ
TOM. Supposed to do!
AMANDA. Expression! Not in myâ
TOM. Ohhh! 80
AMANDA. Presence! Have you gone out of
your senses?
TOM. I have, thatâs true, driven out!
AMANDA. What is the matter with you, you
âbigâbigâIDIOT! 85
TOM. Look!âIâve got no thing, no single
thingâ
AMANDA. Lower your voice!
TOM. In my life here that I can call my own!
Everything isâ 90
AMANDA. Stop that shouting!
TOM. Yesterday you confiscated my books!
A Sentence Upon the Wingfields
- The memory of the absent father hangs over the family like a permanent sentence or a haunting spectre.
- Amanda launches a desperate telemarketing campaign for a ladies' magazine to fund her plans for Laura's future.
- Amanda uses aggressive, manipulative charm to sell subscriptions, comparing trashy serials to literary phenomena like Gone With the Wind.
- A violent domestic conflict erupts between Tom and Amanda over his autonomy and her censorship of his reading material.
- Tom expresses deep resentment over his lack of privacy and his role as the sole provider for a household that stifles him.
- The scene highlights the contrast between Amanda's romanticized 'Homemaker's Companion' world and the 'turgid smoky red' reality of their poverty.
Even when he wasnât mentioned, his presence hung in Motherâs preoccupied look and in my sisterâs frightened, apologetic mannerâhung like a sentence passed upon the Wingfields!
758
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene III
[Tom motions to the fiddle in the wings.]
The Scene Fades Out With Music
SCENE III
LEGEND ON SCREEN: "AFTER THE FIASCO-"
TOM speaks from the fire-escape landing.
5 TOM. After the fiasco at Rubicamâs Business
College, the idea of getting a gentleman caller
for Laura began to play a more and more im-
portant part in Motherâs calculations.
It became an obsession. Like some archetype
10 of the universal unconscious, the image of the
gentleman caller haunted our small apart-
ment . . .
[IMAGE: YOUNG MAN AT DOOR WITH FLOWERS]
An evening at home rarely passed without
15 some allusion to this image, this spectre, this
hope . . .
Even when he wasnât mentioned, his pres-
ence hung in Motherâs preoccupied look and
in my sisterâs frightened, apologetic mannerâ
20 hung like a sentence passed upon the Wing-
fields!
Mother was a woman of action as well as
words.
She began to take logical steps in the planned
25 direction.
Late that winter and in the early springâ
realizing that extra money would be needed to
properly feather the nest and plume the birdâ
she conducted a vigorous campaign on the
30 telephone, roping in subscribers to one of
those magazines for matrons called The Home-
makerâs Companion, the type of journal that
features the serialized sublimations of ladies of
letters who think in terms of delicate cup-like
35 breasts, slim, tapering waists, rich, creamy
thighs, eyes like wood-smoke in autumn,
fingers that soothe and caress like strains of
music, bodies as powerful as Etruscan sculp-
ture.
40 [SCREEN IMAGE: GLAMOR MAGAZINE COVER.]
[AMANDA enters with phone on long extension
cord. She is spotted in the dim stage.]
AMANDA. Ida Scott? This is Amanda Wing-
field! We missed you at the D.A.R. last Monday!
I said to myself: Sheâs probably suffering 45
with that sinus condition! How is that sinus
condition?
Horrors! Heaven have mercy!âYouâre a
Christian martyr, yes, thatâs what you are, a
Christian martyr! 50
Well, I just now happened to notice that
your subscription to the Companionâs about to
expire! Yes, it expires with the next issue,
honey!âjust when that wonderful new serial
by Bessie Mae Hopper is getting off to such an 55
exciting start Oh, honey, itâs something that
you canât miss! You remember how Gone With
the Wind took everybody by storm? You simply
couldnât go out if you hadnât read it. All every-
body talked was Scarlett OâHara. Well, this is a 60
book that critics already compare to Gone With
the Wind. Itâs the Gone With the Wind of the
post-World War generation!âWhat?âBurn-
ing?âOh, honey, donât let them burn, go take
a look in the oven and Iâll hold the wire! 65
HeavensâI think sheâs hung up!
DIM OUT
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "YOU THINK I'M IN
LOVE WITH CONTINENTAL SHOEMAKERS?"]
[Before the stage is lighted, the violent voices 70
of TOM and AMANDA are heard. They are quar-
reling behind the portieres. In front of them stands
LAURA with clenched hands and panicky expres-
sion. A clear pool of light on her figure throughout
this scene.] 75
TOM. What in Christâs name am Iâ
AMANDA [Shrilly]. Donât you use thatâ
TOM. Supposed to do!
AMANDA. Expression! Not in myâ
TOM. Ohhh! 80
AMANDA. Presence! Have you gone out of
your senses?
TOM. I have, thatâs true, driven out!
AMANDA. What is the matter with you, you
âbigâbigâIDIOT! 85
TOM. Look!âIâve got no thing, no single
thingâ
AMANDA. Lower your voice!
TOM. In my life here that I can call my own!
Everything isâ 90
AMANDA. Stop that shouting!
TOM. Yesterday you confiscated my books!
You had the nerve to â
AMANDA I took that horrible novel back to
the library -- yes! That hideous book by that
insane Mr. Lawrence Âş [TOM laughs wildly ]
5 I cannot control the output of diseased minds
or people who cater to them â [TOM laughs
still more wildly ] BUT I WON'T ALLOW SUCH
FILTH BROUGHT INTO MY HOUSE! No, no, no,
no, no!
10 TOM. House, house! Who pays rent on it,
who makes a slave of himself to â
AMANDA [Fairly screeching]. Don't you
DARE to â
TOM. No, no, I mustn't say things! I've got
15 to just â
AMANDA. Let me tell you â
TOM. I don't want to hear any more! [He tears
the portieres open. The upstage area is lit with a
turgid smoky red glow.]
20 [AMANDA'S hair is in metal curlers and she
wears a very old bathrobe, much too large for her
slight figure, a relic of the faithless Mr. Wing-
field. An upright typewriter and a wild disarray
of manuscripts is on the drop-leaf table. The
25 quarrel was probably precipitated by AMANDA'S
interruption of his creative labor. A chair lying
overthrown on the floor. Their gesticulating
shadows are cast on the ceiling by the fiery glow.]
AMANDA. You will hear more, you â
30 TOM No, I won't hear more, I'm going out!
AMANDA. You come right back in â
TOM. Out, out, out! Because I'm â
AMANDA. Come back here, Tom Wingfield!
I'm not through talking to you!
35 TOM. Oh, go â
LAURA. [Desperately] â Tom!
AMANDA. You're going to listen, and no
more insolence from you! I'm at the end of my
patience!
40 [He comes back toward her.]
TOM. What do you think I'm at? Aren't I
supposed to have any patience to reach the
end of, Mother? I know, I know. It seems un-
important to you, what I'm doing â what I want
to do â having a little difference between them! 45
You don't think that â
AMANDA. I think you've been doing things
that you're ashamed of. That's why you act like
this. I don't believe that you go every night to
the movies. Nobody goes to the movies night 50
after night. Nobody in their right minds goes
to the movies as often as you pretend to
People don't go to the movies at nearly mid-
night, and movies don't let out at two A M
Come in stumbling. Muttering to yourself like 55
a maniac! You get three hours' sleep and then
go to work. Oh, I can picture the way you're
doing down there. Moping, doping, because
you're in no condition
TOM [Wildly]. No, I'm in no condition! 60
AMANDA. What right have you got to jeop-
ardize your job? Jeopardize the security of us
all? How do you think we'd manage if you
were â
TOM. Listen! You think I'm crazy about the 65
warehouse? [He bends fiercely toward her slight
figure.] You think I'm in love with the Con-
tinental Shoemakers? You think I want to
spend fifty-five years down there in that â
celotex interior! with â fluorescent â tubes! Look! 70
I'd rather somebody picked up a crowbar and
battered out my brains â than go back morn-
ings! I go! Every time you come in yelling that
God damn "Rise and Shine!" "Rise and Shine!"
I say to myself, "How lucky dead people are!" 75
But I get up. I go! For sixty-five dollars a month
I give up all that I dream of doing and being
ever! And you say self â self's all I ever think
of. Why, listen, if self is what I thought of,
Mother, I'd be where he is â GONE! [Pointing 80
to father's picture.] As far as the system of trans-
portation reaches! [He starts past her. She grabs
his arm ] Don't grab at me, Mother!
AMANDA. Where are you going?
TOM. I'm going to the movies! 85
AMANDA. I don't believe that lie!
TOM [Crouching toward her, overtowering
her tiny figure. She backs away, gasping] I'm
going to opium dens! Yes, opium dens, dens
of vice and criminals' hang-outs, Mother I've 90
joined the Hogan gang, I'm a hired assassin,
I carry a tommy-gun in a violin case! I run a
Lawrence D H Lawrence. English novelist. poet. and
critic (1885-1930). some of whose works were assailed
for sexual indecency
The Wingfield Family Conflict
- A heated confrontation erupts between Tom and Amanda over his late-night habits and lack of transparency.
- Amanda accuses Tom of lying about his frequent movie-going and jeopardizing the family's financial security.
- Tom expresses deep resentment toward his soul-crushing job at the warehouse and the sacrifices he makes for sixty-five dollars a month.
- The tension peaks as Tom compares his situation to his absent father, suggesting he stays only out of a sense of duty.
- In a fit of sarcastic rage, Tom invents a fantastical double life as a criminal to mock his mother's suspicions.
- The scene ends in physical and emotional chaos as Tom attempts to flee the apartment while his mother and sister watch in horror.
I'd rather somebody picked up a crowbar and battered out my brains â than go back mornings!
You had the nerve to â
AMANDA I took that horrible novel back to
the library -- yes! That hideous book by that
insane Mr. Lawrence Âş [TOM laughs wildly ]
5 I cannot control the output of diseased minds
or people who cater to them â [TOM laughs
still more wildly ] BUT I WON'T ALLOW SUCH
FILTH BROUGHT INTO MY HOUSE! No, no, no,
no, no!
10 TOM. House, house! Who pays rent on it,
who makes a slave of himself to â
AMANDA [Fairly screeching]. Don't you
DARE to â
TOM. No, no, I mustn't say things! I've got
15 to just â
AMANDA. Let me tell you â
TOM. I don't want to hear any more! [He tears
the portieres open. The upstage area is lit with a
turgid smoky red glow.]
20 [AMANDA'S hair is in metal curlers and she
wears a very old bathrobe, much too large for her
slight figure, a relic of the faithless Mr. Wing-
field. An upright typewriter and a wild disarray
of manuscripts is on the drop-leaf table. The
25 quarrel was probably precipitated by AMANDA'S
interruption of his creative labor. A chair lying
overthrown on the floor. Their gesticulating
shadows are cast on the ceiling by the fiery glow.]
AMANDA. You will hear more, you â
30 TOM No, I won't hear more, I'm going out!
AMANDA. You come right back in â
TOM. Out, out, out! Because I'm â
AMANDA. Come back here, Tom Wingfield!
I'm not through talking to you!
35 TOM. Oh, go â
LAURA. [Desperately] â Tom!
AMANDA. You're going to listen, and no
more insolence from you! I'm at the end of my
patience!
40 [He comes back toward her.]
TOM. What do you think I'm at? Aren't I
supposed to have any patience to reach the
end of, Mother? I know, I know. It seems un-
important to you, what I'm doing â what I want
to do â having a little difference between them! 45
You don't think that â
AMANDA. I think you've been doing things
that you're ashamed of. That's why you act like
this. I don't believe that you go every night to
the movies. Nobody goes to the movies night 50
after night. Nobody in their right minds goes
to the movies as often as you pretend to
People don't go to the movies at nearly mid-
night, and movies don't let out at two A M
Come in stumbling. Muttering to yourself like 55
a maniac! You get three hours' sleep and then
go to work. Oh, I can picture the way you're
doing down there. Moping, doping, because
you're in no condition
TOM [Wildly]. No, I'm in no condition! 60
AMANDA. What right have you got to jeop-
ardize your job? Jeopardize the security of us
all? How do you think we'd manage if you
were â
TOM. Listen! You think I'm crazy about the 65
warehouse? [He bends fiercely toward her slight
figure.] You think I'm in love with the Con-
tinental Shoemakers? You think I want to
spend fifty-five years down there in that â
celotex interior! with â fluorescent â tubes! Look! 70
I'd rather somebody picked up a crowbar and
battered out my brains â than go back morn-
ings! I go! Every time you come in yelling that
God damn "Rise and Shine!" "Rise and Shine!"
I say to myself, "How lucky dead people are!" 75
But I get up. I go! For sixty-five dollars a month
I give up all that I dream of doing and being
ever! And you say self â self's all I ever think
of. Why, listen, if self is what I thought of,
Mother, I'd be where he is â GONE! [Pointing 80
to father's picture.] As far as the system of trans-
portation reaches! [He starts past her. She grabs
his arm ] Don't grab at me, Mother!
AMANDA. Where are you going?
TOM. I'm going to the movies! 85
AMANDA. I don't believe that lie!
TOM [Crouching toward her, overtowering
her tiny figure. She backs away, gasping] I'm
going to opium dens! Yes, opium dens, dens
of vice and criminals' hang-outs, Mother I've 90
joined the Hogan gang, I'm a hired assassin,
I carry a tommy-gun in a violin case! I run a
Lawrence D H Lawrence. English novelist. poet. and
critic (1885-1930). some of whose works were assailed
for sexual indecency
760
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene IV
string of cat-houses in the Valley! They call me
Killer, Killer Wingfield, I'm leading a double-
life, a simple, honest warehouse worker by
day, by night a dynamic czar of the under-
world, Mother. I go to gambling casinos, I spin
away fortunes on the roulette table! I wear a
patch over one eye and a false mustache, some-
times I put on green whiskers. On those oc-
casions they call me - El Diablo! Oh, I could
tell you things to make you sleepless! My
enemies plan to dynamite this place. They're
going to blow us all sky-high some night! I'll
be glad, very happy, and so will you! You'll
go up, up on a broomstick, over Blue Mountain
with seventeen gentlemen callers! You ugly
- babbling old-witch. [He goes through a
series of violent, clumsy movements, seizing his
overcoat, lunging to the door, pulling it fiercely
open. The women watch him, aghast. His arm
catches in the sleeve of the coat as he struggles
to pull it on. For a moment he is pinioned by the
bulky garment. With an outraged groan he tears
the coat off again, splitting the shoulder of it, and
hurls it across the room. It strikes against the shelf
of LAURA's glass collection, there is a tinkle of
shattering glass. LAURA cries out as if wounded.]
[MUSIC LEGEND: "THE GLASS MENAGERIE"]
LAURA [Shrilly]. My glass! - menagerie...
[She covers her face and turns away]
[But AMANDA is still stunned and stupefied by
the "ugly witch" so that she barely notices this
occurrence. Now she recovers her speech.]
AMANDA [In an awful voice]. I won't speak
to you - until you apologize! [She crosses
through portieres and draws them together be-
hind her. TOM is left with LAURA. LAURA clings
weakly to the mantel with her face averted. TOM
stares at her stupidly for a moment. Then he
crosses to shelf. Drops awkwardly on his knees
to collect the fallen glass, glancing at LAURA as
if he would speak but couldn't.]
"The Glass Menagerie" steals in as
The Scene Dims Out
SCENE IV
The interior is dark. Faint light in the alley. A
deep-voiced bell in a church is tolling the hour of
five as the scene commences.
TOM appears at the top of the alley. After each
solemn boom of the bell in the tower, he shakes a
little noise-maker or rattle as if to express the tiny
spasm of man in contrast to the sustained power
and dignity of the Almighty. This and the un-
steadiness of his advance make it evident that he
has been drinking. As he climbs the few steps to
the fire-escape landing light steals up inside
LAURA appears in night-dress, observing TOM'S
empty bed in the front room. TOM fishes in his
pockets for door-key, removing a motley assort-
ment of articles in the search, including a perfect
shower of movie-ticket stubs and an empty bottle.
At last he finds the key, but just as he is about to
insert it, it slips from his fingers. He strikes a
match and crouches below the door.
TOM [Bitterly]. One crack - and it falls
through!
[LAURA opens the door.]
LAURA. Tom! Tom, what are you doing?
TOM. Looking for a door-key.
LAURA. Where have you been all this time?
TOM. I have been to the movies.
LAURA. All this time at the movies?
TOM. There was a very long program. There
was a Garbo picture and a Mickey Mouse and
a travelogue and a newsreel and a preview of
coming attractions. And there was an organ
solo and a collection for the milk-fund-simul-
taneously - which ended up in a terrible fight
between a fat lady and an usher!
LAURA [Innocently]. Did you have to stay
through everything?
TOM. Of course! And, oh, I forgot! There was
a big stage show! The headliner on this stage
show was Malvolio the Magician. He per-
formed wonderful tricks, many of them, such
as pouring water back and forth between
pitchers. First it turned to wine and then it
turned to beer and then it turned to whiskey.
I know it was whiskey it finally turned into
because he needed somebody to come up out
of the audience to help him, and I came up -
both shows! It was Kentucky Straight Bourbon.
A very generous fellow, he gave souvenirs.
[He pulls from his back pocket a shimmering
rainbow-colored scarf.] He gave me this. This
El Diablo Spanish: The Devil
The Coffin Trick
- A violent outburst from Tom results in the accidental shattering of Laura's glass menagerie, symbolizing the fragility of their domestic peace.
- Amanda demands an apology for Tom's behavior and retreats into a cold silence, further isolating the family members from one another.
- Tom returns home in the early morning hours visibly intoxicated, using a noise-maker to mock the solemnity of a church bell.
- To explain his absence, Tom describes a surreal movie marathon and a magic show featuring Malvolio the Magician.
- Tom presents Laura with a 'magic scarf' but expresses a deep, cynical envy for the magician's ability to escape a nailed coffin without disturbing a single nail.
- The metaphor of the coffin highlights Tom's feeling of being trapped in his '2 by 4' life and his desperate desire for a clean escape.
We nailed him into a coffin and he got out of the coffin without removing one nail. There is a trick that would come in handy for me-get me out of this 2 by 4 situation.
760
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene IV
string of cat-houses in the Valley! They call me
Killer, Killer Wingfield, I'm leading a double-
life, a simple, honest warehouse worker by
day, by night a dynamic czar of the under-
world, Mother. I go to gambling casinos, I spin
away fortunes on the roulette table! I wear a
patch over one eye and a false mustache, some-
times I put on green whiskers. On those oc-
casions they call me - El Diablo! Oh, I could
tell you things to make you sleepless! My
enemies plan to dynamite this place. They're
going to blow us all sky-high some night! I'll
be glad, very happy, and so will you! You'll
go up, up on a broomstick, over Blue Mountain
with seventeen gentlemen callers! You ugly
- babbling old-witch. [He goes through a
series of violent, clumsy movements, seizing his
overcoat, lunging to the door, pulling it fiercely
open. The women watch him, aghast. His arm
catches in the sleeve of the coat as he struggles
to pull it on. For a moment he is pinioned by the
bulky garment. With an outraged groan he tears
the coat off again, splitting the shoulder of it, and
hurls it across the room. It strikes against the shelf
of LAURA's glass collection, there is a tinkle of
shattering glass. LAURA cries out as if wounded.]
[MUSIC LEGEND: "THE GLASS MENAGERIE"]
LAURA [Shrilly]. My glass! - menagerie...
[She covers her face and turns away]
[But AMANDA is still stunned and stupefied by
the "ugly witch" so that she barely notices this
occurrence. Now she recovers her speech.]
AMANDA [In an awful voice]. I won't speak
to you - until you apologize! [She crosses
through portieres and draws them together be-
hind her. TOM is left with LAURA. LAURA clings
weakly to the mantel with her face averted. TOM
stares at her stupidly for a moment. Then he
crosses to shelf. Drops awkwardly on his knees
to collect the fallen glass, glancing at LAURA as
if he would speak but couldn't.]
"The Glass Menagerie" steals in as
The Scene Dims Out
SCENE IV
The interior is dark. Faint light in the alley. A
deep-voiced bell in a church is tolling the hour of
five as the scene commences.
TOM appears at the top of the alley. After each
solemn boom of the bell in the tower, he shakes a
little noise-maker or rattle as if to express the tiny
spasm of man in contrast to the sustained power
and dignity of the Almighty. This and the un-
steadiness of his advance make it evident that he
has been drinking. As he climbs the few steps to
the fire-escape landing light steals up inside
LAURA appears in night-dress, observing TOM'S
empty bed in the front room. TOM fishes in his
pockets for door-key, removing a motley assort-
ment of articles in the search, including a perfect
shower of movie-ticket stubs and an empty bottle.
At last he finds the key, but just as he is about to
insert it, it slips from his fingers. He strikes a
match and crouches below the door.
TOM [Bitterly]. One crack - and it falls
through!
[LAURA opens the door.]
LAURA. Tom! Tom, what are you doing?
TOM. Looking for a door-key.
LAURA. Where have you been all this time?
TOM. I have been to the movies.
LAURA. All this time at the movies?
TOM. There was a very long program. There
was a Garbo picture and a Mickey Mouse and
a travelogue and a newsreel and a preview of
coming attractions. And there was an organ
solo and a collection for the milk-fund-simul-
taneously - which ended up in a terrible fight
between a fat lady and an usher!
LAURA [Innocently]. Did you have to stay
through everything?
TOM. Of course! And, oh, I forgot! There was
a big stage show! The headliner on this stage
show was Malvolio the Magician. He per-
formed wonderful tricks, many of them, such
as pouring water back and forth between
pitchers. First it turned to wine and then it
turned to beer and then it turned to whiskey.
I know it was whiskey it finally turned into
because he needed somebody to come up out
of the audience to help him, and I came up -
both shows! It was Kentucky Straight Bourbon.
A very generous fellow, he gave souvenirs.
[He pulls from his back pocket a shimmering
rainbow-colored scarf.] He gave me this. This
El Diablo Spanish: The Devil
is his magic scarf You can have it, Laura. You
wave it over a canary cage and you get a bowl
of gold-fish. You wave it over the gold-fish
bowl and they fly away canaries . . . But the
5 wonderfullest trick of all was the coffin trick.
We nailed him into a coffin and he got out of
the coffin without removing one nail. [He has
come inside.] There is a trick that would come
in handy for me-get me out of this 2 by 4
10 situation. [Flops onto bed and starts removing
shoes.]
LAURA. Tom-Shhh!
TOM What're you shushing me for?
LAURA You'll wake up Mother.
15 TOM Goody, goody! Pay 'er back for all
those "Rise an' Shines." [Lies down, groaning ]
You know it don't take much intelligence to
get yourself into a nailed-up coffin, Laura. But
who in hell ever got himself out of one without
20 removing one nail?
[As if in answer, the father's grinning photo-
graph lights up.]
Scene Dims Out
[Immediately following: The church bell is
25 heard striking six. At the sixth stroke the alarm
clock goes off in AMANDA's room, and after a few
moments we hear her calling: "Rise and Shine!
Rise and Shine! Laura, go tell your brother to
rise and shine!"]
30 TOM [Sitting up slowly] I'll rise-but I won't
shine.
[The light increases ]
AMANDA. Laura, tell your brother his coffee
is ready.
35 [LAURA slips into front room.]
LAURA Tom!-It's nearly seven. Don't make
Mother nervous. [He stares at her stupidly. Be-
seechingly.] Tom, speak to Mother this morn-
ing. Make up with her, apologize, speak to
40 her!
TOM She won't to me. It's her that started
not speaking.
LAURA If you just say you're sorry she'll
start speaking.
45 TOM Her not speaking-is that such a
tragedy?
LAURA Please-please!
AMANDA [Calling from kitchenette] Laura,
are you going to do what I asked you to do, or
do I have to get dressed and go out myself? 50
LAURA Going, going-soon as I get on my
coat! [She pulls on a shapeless felt hat with
nervous, jerky movement, pleadingly glancing at
TOM Rushes awkwardly for coat The coat is
one of AMANDA'S, inaccurately made-over, the 55
sleeves too short for LAURA]. Butter and what
else?
AMANDA [Entering upstage] Just butter. Tell
them to charge it.
LAURA Mother, they make such faces when 60
I do that.
AMANDA Sticks and stones can break our
bones, but the expression on Mr. Garfinkel's
face won't harm us! Tell your brother his
coffee is getting cold 65
LAURA [At door] Do what I asked you, will
you, will you, Tom?
[He looks sullenly away ]
AMANDA Laura, go now or just don't go at
all! 70
LAURA [Rushing out]. Going-going! [A
second later she cries out. TOM springs up and
crosses to door AMANDA rushes anxiously in.
TOM opens the door.]
TOM Laura? 75
LAURA I'm all right I slipped, but I'm all
right.
AMANDA [Peering anxiously after her]. If
anyone breaks a leg on those fire-escape steps,
the landlord ought to be sued for every cent 80
he possesses! [She shuts door. Remembers she
isn't speaking and returns to other room ]
[As TOM enters listlessly for her coffee, she
turns her back to him and stands rigidly facing
the window on the gloomy gray vault of the 85
areaway. Its light on her face with its aged but
childish features is cruelly sharp, satirical as a
Daumier print.]
[MUSIC UNDER: "AVE MARIA."]
[TOM glances sheepishly but sullenly at her 90
averted figure and slumps at the table. The coffee
is scalding hot; he sips it and gasps and spits it
back in the cup. At his gasp, AMANDA catches
her breath and half turns. Then catches herself
and turns back to the window. TOM blows on his 95
coffee, glancing sidewise at his mother. She clears
her throat. TOM clears his. He starts to rise. Sinks
back down again, scratches his head, clears his
A Fragile Morning Truce
- The scene opens with the daily ritual of Amanda's 'Rise and Shine' wake-up call, highlighting the strained domestic routine.
- Laura acts as a desperate mediator between her mother and brother, pleading with Tom to apologize and end the silent treatment.
- The physical decay of their lives is emphasized by Laura's ill-fitting clothes and her slip on the dangerous fire-escape steps.
- Amanda uses guilt and her history of 'solitary battle' to maintain emotional control over Tom, calling him her 'right-hand bower.'
- Tom eventually capitulates with a hesitant apology, leading to a dramatic emotional shift from Amanda's cold silence to weeping and renewed fervor.
My devotion has made me a witch and so I make myself hateful to my children!
is his magic scarf You can have it, Laura. You
wave it over a canary cage and you get a bowl
of gold-fish. You wave it over the gold-fish
bowl and they fly away canaries . . . But the
5 wonderfullest trick of all was the coffin trick.
We nailed him into a coffin and he got out of
the coffin without removing one nail. [He has
come inside.] There is a trick that would come
in handy for me-get me out of this 2 by 4
10 situation. [Flops onto bed and starts removing
shoes.]
LAURA. Tom-Shhh!
TOM What're you shushing me for?
LAURA You'll wake up Mother.
15 TOM Goody, goody! Pay 'er back for all
those "Rise an' Shines." [Lies down, groaning ]
You know it don't take much intelligence to
get yourself into a nailed-up coffin, Laura. But
who in hell ever got himself out of one without
20 removing one nail?
[As if in answer, the father's grinning photo-
graph lights up.]
Scene Dims Out
[Immediately following: The church bell is
25 heard striking six. At the sixth stroke the alarm
clock goes off in AMANDA's room, and after a few
moments we hear her calling: "Rise and Shine!
Rise and Shine! Laura, go tell your brother to
rise and shine!"]
30 TOM [Sitting up slowly] I'll rise-but I won't
shine.
[The light increases ]
AMANDA. Laura, tell your brother his coffee
is ready.
35 [LAURA slips into front room.]
LAURA Tom!-It's nearly seven. Don't make
Mother nervous. [He stares at her stupidly. Be-
seechingly.] Tom, speak to Mother this morn-
ing. Make up with her, apologize, speak to
40 her!
TOM She won't to me. It's her that started
not speaking.
LAURA If you just say you're sorry she'll
start speaking.
45 TOM Her not speaking-is that such a
tragedy?
LAURA Please-please!
AMANDA [Calling from kitchenette] Laura,
are you going to do what I asked you to do, or
do I have to get dressed and go out myself? 50
LAURA Going, going-soon as I get on my
coat! [She pulls on a shapeless felt hat with
nervous, jerky movement, pleadingly glancing at
TOM Rushes awkwardly for coat The coat is
one of AMANDA'S, inaccurately made-over, the 55
sleeves too short for LAURA]. Butter and what
else?
AMANDA [Entering upstage] Just butter. Tell
them to charge it.
LAURA Mother, they make such faces when 60
I do that.
AMANDA Sticks and stones can break our
bones, but the expression on Mr. Garfinkel's
face won't harm us! Tell your brother his
coffee is getting cold 65
LAURA [At door] Do what I asked you, will
you, will you, Tom?
[He looks sullenly away ]
AMANDA Laura, go now or just don't go at
all! 70
LAURA [Rushing out]. Going-going! [A
second later she cries out. TOM springs up and
crosses to door AMANDA rushes anxiously in.
TOM opens the door.]
TOM Laura? 75
LAURA I'm all right I slipped, but I'm all
right.
AMANDA [Peering anxiously after her]. If
anyone breaks a leg on those fire-escape steps,
the landlord ought to be sued for every cent 80
he possesses! [She shuts door. Remembers she
isn't speaking and returns to other room ]
[As TOM enters listlessly for her coffee, she
turns her back to him and stands rigidly facing
the window on the gloomy gray vault of the 85
areaway. Its light on her face with its aged but
childish features is cruelly sharp, satirical as a
Daumier print.]
[MUSIC UNDER: "AVE MARIA."]
[TOM glances sheepishly but sullenly at her 90
averted figure and slumps at the table. The coffee
is scalding hot; he sips it and gasps and spits it
back in the cup. At his gasp, AMANDA catches
her breath and half turns. Then catches herself
and turns back to the window. TOM blows on his 95
coffee, glancing sidewise at his mother. She clears
her throat. TOM clears his. He starts to rise. Sinks
back down again, scratches his head, clears his
762
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene IV
throat again AMANDA coughs Tom raises his
cup in both hands to blow on it, his eyes staring
over the rim of it at his mother for several mo-
ments Then he slowly sets the cup down and
5 awkwardly and hesitantly rises from the chair.]
Tom [Hoarsely] Mother IâI apologize,
Mother. [AMANDA draws a quick, shuddering
breath Her face works grotesquely She breaks
into childlike tears] I'm sorry for what I said,
10 for everything that I said, I didn't mean it.
AMANDA [Sobbingly] My devotion has made
me a witch and so I make myself hateful to my
children!
Tom. No, you don't.
15 AMANDA I worry so much, don't sleep, it
makes me nervous!
Tom [Gently]. I understand that.
AMANDA. I've had to put up a solitary battle
all these years. But you're my right-hand
20 bower!° Don't fall down, don't fail!
Tom [Gently]. I try, Mother.
AMANDA [With great enthusiasm] Try and
you will SUCCEED! [The notion makes her breath-
less.] Why, youâyou're just full of natural
25 endowments! Both of my childrenâthey're
unusual children! Don't you think I know it?
I'm soâproud! Happy andâfeel I'veâso much
to be thankful for butâPromise me one thing,
Son!
30 Tom. What, Mother?
AMANDA. Promise, son, you'llânever be a
drunkard!
Tom [Turns to her grinning]. I will never be a
drunkard, Mother.
35 AMANDA. That's what frightened me so, that
you'd be drinking! Eat a bowl of Purina!
Tom. Just coffee, Mother.
AMANDA. Shredded wheat biscuit?
Tom. No. No, Mother, just coffee.
40 AMANDA. You can't put in a day's work on an
empty stomach. You've got ten minutesâdon't
gulp! Drinking too-hot liquids makes cancer
of the stomach. . . Put cream in.
Tom. No, thank you.
45 AMANDA. To cool it.
Tom. No! No, thank you, I want it black.
right-hand bower trump card
AMANDA. I know, but it's not good for you.
We have to do all that we can to build our-
selves up. In these trying times we live in, all
that we have to cling to isâeach other. . . 50
That's why it's so important toâTom, IâI sent
out your sister so I could discuss something
with you. If you hadn't spoken I would have
spoken to you. [Sits down.]
Tom [Gently]. What is it, Mother, that you 55
want to discuss?
AMANDA. Laura!
[Tom puts his cup down slowly.]
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "LAURA."]
[MUSIC: "THE GLASS MENAGERIE."] 60
Tom. âOh. âLaura. .
AMANDA [Touching his sleeve]. You know
how Laura is. So quiet butâstill water runs
deep! She notices things and I think sheâ
broods about them. [Tom looks up.] A few days 65
ago I came in and she was crying.
Tom. What about?
AMANDA. You.
Tom. Me?
AMANDA. She has an idea that you're not 70
happy here.
Tom. What gave her that idea?
AMANDA. What gives her any idea? How-
ever, you do act strangely. IâI'm not criticiz-
ing, understand that! I know your ambitions 75
do not lie in the warehouse, that like every-
body in the whole wide worldâyou've had
toâmake sacrifices, butâTomâTomâlife's
not easy, it calls forâSpartan endurance!
There's so many things in my heart that I 80
cannot describe to you! I've never told you
but Iâloved your father. . .
Tom [Gently]. I know that, Mother.
AMANDA. And youâwhen I see you taking
after his ways! Staying out lateâandâwell, 85
you had been drinking the night you were in
thatâterrifying condition! Laura says that you
hate the apartment and that you go out nights
to get away from it! Is that true, Tom?
Tom. No. You say there's so much in your 90
heart that you can't describe to me. That's true
of me, too. There's so much in my heart that
I can't describe to you! So let's respect each
other'sâ
A Mother's Desperate Plea
- Amanda expresses her pride in her children while simultaneously revealing her deep-seated fear that Tom is following his father's destructive path.
- The dialogue highlights the suffocating domestic tension as Amanda micromanages Tomâs health and habits, from his coffee temperature to his drinking.
- Amanda reveals that Laura is deeply affected by the household friction, claiming that Laura 'broods' and cries over Tom's obvious unhappiness.
- Tom attempts to explain his emotional isolation, noting that he possesses internal feelings just as indescribable as his mother's.
- The conflict culminates in a fundamental misunderstanding of Tom's need for escape, which he justifies as a search for the adventure missing from his warehouse job.
- Amanda dismisses Tom's restless spirit, insisting that 'Spartan endurance' and career-based satisfaction should be enough to sustain him.
I go to the movies becauseâI like adventure. Adventure is something I donât have much of at work, so I go to the movies.
762
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene IV
throat again AMANDA coughs Tom raises his
cup in both hands to blow on it, his eyes staring
over the rim of it at his mother for several mo-
ments Then he slowly sets the cup down and
5 awkwardly and hesitantly rises from the chair.]
Tom [Hoarsely] Mother IâI apologize,
Mother. [AMANDA draws a quick, shuddering
breath Her face works grotesquely She breaks
into childlike tears] I'm sorry for what I said,
10 for everything that I said, I didn't mean it.
AMANDA [Sobbingly] My devotion has made
me a witch and so I make myself hateful to my
children!
Tom. No, you don't.
15 AMANDA I worry so much, don't sleep, it
makes me nervous!
Tom [Gently]. I understand that.
AMANDA. I've had to put up a solitary battle
all these years. But you're my right-hand
20 bower!° Don't fall down, don't fail!
Tom [Gently]. I try, Mother.
AMANDA [With great enthusiasm] Try and
you will SUCCEED! [The notion makes her breath-
less.] Why, youâyou're just full of natural
25 endowments! Both of my childrenâthey're
unusual children! Don't you think I know it?
I'm soâproud! Happy andâfeel I'veâso much
to be thankful for butâPromise me one thing,
Son!
30 Tom. What, Mother?
AMANDA. Promise, son, you'llânever be a
drunkard!
Tom [Turns to her grinning]. I will never be a
drunkard, Mother.
35 AMANDA. That's what frightened me so, that
you'd be drinking! Eat a bowl of Purina!
Tom. Just coffee, Mother.
AMANDA. Shredded wheat biscuit?
Tom. No. No, Mother, just coffee.
40 AMANDA. You can't put in a day's work on an
empty stomach. You've got ten minutesâdon't
gulp! Drinking too-hot liquids makes cancer
of the stomach. . . Put cream in.
Tom. No, thank you.
45 AMANDA. To cool it.
Tom. No! No, thank you, I want it black.
right-hand bower trump card
AMANDA. I know, but it's not good for you.
We have to do all that we can to build our-
selves up. In these trying times we live in, all
that we have to cling to isâeach other. . . 50
That's why it's so important toâTom, IâI sent
out your sister so I could discuss something
with you. If you hadn't spoken I would have
spoken to you. [Sits down.]
Tom [Gently]. What is it, Mother, that you 55
want to discuss?
AMANDA. Laura!
[Tom puts his cup down slowly.]
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "LAURA."]
[MUSIC: "THE GLASS MENAGERIE."] 60
Tom. âOh. âLaura. .
AMANDA [Touching his sleeve]. You know
how Laura is. So quiet butâstill water runs
deep! She notices things and I think sheâ
broods about them. [Tom looks up.] A few days 65
ago I came in and she was crying.
Tom. What about?
AMANDA. You.
Tom. Me?
AMANDA. She has an idea that you're not 70
happy here.
Tom. What gave her that idea?
AMANDA. What gives her any idea? How-
ever, you do act strangely. IâI'm not criticiz-
ing, understand that! I know your ambitions 75
do not lie in the warehouse, that like every-
body in the whole wide worldâyou've had
toâmake sacrifices, butâTomâTomâlife's
not easy, it calls forâSpartan endurance!
There's so many things in my heart that I 80
cannot describe to you! I've never told you
but Iâloved your father. . .
Tom [Gently]. I know that, Mother.
AMANDA. And youâwhen I see you taking
after his ways! Staying out lateâandâwell, 85
you had been drinking the night you were in
thatâterrifying condition! Laura says that you
hate the apartment and that you go out nights
to get away from it! Is that true, Tom?
Tom. No. You say there's so much in your 90
heart that you can't describe to me. That's true
of me, too. There's so much in my heart that
I can't describe to you! So let's respect each
other'sâ
Scene IV | The Glass Menagerie
AMANDA But, whyâwhy, Tomâare you always so restless? Where do you go to, nights?
TOM Iâgo to the movies
AMANDA Why do you go to the movies so much, Tom?
TOM I go to the movies becauseâI like adventure. Adventure is something I donât have much of at work, so I go to the movies.
AMANDA But, Tom, you go to the movies entirely too much!
TOM I like a lot of adventure
[AMANDA looks baffled, then hurt. As the familiar inquisition resumes he becomes hard and impatient again. AMANDA slips back into her querulous attitude toward him.]
[IMAGE ON SCREEN: SAILING VESSEL° WITH JOLLY ROGER]
AMANDA Most young men find adventure in their careers
TOM Then most young men are not employed in a warehouse.
AMANDA The world is full of young men employed in warehouses and offices and factories.
TOM Do all of them find adventure in their careers?
AMANDA They do or they do without it! Not everybody has a craze for adventure.
TOM Man is by instinct a lover, a hunter, a fighter, and none of those instincts are given much play at the warehouse!
AMANDA Man is by instinct! Donât quote instinct to me! Instinct is something that people have got away from! It belongs to animals! Christian adults donât want it!
TOM What do Christian adults want, then, Mother?
AMANDA Superior things! Things of the mind and spirit! Only animals have to satisfy instincts! Surely your aims are somewhat higher than theirs! Than monkeysâpigsâ
TOM I reckon theyâre not
AMANDA Youâre joking. However, that isnât what I wanted to discuss
TOM [Rising] I havenât much time
AMANDA [Pushing his shoulders]. Sit down.
TOM You want me to punch in red° at the warehouse, Mother?
AMANDA You have five minutes. I want to talk about Laura.
[LEGEND: âPLANS AND PROVISIONS.â]
TOM All right! What about Laura?
AMANDA We have to be making some plans and provisions for her. Sheâs older than you, two years, and nothing has happened. She just drifts along doing nothing. It frightens me terribly how she just drifts along.
TOM I guess sheâs the type that people call home girls.
AMANDA Thereâs no such type, and if there is, itâs a pity! That is unless the home is hers, with a husband!
TOM What?
AMANDA Oh, I can see the handwriting on the wall as plain as I see the nose in front of my face! Itâs terrifying! More and more you remind me of your father! He was out all hours without explanation! âThen left! Good-bye! And me with the bag to hold. I saw that letter you got from the Merchant Marine. I know what youâre dreaming of. Iâm not standing here blindfolded. Very well, then. Then do it! But not till thereâs somebody to take your place.
TOM What do you mean?
AMANDA I mean that as soon as Laura has got somebody to take care of her, married, a home of her own, independentâwhy, then youâll be free to go wherever you please, on land, on sea, whichever way the wind blows you! But until that time youâve got to look out for your sister. I donât say me because Iâm old and donât matter! I say for your sister because sheâs young and dependent. I put her in business collegeâa dismal failure! Frightened her so it made her sick at the stomach. I took her over to the Young Peopleâs League at the church. Another fiasco. She spoke to nobody, nobody spoke to her. Now all she does is fool with those pieces of glass and play those worn-out records. What kind of a life is that for a girl to lead?
sailing vessel pirate ship flying the traditional skull-and-crossbones flag
punch in red be late in âpunchingâ the time-clock. and so lose pay
Instincts and Obligations
- Tom and Amanda clash over the conflict between human animal instincts and the spiritual expectations of 'Christian adults.'
- Amanda expresses deep terror regarding Laura's aimless future, noting her failures in business college and social settings.
- Amanda reveals she is aware of Tom's secret plans to join the Merchant Marine and follow in his father's footsteps.
- A bargain is proposed: Tom can seek his own adventure only after he finds a suitable husband to provide for Laura.
- The scene concludes with Amanda desperately imploring Tom to find a 'clean-living' young man at the warehouse to bring home.
Man is by instinct a lover, a hunter, a fighter, and none of those instincts are given much play at the warehouse!
Scene IV | The Glass Menagerie
AMANDA But, whyâwhy, Tomâare you always so restless? Where do you go to, nights?
TOM Iâgo to the movies
AMANDA Why do you go to the movies so much, Tom?
TOM I go to the movies becauseâI like adventure. Adventure is something I donât have much of at work, so I go to the movies.
AMANDA But, Tom, you go to the movies entirely too much!
TOM I like a lot of adventure
[AMANDA looks baffled, then hurt. As the familiar inquisition resumes he becomes hard and impatient again. AMANDA slips back into her querulous attitude toward him.]
[IMAGE ON SCREEN: SAILING VESSEL° WITH JOLLY ROGER]
AMANDA Most young men find adventure in their careers
TOM Then most young men are not employed in a warehouse.
AMANDA The world is full of young men employed in warehouses and offices and factories.
TOM Do all of them find adventure in their careers?
AMANDA They do or they do without it! Not everybody has a craze for adventure.
TOM Man is by instinct a lover, a hunter, a fighter, and none of those instincts are given much play at the warehouse!
AMANDA Man is by instinct! Donât quote instinct to me! Instinct is something that people have got away from! It belongs to animals! Christian adults donât want it!
TOM What do Christian adults want, then, Mother?
AMANDA Superior things! Things of the mind and spirit! Only animals have to satisfy instincts! Surely your aims are somewhat higher than theirs! Than monkeysâpigsâ
TOM I reckon theyâre not
AMANDA Youâre joking. However, that isnât what I wanted to discuss
TOM [Rising] I havenât much time
AMANDA [Pushing his shoulders]. Sit down.
TOM You want me to punch in red° at the warehouse, Mother?
AMANDA You have five minutes. I want to talk about Laura.
[LEGEND: âPLANS AND PROVISIONS.â]
TOM All right! What about Laura?
AMANDA We have to be making some plans and provisions for her. Sheâs older than you, two years, and nothing has happened. She just drifts along doing nothing. It frightens me terribly how she just drifts along.
TOM I guess sheâs the type that people call home girls.
AMANDA Thereâs no such type, and if there is, itâs a pity! That is unless the home is hers, with a husband!
TOM What?
AMANDA Oh, I can see the handwriting on the wall as plain as I see the nose in front of my face! Itâs terrifying! More and more you remind me of your father! He was out all hours without explanation! âThen left! Good-bye! And me with the bag to hold. I saw that letter you got from the Merchant Marine. I know what youâre dreaming of. Iâm not standing here blindfolded. Very well, then. Then do it! But not till thereâs somebody to take your place.
TOM What do you mean?
AMANDA I mean that as soon as Laura has got somebody to take care of her, married, a home of her own, independentâwhy, then youâll be free to go wherever you please, on land, on sea, whichever way the wind blows you! But until that time youâve got to look out for your sister. I donât say me because Iâm old and donât matter! I say for your sister because sheâs young and dependent. I put her in business collegeâa dismal failure! Frightened her so it made her sick at the stomach. I took her over to the Young Peopleâs League at the church. Another fiasco. She spoke to nobody, nobody spoke to her. Now all she does is fool with those pieces of glass and play those worn-out records. What kind of a life is that for a girl to lead?
sailing vessel pirate ship flying the traditional skull-and-crossbones flag
punch in red be late in âpunchingâ the time-clock. and so lose pay
764
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene V
TOM. What can I do about it?
AMANDA. Overcome selfishness! Self, self,
self is all that you ever think of! [TOM springs
up and crosses to get his coat. It is ugly and bulky.
5 He pulls on a cap with earmuffs.] Where is your
muffler? Put your wool muffler on! [He snatches
is angrily from the closet and tosses it around his
neck and pulls both ends tight.] Tom! I haven't
said what I had in mind to ask you.
10 TOM. I'm too late to -
AMANDA [Catching his armâvery importu-
nately. Then shyly]. Down at the warehouse,
aren't there some - nice young men?
TOM. No!
15 AMANDA. There must be - some...
TOM. Mother - [Gesture.]
AMANDA. Find out one that's clean-living -
doesn't drink and - ask him out for sister!
TOM. What?
20 AMANDA. For sister! To meet! Get acquainted!
TOM [Stamping to door]. Oh, my go-osh!
AMANDA. Will you? [He opens door. Im-
ploring.] Will you? [He starts down.] Will
you? Will you, dear?
25 TOM [Calling back]. YES!
[AMANDA closes the door hesitantly and with
a troubled but faintly hopeful expression.]
[SCREEN IMAGE: GLAMOR MAGAZINE COVER.]
[Spot AMANDA at phone.]
30 AMANDA. Ella Cartwright? This is Amanda
Wingfield! How are you, honey? How is that
kidney condition? [Count five.] Horrors! [Count
five.] You're a Christian martyr, yes, honey,
that's what you are, a Christian martyr! Well,
35 I just now happened to notice in my little red
book that your subscription to the Companion
has just run out! I knew that you wouldn't
want to miss out on the wonderful serial start-
ing in this new issue. It's by Bessie Mae
40 Hopper, the first thing she's written since
Honeymoon for Three. Wasn't that a strange and
interesting story? Well, this one is even lovelier,
I believe. It has a sophisticated, society back-
ground. It's all about the horsey set on Long
45 Island!
Fade Out
SCENE V
LEGEND ON SCREEN: "ANNUNCIATION." Fade
with music.
It is early dusk of a spring evening. Supper has
just been finished in the Wingfield apartment. 50
AMANDA and LAURA in light-colored dresses are
removing dishes from the table, in the upstage
area, which is shadowy, their movements for-
malized almost as a dance or ritual, their moving
forms as pale and silent as moths. TOM, in white 55
shirt and trousers, rises from the table and crosses
toward the fire-escape
AMANDA [As he passes her] Son, will you do
me a favor?
TOM. What? 60
AMANDA. Comb your hair! You look so pretty
when your hair is combed! [TOM slouches on
sofa with evening paper. Enormous caption
"Franco Triumphs"] There is only one re-
spect in which I would like you to emulate 65
your father.
TOM. What respect is that?
AMANDA. The care he always took of his
appearance. He never allowed himself to look
untidy. [He throws down the paper and crosses 70
to fire-escape.] Where are you going?
TOM I'm going out to smoke.
AMANDA. You smoke too much. A pack a day
at fifteen cents a pack. How much would that
amount to in a month? Thirty times fifteen is 75
how much, Tom? Figure it out and you will
be astounded at what you could save. Enough
to give you a night-school course in account-
ing at Washington U! Just think what a won-
derful thing that would be for you, Son! 80
[TOM is unmoved by the thought.]
TOM. I'd rather smoke. [He steps out on land-
ing, letting the screen door slam.]
AMANDA [Sharply]. I know! That's the
tragedy of it... [Alone, she turns to look at her 85
husband's picture.]
[DANCE MUSIC: "ALL THE WORLD IS WAITING
FOR THE SUNRISE!"]
TOM [To the audience]. Across the alley from
us was the Paradise Dance Hall. On evenings 90
in spring the windows and doors were open
and the music came outdoors. Sometimes the
lights were turned out except for a large glass
Franco General Francisco Franco, leader of the forces
that, with aid from Mussolini and Hitler, finally over-
threw the Spanish Republican government in March
1939
Waiting for Bombardments
- Amanda Wingfield attempts to sell magazine subscriptions over the phone, using flattery and dramatic appeals to financial struggle.
- The family dynamic is strained as Amanda nags Tom about his appearance and his smoking habit, comparing him unfavorably to his absent father.
- Amanda suggests Tom use his cigarette money for an accounting course, highlighting her desperate desire for his upward mobility.
- Tom provides a cynical narration of the Paradise Dance Hall, where local youth seek romantic escape from their stagnant lives.
- The narrative shifts to a global scale, contrasting the trivial distractions of American life with the looming threat of World War II and the Spanish Civil War.
But here there was only hot swing music and liquor, dance halls, bars, and movies, and sex that hung in the gloom like a chandelier and flooded the world with brief, deceptive rainbows . . . All the world was waiting for bombardments!
764
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene V
TOM. What can I do about it?
AMANDA. Overcome selfishness! Self, self,
self is all that you ever think of! [TOM springs
up and crosses to get his coat. It is ugly and bulky.
5 He pulls on a cap with earmuffs.] Where is your
muffler? Put your wool muffler on! [He snatches
is angrily from the closet and tosses it around his
neck and pulls both ends tight.] Tom! I haven't
said what I had in mind to ask you.
10 TOM. I'm too late to -
AMANDA [Catching his armâvery importu-
nately. Then shyly]. Down at the warehouse,
aren't there some - nice young men?
TOM. No!
15 AMANDA. There must be - some...
TOM. Mother - [Gesture.]
AMANDA. Find out one that's clean-living -
doesn't drink and - ask him out for sister!
TOM. What?
20 AMANDA. For sister! To meet! Get acquainted!
TOM [Stamping to door]. Oh, my go-osh!
AMANDA. Will you? [He opens door. Im-
ploring.] Will you? [He starts down.] Will
you? Will you, dear?
25 TOM [Calling back]. YES!
[AMANDA closes the door hesitantly and with
a troubled but faintly hopeful expression.]
[SCREEN IMAGE: GLAMOR MAGAZINE COVER.]
[Spot AMANDA at phone.]
30 AMANDA. Ella Cartwright? This is Amanda
Wingfield! How are you, honey? How is that
kidney condition? [Count five.] Horrors! [Count
five.] You're a Christian martyr, yes, honey,
that's what you are, a Christian martyr! Well,
35 I just now happened to notice in my little red
book that your subscription to the Companion
has just run out! I knew that you wouldn't
want to miss out on the wonderful serial start-
ing in this new issue. It's by Bessie Mae
40 Hopper, the first thing she's written since
Honeymoon for Three. Wasn't that a strange and
interesting story? Well, this one is even lovelier,
I believe. It has a sophisticated, society back-
ground. It's all about the horsey set on Long
45 Island!
Fade Out
SCENE V
LEGEND ON SCREEN: "ANNUNCIATION." Fade
with music.
It is early dusk of a spring evening. Supper has
just been finished in the Wingfield apartment. 50
AMANDA and LAURA in light-colored dresses are
removing dishes from the table, in the upstage
area, which is shadowy, their movements for-
malized almost as a dance or ritual, their moving
forms as pale and silent as moths. TOM, in white 55
shirt and trousers, rises from the table and crosses
toward the fire-escape
AMANDA [As he passes her] Son, will you do
me a favor?
TOM. What? 60
AMANDA. Comb your hair! You look so pretty
when your hair is combed! [TOM slouches on
sofa with evening paper. Enormous caption
"Franco Triumphs"] There is only one re-
spect in which I would like you to emulate 65
your father.
TOM. What respect is that?
AMANDA. The care he always took of his
appearance. He never allowed himself to look
untidy. [He throws down the paper and crosses 70
to fire-escape.] Where are you going?
TOM I'm going out to smoke.
AMANDA. You smoke too much. A pack a day
at fifteen cents a pack. How much would that
amount to in a month? Thirty times fifteen is 75
how much, Tom? Figure it out and you will
be astounded at what you could save. Enough
to give you a night-school course in account-
ing at Washington U! Just think what a won-
derful thing that would be for you, Son! 80
[TOM is unmoved by the thought.]
TOM. I'd rather smoke. [He steps out on land-
ing, letting the screen door slam.]
AMANDA [Sharply]. I know! That's the
tragedy of it... [Alone, she turns to look at her 85
husband's picture.]
[DANCE MUSIC: "ALL THE WORLD IS WAITING
FOR THE SUNRISE!"]
TOM [To the audience]. Across the alley from
us was the Paradise Dance Hall. On evenings 90
in spring the windows and doors were open
and the music came outdoors. Sometimes the
lights were turned out except for a large glass
Franco General Francisco Franco, leader of the forces
that, with aid from Mussolini and Hitler, finally over-
threw the Spanish Republican government in March
1939
Scene V | The Glass Menagerie
sphere that hung from the ceiling. It would turn slowly about and filter the dusk with delicate rainbow colors. Then the orchestra played a waltz or a tango, something that had
5 a slow and sensuous rhythm. Couples would come outside, to the relative privacy of the alley. You could see them kissing behind ash-pits and telephone poles. This was the compensation for lives that passed like mine,
10 without any change or adventure. Adventure and change were imminent in this year. They were waiting around the corner for all these kids. Suspended in the mist over Berchtes-gaden,° caught in the folds of Chamberlain's
15 umbrella塉In Spain there was Guernica! But here there was only hot swing music and liquor, dance halls, bars, and movies, and sex that hung in the gloom like a chandelier and flooded the world with brief, deceptive
20 rainbows . . . All the world was waiting for bombardments!
[AMANDA turns from the picture and comes outside.]
AMANDA [Sighing]. A fire-escape landing's
25 a poor excuse for a porch. [She spreads a newspaper on a step and sits down, gracefully and demurely as if she were settling into a swing on a Mississippi veranda.] What are you looking at?
TOM. The moon.
30 AMANDA. Is there a moon this evening?
TOM. It's rising over Garfinkel's Delicatessen.
AMANDA. So it is! A little silver slipper of a moon. Have you made a wish on it yet?
35 TOM. Um-hum.
AMANDA. What did you wish for?
TOM. That's a secret.
AMANDA. A secret, huh? Well, I won't tell mine either. I will be just as mysterious as you.
40 TOM. I bet I can guess what yours is.
AMANDA. Is my head so transparent?
TOM. You're not a sphinx.
AMANDA. No, I don't have secrets. I'll tell
Berchtesgaden Hitler's favorite resort in the German Alps
Chamberlain's umbrella Neville Chamberlain, British prime minister, 1937â40; often caricatured with his umbrella, he symbolized efforts to satisfy Hitler's ambitions by "appeasement"
you what I wished for on the moon. Success and happiness for my precious children! I wish 45 for that whenever there's a moon, and when there isn't a moon, I wish for it, too.
TOM. I thought perhaps you wished for a gentleman caller.
AMANDA. Why do you say that? 50
TOM. Don't you remember asking me to fetch one?
AMANDA. I remember suggesting that it would be nice for your sister if you brought home some nice young man from the ware- 55 house. I think that I've made that suggestion more than once.
TOM. Yes, you have made it repeatedly.
AMANDA. Well?
TOM. We are going to have one. 60
AMANDA. What?
TOM. A gentleman caller!
[THE ANNUNCIATION IS CELEBRATED WITH MUSIC.]
[AMANDA rises.] 65
[IMAGE ON SCREEN: CALLER WITH BOUQUET.]
AMANDA. You mean you have asked some nice young man to come over?
TOM. Yep. I've asked him to dinner.
AMANDA. You really did? 70
TOM. I did!
AMANDA. You did, and did heâaccept?
TOM. He did!
AMANDA. Well, wellâwell, well! That'sâ lovely! 75
TOM. I thought that you would be pleased.
AMANDA. It's definite, then?
TOM. Very definite.
AMANDA. Soon?
TOM. Very soon. 80
AMANDA. For heaven's sake, stop putting on and tell me some things, will you?
TOM. What things do you want me to tell you?
AMANDA. Naturally I would like to know 85 when he's coming!
TOM. He's coming tomorrow.
AMANDA. Tomorrow?
TOM. Yep. Tomorrow.
AMANDA. But, Tom! 90
TOM. Yes, Mother?
AMANDA. Tomorrow gives me no time!
The Long-Awaited Gentleman Caller
- Amanda and Tom share a rare moment of quiet on the porch, wishing on the moon for success and happiness.
- Tom reveals that he has finally fulfilled his mother's repeated request to bring home a 'gentleman caller' for his sister, Laura.
- The news of the visitor's arrival triggers an immediate shift from sentimental dreaming to frantic domestic anxiety for Amanda.
- Amanda expresses deep shame over Laura's lack of suitors, calling it 'dreadful' and 'disgraceful' that she has never had a caller.
- Despite Tom's insistence that the boy is nothing special, Amanda begins planning an elaborate overhaul of their home and appearance.
- The tension between mother and son resurfaces as Tom threatens to cancel the invitation to avoid the impending 'fuss' and social performance.
It's rising over Garfinkel's Delicatessen.
Scene V | The Glass Menagerie
sphere that hung from the ceiling. It would turn slowly about and filter the dusk with delicate rainbow colors. Then the orchestra played a waltz or a tango, something that had
5 a slow and sensuous rhythm. Couples would come outside, to the relative privacy of the alley. You could see them kissing behind ash-pits and telephone poles. This was the compensation for lives that passed like mine,
10 without any change or adventure. Adventure and change were imminent in this year. They were waiting around the corner for all these kids. Suspended in the mist over Berchtes-gaden,° caught in the folds of Chamberlain's
15 umbrella塉In Spain there was Guernica! But here there was only hot swing music and liquor, dance halls, bars, and movies, and sex that hung in the gloom like a chandelier and flooded the world with brief, deceptive
20 rainbows . . . All the world was waiting for bombardments!
[AMANDA turns from the picture and comes outside.]
AMANDA [Sighing]. A fire-escape landing's
25 a poor excuse for a porch. [She spreads a newspaper on a step and sits down, gracefully and demurely as if she were settling into a swing on a Mississippi veranda.] What are you looking at?
TOM. The moon.
30 AMANDA. Is there a moon this evening?
TOM. It's rising over Garfinkel's Delicatessen.
AMANDA. So it is! A little silver slipper of a moon. Have you made a wish on it yet?
35 TOM. Um-hum.
AMANDA. What did you wish for?
TOM. That's a secret.
AMANDA. A secret, huh? Well, I won't tell mine either. I will be just as mysterious as you.
40 TOM. I bet I can guess what yours is.
AMANDA. Is my head so transparent?
TOM. You're not a sphinx.
AMANDA. No, I don't have secrets. I'll tell
Berchtesgaden Hitler's favorite resort in the German Alps
Chamberlain's umbrella Neville Chamberlain, British prime minister, 1937â40; often caricatured with his umbrella, he symbolized efforts to satisfy Hitler's ambitions by "appeasement"
you what I wished for on the moon. Success and happiness for my precious children! I wish 45 for that whenever there's a moon, and when there isn't a moon, I wish for it, too.
TOM. I thought perhaps you wished for a gentleman caller.
AMANDA. Why do you say that? 50
TOM. Don't you remember asking me to fetch one?
AMANDA. I remember suggesting that it would be nice for your sister if you brought home some nice young man from the ware- 55 house. I think that I've made that suggestion more than once.
TOM. Yes, you have made it repeatedly.
AMANDA. Well?
TOM. We are going to have one. 60
AMANDA. What?
TOM. A gentleman caller!
[THE ANNUNCIATION IS CELEBRATED WITH MUSIC.]
[AMANDA rises.] 65
[IMAGE ON SCREEN: CALLER WITH BOUQUET.]
AMANDA. You mean you have asked some nice young man to come over?
TOM. Yep. I've asked him to dinner.
AMANDA. You really did? 70
TOM. I did!
AMANDA. You did, and did heâaccept?
TOM. He did!
AMANDA. Well, wellâwell, well! That'sâ lovely! 75
TOM. I thought that you would be pleased.
AMANDA. It's definite, then?
TOM. Very definite.
AMANDA. Soon?
TOM. Very soon. 80
AMANDA. For heaven's sake, stop putting on and tell me some things, will you?
TOM. What things do you want me to tell you?
AMANDA. Naturally I would like to know 85 when he's coming!
TOM. He's coming tomorrow.
AMANDA. Tomorrow?
TOM. Yep. Tomorrow.
AMANDA. But, Tom! 90
TOM. Yes, Mother?
AMANDA. Tomorrow gives me no time!
766
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene V
TOM. Time for what?
AMANDA. Preparations! Why didn't you
phone me at once, as soon as you asked him,
the minute that he accepted? Then, don't you
5 see, I could have been getting ready!
TOM. You don't have to make any fuss.
AMANDA. Oh, Tom, Tom, Tom, of course I
have to make a fuss! I want things nice, not
sloppy! Not thrown together. I'll certainly have
10 to do some fast thinking, won't I?
TOM. I don't see why you have to think at all.
AMANDA. You just don't know. We can't
have a gentleman caller in a pig-sty. All my
wedding silver has to be polished, the mono-
15 grammed table linen ought to be laundered!
The windows have to be washed and fresh
curtains put up. And how about clothes? We
have to wear something, don't we?
TOM. Mother, this boy is no one to make a
20 fuss over!
AMANDA. Do you realize he's the first young
man we've introduced to your sister? It's ter-
rible, dreadful, disgraceful that poor little
sister has never received a single gentleman
25 caller! Tom, come inside! [She opens the screen
door.]
TOM. What for?
AMANDA. I want to ask you some things.
TOM. If you're going to make such a fuss, I'll
30 call it off, I'll tell him not to come!
AMANDA. You certainly won't do anything of
the kind. Nothing offends people worse than
broken engagements. It simply means I'll
have to work like a Turk! We won't be brilliant,
35 but we will pass inspection. Come on inside.
[TOM follows, groaning.] Sit down.
TOM. Any particular place you would like
me to sit?
AMANDA. Thank heavens I've got that new
40 sofa! I'm also making payments on a floor lamp
I'll have that sent out! And put the chintz covers
on, they'll brighten things up! Of course I'd
hoped to have these walls re-papered. . . .
What is the young man's name?
45 TOM. His name is O'Connor.
AMANDA. That, of course, means fish塉
means fish assuming that he is an Irish Catholic and will
observe the then usual rule against eating meat on
Fridays
tomorrow is Friday! I'll have that salmon loaf
âwith Durkee's dressing! What does he do?
He works at the warehouse?
TOM. Of course! How else would Iâ 50
AMANDA. Tom, heâdoesn't drink?
TOM. Why do you ask me that?
AMANDA. Your father did!
TOM. Not that I know of!
AMANDA. He does drink, then? 55
TOM. Not that I know of!
AMANDA. Make sure, be certain! The last
thing I want for my daughter's a boy who
drinks!
TOM. Aren't you being a little bit prema- 60
ture? Mr. O'Connor has not yet appeared on
the scene!
AMANDA. But will tomorrow. To meet your
sister, and what do I know about his character?
Nothing! Old maids are better off than wives 65
of drunkards!
TOM. Oh, my God!
AMANDA. Be still!
TOM [Leaning forward to whisper]. Lots of
fellows meet girls whom they don't marry! 70
AMANDA. Oh, talk sensibly, Tomâand don't
be sarcastic! [She has gotten a hairbrush.]
TOM. What are you doing?
AMANDA. I'm brushing that cow-lick down!
What is this young man's position at the ware- 75
house?
TOM [Submitting grimly to the brush and the
interrogation]. This young man's position is
that of a shipping clerk, Mother.
AMANDA. Sounds to me like a fairly re- 80
sponsible job, the sort of a job you would be
in if you just had more get-up.
What is his salary? Have you any idea?
TOM. I would judge it to be approximately
eighty-five dollars a month. 85
AMANDA. Wellânot princely, butâ
TOM. Twenty more than I make.
AMANDA. Yes, how well I know! But for a
family man, eighty-five dollars a month is not
much more than you can just get by on. 90
TOM. Yes, but Mr. O'Connor is not a family
man.
AMANDA. He might be, mightn't he? Some
time in the future?
TOM. I see. Plans and provisions. 95
Plans and Provisions
- Amanda Wingfield frantically prepares for a 'gentleman caller' by arranging furniture and planning a menu based on the guest's presumed Irish Catholic background.
- Amanda interrogates Tom about Mr. O'Connor's character, specifically obsessing over whether he is a drinker like her absent husband.
- The conversation reveals the family's financial struggles, noting that the guest earns eighty-five dollars a month, which is twenty more than Tom's salary.
- Amanda lectures Tom on the necessity of planning for the future to avoid 'everlasting regret,' while Tom responds with weary sarcasm.
- The dialogue highlights Amanda's past trauma, as she admits her own 'tragic mistake' was being fooled by her husband's handsome appearance and charm.
- Tom describes O'Connor as 'medium homely' with freckles, which satisfies Amanda's new belief that character is more important than looks.
The future becomes the present, the present the past, and the past turns into everlasting regret if you don't plan for it!
766
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene V
TOM. Time for what?
AMANDA. Preparations! Why didn't you
phone me at once, as soon as you asked him,
the minute that he accepted? Then, don't you
5 see, I could have been getting ready!
TOM. You don't have to make any fuss.
AMANDA. Oh, Tom, Tom, Tom, of course I
have to make a fuss! I want things nice, not
sloppy! Not thrown together. I'll certainly have
10 to do some fast thinking, won't I?
TOM. I don't see why you have to think at all.
AMANDA. You just don't know. We can't
have a gentleman caller in a pig-sty. All my
wedding silver has to be polished, the mono-
15 grammed table linen ought to be laundered!
The windows have to be washed and fresh
curtains put up. And how about clothes? We
have to wear something, don't we?
TOM. Mother, this boy is no one to make a
20 fuss over!
AMANDA. Do you realize he's the first young
man we've introduced to your sister? It's ter-
rible, dreadful, disgraceful that poor little
sister has never received a single gentleman
25 caller! Tom, come inside! [She opens the screen
door.]
TOM. What for?
AMANDA. I want to ask you some things.
TOM. If you're going to make such a fuss, I'll
30 call it off, I'll tell him not to come!
AMANDA. You certainly won't do anything of
the kind. Nothing offends people worse than
broken engagements. It simply means I'll
have to work like a Turk! We won't be brilliant,
35 but we will pass inspection. Come on inside.
[TOM follows, groaning.] Sit down.
TOM. Any particular place you would like
me to sit?
AMANDA. Thank heavens I've got that new
40 sofa! I'm also making payments on a floor lamp
I'll have that sent out! And put the chintz covers
on, they'll brighten things up! Of course I'd
hoped to have these walls re-papered. . . .
What is the young man's name?
45 TOM. His name is O'Connor.
AMANDA. That, of course, means fish塉
means fish assuming that he is an Irish Catholic and will
observe the then usual rule against eating meat on
Fridays
tomorrow is Friday! I'll have that salmon loaf
âwith Durkee's dressing! What does he do?
He works at the warehouse?
TOM. Of course! How else would Iâ 50
AMANDA. Tom, heâdoesn't drink?
TOM. Why do you ask me that?
AMANDA. Your father did!
TOM. Not that I know of!
AMANDA. He does drink, then? 55
TOM. Not that I know of!
AMANDA. Make sure, be certain! The last
thing I want for my daughter's a boy who
drinks!
TOM. Aren't you being a little bit prema- 60
ture? Mr. O'Connor has not yet appeared on
the scene!
AMANDA. But will tomorrow. To meet your
sister, and what do I know about his character?
Nothing! Old maids are better off than wives 65
of drunkards!
TOM. Oh, my God!
AMANDA. Be still!
TOM [Leaning forward to whisper]. Lots of
fellows meet girls whom they don't marry! 70
AMANDA. Oh, talk sensibly, Tomâand don't
be sarcastic! [She has gotten a hairbrush.]
TOM. What are you doing?
AMANDA. I'm brushing that cow-lick down!
What is this young man's position at the ware- 75
house?
TOM [Submitting grimly to the brush and the
interrogation]. This young man's position is
that of a shipping clerk, Mother.
AMANDA. Sounds to me like a fairly re- 80
sponsible job, the sort of a job you would be
in if you just had more get-up.
What is his salary? Have you any idea?
TOM. I would judge it to be approximately
eighty-five dollars a month. 85
AMANDA. Wellânot princely, butâ
TOM. Twenty more than I make.
AMANDA. Yes, how well I know! But for a
family man, eighty-five dollars a month is not
much more than you can just get by on. 90
TOM. Yes, but Mr. O'Connor is not a family
man.
AMANDA. He might be, mightn't he? Some
time in the future?
TOM. I see. Plans and provisions. 95
Scene V | The Glass Menagerie
AMANDA You are the only young man that I
know of who ignores the fact that the future
becomes the present, the present the past, and
the past turns into everlasting regret if you
5 don't plan for it!
TOM I will think that over and see what I
can make of it.
AMANDA Don't be supercilious with your
mother! Tell me some more about thisâwhat
10 do you call him?
TOM James D O'Connor. The D. is for De-
laney.
AMANDA Irish on both sides! Gracious! And
doesn't drink?
15 TOM Shall I call him up and ask him right
this minute?
AMANDA The only way to find out about
those things is to make discreet inquiries at
the proper moment. When I was a girl in Blue
20 Mountain and it was suspected that a young
man drank, the girl whose attentions he had
been receiving, if any girl was, would some-
times speak to the minister of his church, or
rather her father would if her father was living,
25 and sort of feel him out on the young man's
character. That is the way such things are dis-
creetly handled to keep a young woman from
making a tragic mistake!
TOM Then how did you happen to make a
30 tragic mistake?
AMANDA That innocent look of your father's
had everyone fooled! He smiledâthe world was
enchanted! No girl can do worse than put her-
self at the mercy of a handsome appearance! I
35 hope that Mr. O'Connor is not too good-
looking.
TOM No, he's not too good-looking. He's
covered with freckles and hasn't too much of a
nose.
40 AMANDA He's not right-down homely,
though?
TOM Not right-down homely. Just medium
homely, I'd say.
AMANDA Character's what to look for in a
45 man.
TOM That's what I've always said, Mother.
AMANDA You've never said anything of the
kind and I suspect you would never give it a
thought.
TOM Don't be so suspicious of me. 50
AMANDA At least I hope he's the type that's
up and coming.
TOM I think he really goes in for self-im-
provement.
AMANDA What reason have you to think so? 55
TOM He goes to night school.
AMANDA [Beaming] Splendid! What does
he do, I mean study?
TOM Radio engineering and public speak-
ing! 60
AMANDA Then he has visions of being ad-
vanced in the world! Any young man who
studies public speaking is aiming to have an
executive job some day! And radio engineer-
ing? A thing for the future! Both of these facts 65
are very illuminating. Those are the sort of
things that a mother should know concerning
any young man who comes to call on her
daughter. Seriously orânot.
TOM One little warning. He doesn't know 70
about Laura. I didn't let on that we had dark
ulterior motives. I just said, why don't you
come and have dinner with us? He said okay
and that was the whole conversation.
AMANDA I bet it was! You're eloquent as 75
an oyster. However, he'll know about Laura
when he gets here. When he sees how lovely
and sweet and pretty she is, he'll thank his
lucky stars he was asked to dinner.
TOM Mother, you mustn't expect too much 80
of Laura.
AMANDA What do you mean?
TOM Laura seems all those things to you and
me because she's ours and we love her. We
don't even notice she's crippled any more 85
AMANDA Don't say crippled You know that
I never allow that word to be used!
TOM But face facts, Mother She is andâ
that's not allâ
AMANDA What do you mean "not all"? 90
TOM Laura is very different from other girls.
AMANDA I think the difference is all to her
advantage.
TOM Not quite allâin the eyes of othersâ
strangersâshe's terribly shy and lives in a 95
world of her own and those things make her
seem a little peculiar to people outside the
house.
Visions of the Gentleman Caller
- Amanda expresses high hopes for the upcoming visitor, interpreting his studies in radio engineering and public speaking as signs of executive ambition.
- Tom warns his mother that the visitor is unaware of their 'ulterior motives' regarding Laura.
- A conflict arises over the description of Laura, as Amanda refuses to acknowledge terms like 'crippled' or 'peculiar' that Tom uses to describe her reality.
- Tom highlights Laura's extreme isolation, noting she lives in a private world of glass ornaments and old phonograph records.
- The scene ends with Amanda forcing a moment of desperate optimism, demanding Laura make a wish for happiness on the moon.
She lives in a world of her ownâa world of little glass ornaments, Mother.
Scene V | The Glass Menagerie
AMANDA You are the only young man that I
know of who ignores the fact that the future
becomes the present, the present the past, and
the past turns into everlasting regret if you
5 don't plan for it!
TOM I will think that over and see what I
can make of it.
AMANDA Don't be supercilious with your
mother! Tell me some more about thisâwhat
10 do you call him?
TOM James D O'Connor. The D. is for De-
laney.
AMANDA Irish on both sides! Gracious! And
doesn't drink?
15 TOM Shall I call him up and ask him right
this minute?
AMANDA The only way to find out about
those things is to make discreet inquiries at
the proper moment. When I was a girl in Blue
20 Mountain and it was suspected that a young
man drank, the girl whose attentions he had
been receiving, if any girl was, would some-
times speak to the minister of his church, or
rather her father would if her father was living,
25 and sort of feel him out on the young man's
character. That is the way such things are dis-
creetly handled to keep a young woman from
making a tragic mistake!
TOM Then how did you happen to make a
30 tragic mistake?
AMANDA That innocent look of your father's
had everyone fooled! He smiledâthe world was
enchanted! No girl can do worse than put her-
self at the mercy of a handsome appearance! I
35 hope that Mr. O'Connor is not too good-
looking.
TOM No, he's not too good-looking. He's
covered with freckles and hasn't too much of a
nose.
40 AMANDA He's not right-down homely,
though?
TOM Not right-down homely. Just medium
homely, I'd say.
AMANDA Character's what to look for in a
45 man.
TOM That's what I've always said, Mother.
AMANDA You've never said anything of the
kind and I suspect you would never give it a
thought.
TOM Don't be so suspicious of me. 50
AMANDA At least I hope he's the type that's
up and coming.
TOM I think he really goes in for self-im-
provement.
AMANDA What reason have you to think so? 55
TOM He goes to night school.
AMANDA [Beaming] Splendid! What does
he do, I mean study?
TOM Radio engineering and public speak-
ing! 60
AMANDA Then he has visions of being ad-
vanced in the world! Any young man who
studies public speaking is aiming to have an
executive job some day! And radio engineer-
ing? A thing for the future! Both of these facts 65
are very illuminating. Those are the sort of
things that a mother should know concerning
any young man who comes to call on her
daughter. Seriously orânot.
TOM One little warning. He doesn't know 70
about Laura. I didn't let on that we had dark
ulterior motives. I just said, why don't you
come and have dinner with us? He said okay
and that was the whole conversation.
AMANDA I bet it was! You're eloquent as 75
an oyster. However, he'll know about Laura
when he gets here. When he sees how lovely
and sweet and pretty she is, he'll thank his
lucky stars he was asked to dinner.
TOM Mother, you mustn't expect too much 80
of Laura.
AMANDA What do you mean?
TOM Laura seems all those things to you and
me because she's ours and we love her. We
don't even notice she's crippled any more 85
AMANDA Don't say crippled You know that
I never allow that word to be used!
TOM But face facts, Mother She is andâ
that's not allâ
AMANDA What do you mean "not all"? 90
TOM Laura is very different from other girls.
AMANDA I think the difference is all to her
advantage.
TOM Not quite allâin the eyes of othersâ
strangersâshe's terribly shy and lives in a 95
world of her own and those things make her
seem a little peculiar to people outside the
house.
768
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VI
AMANDA. Don't say peculiar.
TOM. Face the facts. She is.
[THE DANCE-HALL MUSIC CHANGES TO A TANGO THAT HAS A MINOR AND SOMEWHAT OMINOUS TONE.]
AMANDA. In what way is she peculiarâmay I ask?
TOM [Gently]. She lives in a world of her ownâa world of little glass ornaments, Mother. [Gets up. AMANDA remains holding brush, looking at him, troubled] She plays old phonograph records andâthat's about allâ[He glances at himself in the mirror and crosses to door.]
AMANDA [Sharply]. Where are you going?
TOM. I'm going to the movies. [Out screen door.]
AMANDA. Not to the movies, every night to the movies! [Follows quickly to screen door.] I don't believe you always go to the movies! [He is gone. AMANDA looks worriedly after him for a moment. Then vitality and optimism return and she turns from the door. Crossing to portieres.] Laura! Laura! [LAURA answers from kitchenette.]
LAURA. Yes, Mother.
AMANDA. Let those dishes go and come in front! [LAURA appears with dish towel. Gaily.] Laura, come here and make a wish on the moon!
[SCREEN IMAGE: MOON.]
LAURA [Entering]. Moonâmoon?
AMANDA. A little silver slipper of a moon. Look over your left shoulder, Laura, and make a wish! [LAURA looks faintly puzzled as if called out of sleep. AMANDA seizes her shoulders and turns her at an angle by the door.] Now! Now, darling, wish!
LAURA. What shall I wish for, Mother?
AMANDA [Her voice trembling and her eyes suddenly filling with tears]. Happiness, Good fortune!
[The violin rises and the stage dims out.]
Curtain
SCENE VI
[IMAGE: HIGH SCHOOL HERO.]
TOM. And so the following evening I brought Jim home to dinner. I had known Jim slightly in high school. In high school Jim was a hero. He had tremendous Irish good nature and vitality with the scrubbed and polished look of white chinaware. He seemed to move in a continual spotlight. He was a star in basketball, captain of the debating club, president of the senior class and the glee club and he sang the male lead in the annual light operas. He was always running or bounding, never just walking. He seemed always at the point of defeating the law of gravity. He was shooting with such velocity through his adolescence that you would logically expect him to arrive at nothing short of the White House by the time he was thirty. But Jim apparently ran into more interference after his graduation from Soldan. His speed had definitely slowed. Six years after he left high school he was holding a job that wasn't much better than mine.
[IMAGE: CLERK.]
He was the only one at the warehouse with whom I was on friendly terms. It was valuable to him as someone who could remember his former glory, who had seen him win basketball games and the silver cup in debating. He knew of my secret practice of retiring to a cabinet of the wash-room to work on poems when business was slack in the warehouse. He called me Shakespeare. And while the other boys in the warehouse regarded me with suspicious hostility, Jim took a humorous attitude toward me. Gradually his attitude affected the others, their hostility wore off and they also began to smile at me as people smile at an oddly fashioned dog who trots across their path at some distance.
I knew that Jim and Laura had known each other at Soldan, and I had heard Laura speak admiringly of his voice. I didn't know if Jim remembered her or not. In high school Laura had been as unobtrusive as Jim had been astonishing. If he did remember Laura, it was not as my sister, for when I asked him to dinner, he grinned and said, "You know, Shakespeare, I never thought of you as having folks!"
He was about to discover that I did. . . .
[Light up stage.]
The Arrival of Jim O'Connor
- Tom introduces Jim O'Connor, a former high school star whose trajectory toward greatness has stalled in a mundane warehouse job.
- Jim serves as Tom's only friend at work, protecting him from the hostility of other coworkers who find Tom's poetry-writing eccentric.
- Amanda undergoes a frantic, 'ritualistic' preparation of the apartment to impress the long-awaited gentleman caller.
- Laura is transformed by a new dress and hairstyle, achieving a fragile, 'unearthly' beauty that mirrors her glass collection.
- The tension between Amandaâs desperate expectations and Lauraâs paralyzing anxiety reaches a peak as the guest's arrival nears.
A fragile, unearthly prettiness has come out in LAURA: she is like a piece of translucent glass touched by light, given a momentary radiance, not actual, not lasting.
768
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VI
AMANDA. Don't say peculiar.
TOM. Face the facts. She is.
[THE DANCE-HALL MUSIC CHANGES TO A TANGO THAT HAS A MINOR AND SOMEWHAT OMINOUS TONE.]
AMANDA. In what way is she peculiarâmay I ask?
TOM [Gently]. She lives in a world of her ownâa world of little glass ornaments, Mother. [Gets up. AMANDA remains holding brush, looking at him, troubled] She plays old phonograph records andâthat's about allâ[He glances at himself in the mirror and crosses to door.]
AMANDA [Sharply]. Where are you going?
TOM. I'm going to the movies. [Out screen door.]
AMANDA. Not to the movies, every night to the movies! [Follows quickly to screen door.] I don't believe you always go to the movies! [He is gone. AMANDA looks worriedly after him for a moment. Then vitality and optimism return and she turns from the door. Crossing to portieres.] Laura! Laura! [LAURA answers from kitchenette.]
LAURA. Yes, Mother.
AMANDA. Let those dishes go and come in front! [LAURA appears with dish towel. Gaily.] Laura, come here and make a wish on the moon!
[SCREEN IMAGE: MOON.]
LAURA [Entering]. Moonâmoon?
AMANDA. A little silver slipper of a moon. Look over your left shoulder, Laura, and make a wish! [LAURA looks faintly puzzled as if called out of sleep. AMANDA seizes her shoulders and turns her at an angle by the door.] Now! Now, darling, wish!
LAURA. What shall I wish for, Mother?
AMANDA [Her voice trembling and her eyes suddenly filling with tears]. Happiness, Good fortune!
[The violin rises and the stage dims out.]
Curtain
SCENE VI
[IMAGE: HIGH SCHOOL HERO.]
TOM. And so the following evening I brought Jim home to dinner. I had known Jim slightly in high school. In high school Jim was a hero. He had tremendous Irish good nature and vitality with the scrubbed and polished look of white chinaware. He seemed to move in a continual spotlight. He was a star in basketball, captain of the debating club, president of the senior class and the glee club and he sang the male lead in the annual light operas. He was always running or bounding, never just walking. He seemed always at the point of defeating the law of gravity. He was shooting with such velocity through his adolescence that you would logically expect him to arrive at nothing short of the White House by the time he was thirty. But Jim apparently ran into more interference after his graduation from Soldan. His speed had definitely slowed. Six years after he left high school he was holding a job that wasn't much better than mine.
[IMAGE: CLERK.]
He was the only one at the warehouse with whom I was on friendly terms. It was valuable to him as someone who could remember his former glory, who had seen him win basketball games and the silver cup in debating. He knew of my secret practice of retiring to a cabinet of the wash-room to work on poems when business was slack in the warehouse. He called me Shakespeare. And while the other boys in the warehouse regarded me with suspicious hostility, Jim took a humorous attitude toward me. Gradually his attitude affected the others, their hostility wore off and they also began to smile at me as people smile at an oddly fashioned dog who trots across their path at some distance.
I knew that Jim and Laura had known each other at Soldan, and I had heard Laura speak admiringly of his voice. I didn't know if Jim remembered her or not. In high school Laura had been as unobtrusive as Jim had been astonishing. If he did remember Laura, it was not as my sister, for when I asked him to dinner, he grinned and said, "You know, Shakespeare, I never thought of you as having folks!"
He was about to discover that I did. . . .
[Light up stage.]
Scene VI | The Glass Menagerie
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "THE ACCENT OF A
COMING FOOT."]°
Friday evening. It is about five o'clock of a
late spring evening which comes "scattering
5 poems in the sky"° A delicate lemony light is in
the Wingfield apartment. AMANDA has worked
like a Turk in preparation for the gentleman
caller. The results are astonishing. The new floor
lamp with its rose-silk shade is in place, a colored
10 paper lantern conceals the broken light-fixture
in the ceiling, new billowing white curtains are
at the windows, chintz covers are on chairs and
sofa, a pair of new sofa pillows make their initial
appearance. Open boxes and tissue paper are
15 scattered on the floor. LAURA stands in the middle
with lifted arms while AMANDA crouches before
her, adjusting the hem of the new dress, devout
and ritualistic. The dress is colored and designed
by memory. The arrangement of LAURA's hair is
20 changed; it is softer and more becoming. A fragile,
unearthly prettiness has come out in LAURA: she
is like a piece of translucent glass touched by light,
given a momentary radiance, not actual, not
lasting.
25 AMANDA [Impatiently]. Why are you trem-
bling?
LAURA. Mother, you've made me so nervous!
AMANDA. How have I made you nervous?
LAURA. By all this fuss! You make it seem so
30 important!
AMANDA. I don't understand you, Laura.
You couldn't be satisfied with just sitting
home, and yet whenever I try to arrange some-
thing for you, you seem to resist it. [She gets
"The accent of a coming foot" from a poem by Emily
Dickinson (1830â1886):
Elysium is as far as to
The very nearest room.
If in that room a friend await
Felicity or doom
What fortitude the soul contains
That it can so endure
The accent of a coming foot,
The opening of a door!
"scattering poems in the sky" partly quoted from a
poem by E. E. Cummings (1894â1962). 'Impressions. IV'
up.] Now take a look at yourself. No, wait! 35
Wait just a momentâI have an idea!
LAURA. What is it now?
[AMANDA produces two powder puffs which
she wraps in handerchiefs and stuffs in LAURA's
bosom.] 40
LAURA. Mother, what are you doing?
AMANDA. They call them "Gay Deceivers"!
LAURA. I won't wear them!
AMANDA. You will!
LAURA. Why should I? 45
AMANDA. Because, to be painfully honest,
your chest is flat.
LAURA. You make it seem like we were
setting a trap.
AMANDA. All pretty girls are a trap, a pretty 50
trap, and men expect them to be. [LEGEND: "A
PRETTY TRAP".] Now look at yourself, young
lady. This is the prettiest you will ever be!
I've got to fix myself now! You're going to be
surprised by your mother's appearance! [She 55
crosses through portieres, humming gaily.
LAURA moves slowly to the long mirror and stares
solemnly at herself. A wind blows the white
curtains inward in a slow, graceful motion and
with a faint, sorrowful sighing.] 60
AMANDA [Off stage]. It isn't dark enough yet.
[She turns slowly before the mirror with a
troubled look.]
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "THIS IS MY SISTER:
CELEBRATE HER WITH STRINGS!" MUSIC.] 65
AMANDA [Laughing, off]. I'm going to show
you something. I'm going to make a spectac-
ular appearance!
LAURA. What is it, Mother?
AMANDA. Possess your soul in patienceâ 70
you will see! Something I've resurrected from
that old trunk! Styles haven't changed so
terribly much after all. . . . [She parts the por-
tieres.] Now just look at your mother! [She
wears a girlish frock of yellowed voile with a blue 75
silk sash. She carries a bunch of jonquilsâthe
legend of her youth is nearly revived. Feverishly.]
This is the dress in which I led the cotillion.
Won the cakewalk twice at Sunset Hill, wore
one spring to the Governor's ball in Jackson! 80
See how I sashayed around the ballroom,
Laura? [She raises her skirt and does a mincing
The Pretty Trap
- Amanda prepares Laura for a gentleman caller by padding her dress with 'Gay Deceivers,' viewing womanhood as a strategic performance.
- Amanda retreats into a feverish memory of her own youth, donning an old dress and recounting her obsession with jonquils and her many suitors.
- The dialogue reveals Amandaâs cynical yet pragmatic view that all pretty girls are 'traps' that men expect to be caught by.
- The atmosphere shifts from frantic preparation to a haunting nostalgia as Amanda describes the spring she met Laura's father while suffering from malaria.
- The scene reaches a climax of tension when Laura discovers the identity of the expected guest is a man named Jim.
- Lauraâs physical reaction to the name 'Jim' suggests a painful past connection, casting a shadow over Amanda's optimistic preparations.
All pretty girls are a trap, a pretty trap, and men expect them to be.
Scene VI | The Glass Menagerie
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "THE ACCENT OF A
COMING FOOT."]°
Friday evening. It is about five o'clock of a
late spring evening which comes "scattering
5 poems in the sky"° A delicate lemony light is in
the Wingfield apartment. AMANDA has worked
like a Turk in preparation for the gentleman
caller. The results are astonishing. The new floor
lamp with its rose-silk shade is in place, a colored
10 paper lantern conceals the broken light-fixture
in the ceiling, new billowing white curtains are
at the windows, chintz covers are on chairs and
sofa, a pair of new sofa pillows make their initial
appearance. Open boxes and tissue paper are
15 scattered on the floor. LAURA stands in the middle
with lifted arms while AMANDA crouches before
her, adjusting the hem of the new dress, devout
and ritualistic. The dress is colored and designed
by memory. The arrangement of LAURA's hair is
20 changed; it is softer and more becoming. A fragile,
unearthly prettiness has come out in LAURA: she
is like a piece of translucent glass touched by light,
given a momentary radiance, not actual, not
lasting.
25 AMANDA [Impatiently]. Why are you trem-
bling?
LAURA. Mother, you've made me so nervous!
AMANDA. How have I made you nervous?
LAURA. By all this fuss! You make it seem so
30 important!
AMANDA. I don't understand you, Laura.
You couldn't be satisfied with just sitting
home, and yet whenever I try to arrange some-
thing for you, you seem to resist it. [She gets
"The accent of a coming foot" from a poem by Emily
Dickinson (1830â1886):
Elysium is as far as to
The very nearest room.
If in that room a friend await
Felicity or doom
What fortitude the soul contains
That it can so endure
The accent of a coming foot,
The opening of a door!
"scattering poems in the sky" partly quoted from a
poem by E. E. Cummings (1894â1962). 'Impressions. IV'
up.] Now take a look at yourself. No, wait! 35
Wait just a momentâI have an idea!
LAURA. What is it now?
[AMANDA produces two powder puffs which
she wraps in handerchiefs and stuffs in LAURA's
bosom.] 40
LAURA. Mother, what are you doing?
AMANDA. They call them "Gay Deceivers"!
LAURA. I won't wear them!
AMANDA. You will!
LAURA. Why should I? 45
AMANDA. Because, to be painfully honest,
your chest is flat.
LAURA. You make it seem like we were
setting a trap.
AMANDA. All pretty girls are a trap, a pretty 50
trap, and men expect them to be. [LEGEND: "A
PRETTY TRAP".] Now look at yourself, young
lady. This is the prettiest you will ever be!
I've got to fix myself now! You're going to be
surprised by your mother's appearance! [She 55
crosses through portieres, humming gaily.
LAURA moves slowly to the long mirror and stares
solemnly at herself. A wind blows the white
curtains inward in a slow, graceful motion and
with a faint, sorrowful sighing.] 60
AMANDA [Off stage]. It isn't dark enough yet.
[She turns slowly before the mirror with a
troubled look.]
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "THIS IS MY SISTER:
CELEBRATE HER WITH STRINGS!" MUSIC.] 65
AMANDA [Laughing, off]. I'm going to show
you something. I'm going to make a spectac-
ular appearance!
LAURA. What is it, Mother?
AMANDA. Possess your soul in patienceâ 70
you will see! Something I've resurrected from
that old trunk! Styles haven't changed so
terribly much after all. . . . [She parts the por-
tieres.] Now just look at your mother! [She
wears a girlish frock of yellowed voile with a blue 75
silk sash. She carries a bunch of jonquilsâthe
legend of her youth is nearly revived. Feverishly.]
This is the dress in which I led the cotillion.
Won the cakewalk twice at Sunset Hill, wore
one spring to the Governor's ball in Jackson! 80
See how I sashayed around the ballroom,
Laura? [She raises her skirt and does a mincing
770
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VI
step around the room ] I wore it on Sundays for
my gentlemen callers! I had it on the day I met
your fatherâI had malaria fever all that spring
The change of climate from East Tennessee to
5 the Deltaâweakened resistanceâI had a little
temperature all the timeânot enough to be
seriousâjust enough to make me restless and
giddy!âInvitations poured inâparties all
over the Delta!â"Stay in bed," said Mother,
10 "you have fever!"âbut I just wouldn't.âI
took quinine but kept on going, going!â
Evenings, dances!âAfternoons, long, long
rides! Picnicsâlovely!âSo lovely, that country
in May.âAll lacy with dogwood, literally
15 flooded with jonquils!âThat was the spring I
had the craze for jonquils. Jonquils became
an absolute obsession. Mother said "Honey,
there's no more room for jonquils." And still
I kept on bringing in more jonquils. When-
20 ever, wherever I saw them, I'd say, "Stop!
Stop! I see jonquils!" I made the young men
help me gather the jonquils! It was a joke,
Amanda and her jonquils! Finally there were
no more vases to hold them, every available
25 space was filled with jonquils. No vases to hold
them? All right, I'll hold them myself! And then
Iâ[She stops in front of the picture MUSIC] met
your father! Malaria fever and jonquils and
thenâthisâboy.... [She switches on the rose-
30 colored lamp ] I hope they get here before it
starts to rain. [She crosses upstage and places
the jonquils in bowl on table ] I gave your
brother a little extra change so he and Mr.
O'Connor could take the service car home.
35 LAURA [With altered look]. What did you say
his name was?
AMANDA O'Connor.
LAURA. What is his first name?
AMANDA. I don't remember. Oh, yes, I do.
40 It wasâJim!
[LAURA sways slightly and catches hold of a
chair.]
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "NOT JIM!"]
LAURA [Faintly]. NotâJim!
45 AMANDA. Yes, that was it, it was Jim! I've
never known a Jim that wasn't nice!
[MUSIC: OMINOUS.]
LAURA. Are you sure his name is Jim
O'Connor?
AMANDA. Yes Why?
LAURA. Is he the one that Tom used to know
in high school?
AMANDA. He didn't say so I think he just
got to know him at the warehouse.
LAURA. There was a Jim O'Connor we both 55
knew in high schoolâ[Then, with effort ] If
that is the one that Tom is bringing to dinnerâ
you'll have to excuse me, I won't come to the
table.
AMANDA. What sort of nonsense is this? 60
LAURA. You asked me once if I'd ever liked a
boy. Don't you remember I showed you this
boy's picture?
AMANDA. You mean the boy you showed me
in the year book? 65
LAURA. Yes, that boy
AMANDA. Laura, Laura, were you in love
with that boy?
LAURA. I don't know, Mother. All I know is I
couldn't sit at the table if it was him! 70
AMANDA. It won't be him! It isn't the least
bit likely. But whether it is or not, you will
come to the table You will not be excused.
LAURA. I'll have to be, Mother.
AMANDA. I don't intend to humor your 75
silliness, Laura. I've had too much from you
and your brother, both! So just sit down and
compose yourself till they come. Tom has
forgotten his key so you'll have to let them in,
when they arrive. 80
LAURA [Panicky]. Oh, Motherâyou answer
the door!
AMANDA [Lightly]. I'll be in the kitchenâ
busy!
LAURA. Oh, Mother, please answer the door, 85
don't make me do it!
AMANDA [Crossing into kitchenette]. I've got
to fix the dressing for the salmon. Fuss, fussâ
silliness!âover a gentleman caller!
[Door swings shut. LAURA is left alone.] 90
[LEGEND: "TERROR!"]
[She utters a low moan and turns off the lampâ
sits stiffly on the edge of the sofa, knotting her
fingers together.]
The Terror of the Door
- Laura realizes the 'gentleman caller' is likely Jim O'Connor, the boy she was infatuated with in high school.
- Overcome by anxiety, Laura begs her mother to be excused from dinner, but Amanda dismisses her fears as nonsense.
- Amanda forces Laura to answer the door, viewing her daughter's paralyzing social phobia as a 'fantastic whim.'
- The tension peaks as Laura uses the music of the Victrola to find the strength to physically open the door.
- The meeting occurs, revealing the stark contrast between Jim's hearty confidence and Laura's trembling, physical coldness.
Laura, sweetheart! The door! [LAURA stares at it without moving.]
770
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VI
step around the room ] I wore it on Sundays for
my gentlemen callers! I had it on the day I met
your fatherâI had malaria fever all that spring
The change of climate from East Tennessee to
5 the Deltaâweakened resistanceâI had a little
temperature all the timeânot enough to be
seriousâjust enough to make me restless and
giddy!âInvitations poured inâparties all
over the Delta!â"Stay in bed," said Mother,
10 "you have fever!"âbut I just wouldn't.âI
took quinine but kept on going, going!â
Evenings, dances!âAfternoons, long, long
rides! Picnicsâlovely!âSo lovely, that country
in May.âAll lacy with dogwood, literally
15 flooded with jonquils!âThat was the spring I
had the craze for jonquils. Jonquils became
an absolute obsession. Mother said "Honey,
there's no more room for jonquils." And still
I kept on bringing in more jonquils. When-
20 ever, wherever I saw them, I'd say, "Stop!
Stop! I see jonquils!" I made the young men
help me gather the jonquils! It was a joke,
Amanda and her jonquils! Finally there were
no more vases to hold them, every available
25 space was filled with jonquils. No vases to hold
them? All right, I'll hold them myself! And then
Iâ[She stops in front of the picture MUSIC] met
your father! Malaria fever and jonquils and
thenâthisâboy.... [She switches on the rose-
30 colored lamp ] I hope they get here before it
starts to rain. [She crosses upstage and places
the jonquils in bowl on table ] I gave your
brother a little extra change so he and Mr.
O'Connor could take the service car home.
35 LAURA [With altered look]. What did you say
his name was?
AMANDA O'Connor.
LAURA. What is his first name?
AMANDA. I don't remember. Oh, yes, I do.
40 It wasâJim!
[LAURA sways slightly and catches hold of a
chair.]
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "NOT JIM!"]
LAURA [Faintly]. NotâJim!
45 AMANDA. Yes, that was it, it was Jim! I've
never known a Jim that wasn't nice!
[MUSIC: OMINOUS.]
LAURA. Are you sure his name is Jim
O'Connor?
AMANDA. Yes Why?
LAURA. Is he the one that Tom used to know
in high school?
AMANDA. He didn't say so I think he just
got to know him at the warehouse.
LAURA. There was a Jim O'Connor we both 55
knew in high schoolâ[Then, with effort ] If
that is the one that Tom is bringing to dinnerâ
you'll have to excuse me, I won't come to the
table.
AMANDA. What sort of nonsense is this? 60
LAURA. You asked me once if I'd ever liked a
boy. Don't you remember I showed you this
boy's picture?
AMANDA. You mean the boy you showed me
in the year book? 65
LAURA. Yes, that boy
AMANDA. Laura, Laura, were you in love
with that boy?
LAURA. I don't know, Mother. All I know is I
couldn't sit at the table if it was him! 70
AMANDA. It won't be him! It isn't the least
bit likely. But whether it is or not, you will
come to the table You will not be excused.
LAURA. I'll have to be, Mother.
AMANDA. I don't intend to humor your 75
silliness, Laura. I've had too much from you
and your brother, both! So just sit down and
compose yourself till they come. Tom has
forgotten his key so you'll have to let them in,
when they arrive. 80
LAURA [Panicky]. Oh, Motherâyou answer
the door!
AMANDA [Lightly]. I'll be in the kitchenâ
busy!
LAURA. Oh, Mother, please answer the door, 85
don't make me do it!
AMANDA [Crossing into kitchenette]. I've got
to fix the dressing for the salmon. Fuss, fussâ
silliness!âover a gentleman caller!
[Door swings shut. LAURA is left alone.] 90
[LEGEND: "TERROR!"]
[She utters a low moan and turns off the lampâ
sits stiffly on the edge of the sofa, knotting her
fingers together.]
Scene VI | The Glass Menagerie
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "THE OPENING OF A
DOOR!"]
[Tom and JIM appear on the fire-escape steps
and climb to landing. Hearing their approach,
5 LAURA rises with a panicky gesture. She retreats
to the portieres. The doorbell. LAURA catches
her breath and touches her throat. Low drums.]
AMANDA [Calling]. Laura, sweetheart! The
door! [LAURA stares at it without moving.]
10 JIM. I think we just beat the rain.
TOM. Uh-huh. [He rings again, nervously.
JIM whistles and fishes for a cigarette.]
AMANDA [Very, very gaily]. Laura, that is
your brother and Mr. O'Connor! Will you let
15 them in, darling?
[LAURA crosses toward kitchenette door.]
LAURA [Breathlessly]. Mother-you go to the
door!
[AMANDA steps out of kitchenette and stares
20 furiously at LAURA. She points imperiously at the
door.]
LAURA. Please, please!
AMANDA [In a fierce whisper]. What is the
matter with you, you silly thing?
25 LAURA [Desperately]. Please, you answer it,
please!
AMANDA. I told you I wasn't going to humor
you, Laura. Why have you chosen this moment
to lose your mind?
30 LAURA. Please, please, please, you go!
AMANDA. You'll have to go to the door be-
cause I can't!
LAURA [Despairingly]. I can't either!
AMANDA. Why?
35 LAURA. I'm sick!
AMANDA. I'm sick, too-of your nonsense!
Why can't you and your brother be normal
people? Fantastic whims and behavior! [TOM
gives a long ring.] Preposterous goings on! Can
40 you give me one reason-[Calls out lyrically.]
Coming! Just one second! -why you should be
afraid to open a door? Now you answer it,
Laura!
LAURA. Oh, oh, oh. [She returns through
the portieres. Darts to the victrola and winds it 45
frantically and turns it on.]
AMANDA. Laura Wingfield, you march right
to that door!
LAURA. Yes-yes, Mother!
[A faraway, scratchy rendition of "Dardanella" 50
softens the air and gives her strength to move
through it. She slips to the door and draws it
cautiously open. TOM enters with the caller, JIM
O'CONNOR.]
TOM. Laura, this is Jim. Jim, this is my sister, 55
Laura.
JIM [Stepping inside]. I didn't know that
Shakespeare had a sister!
LAURA [Retreating stiff and trembling from the
door]. How-how do you do? 60
JIM [Heartily extending his hand]. Okay!
[LAURA touches it hesitantly with hers.]
Your hand's cold, Laura!
LAURA. Yes, well-I've been playing the
victrola. 65
JIM. Must have been playing classical music
on it! You ought to play a little hot swing music
to warm you up!
LAURA. Excuse me-I haven't finished play-
ing the victrola. [She turns awkwardly and 70
hurries into the front room. She pauses a second
by the victrola Then catches her breath and darts
through the portieres like a frightened deer.]
JIM [Grinning]. What was the matter?
TOM. Oh-with Laura? Laura is-terribly 75
shy.
JIM. Shy, huh? It's unusual to meet a shy girl
nowadays. I don't believe you ever mentioned
you had a sister.
TOM. Well, now you know. I have one. Here 80
is the Post Dispatch. You want a piece of it?
JIM. Uh-huh.
TOM. What piece? The comics?
JIM. Sports! [Glances at it.] Ole Dizzy Dean
is on his bad behavior 85
TOM [Disinterest]. Yeah? [Lights cigarette and
crosses back to fire-escape door.]
"Opening of a door" see poem by Emily Dickinson
"Dardanella" like Laura's other old records. a dance
tune from about the period of her parents' courtship
Dean famous pitcher for the St Louis Cardinals
The Urge to Move
- Laura flees the room in a panic of shyness when confronted by Jim's outgoing personality.
- Jim advocates for self-improvement through public speaking, claiming social poise is the key to executive success.
- Tom reveals his deep dissatisfaction with his stagnant life at the warehouse and his disdain for Jim's conventional ambitions.
- Tom critiques the passive nature of American life, where people watch movies instead of seeking their own adventures.
- Tom hints at a radical departure, suggesting he is ready to abandon his responsibilities for a life of real action.
- The tension between Jim's desire for corporate climbing and Tom's desire for total escape highlights their differing worldviews.
I'm tired of the movies and I am about to move!
Scene VI | The Glass Menagerie
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "THE OPENING OF A
DOOR!"]
[Tom and JIM appear on the fire-escape steps
and climb to landing. Hearing their approach,
5 LAURA rises with a panicky gesture. She retreats
to the portieres. The doorbell. LAURA catches
her breath and touches her throat. Low drums.]
AMANDA [Calling]. Laura, sweetheart! The
door! [LAURA stares at it without moving.]
10 JIM. I think we just beat the rain.
TOM. Uh-huh. [He rings again, nervously.
JIM whistles and fishes for a cigarette.]
AMANDA [Very, very gaily]. Laura, that is
your brother and Mr. O'Connor! Will you let
15 them in, darling?
[LAURA crosses toward kitchenette door.]
LAURA [Breathlessly]. Mother-you go to the
door!
[AMANDA steps out of kitchenette and stares
20 furiously at LAURA. She points imperiously at the
door.]
LAURA. Please, please!
AMANDA [In a fierce whisper]. What is the
matter with you, you silly thing?
25 LAURA [Desperately]. Please, you answer it,
please!
AMANDA. I told you I wasn't going to humor
you, Laura. Why have you chosen this moment
to lose your mind?
30 LAURA. Please, please, please, you go!
AMANDA. You'll have to go to the door be-
cause I can't!
LAURA [Despairingly]. I can't either!
AMANDA. Why?
35 LAURA. I'm sick!
AMANDA. I'm sick, too-of your nonsense!
Why can't you and your brother be normal
people? Fantastic whims and behavior! [TOM
gives a long ring.] Preposterous goings on! Can
40 you give me one reason-[Calls out lyrically.]
Coming! Just one second! -why you should be
afraid to open a door? Now you answer it,
Laura!
LAURA. Oh, oh, oh. [She returns through
the portieres. Darts to the victrola and winds it 45
frantically and turns it on.]
AMANDA. Laura Wingfield, you march right
to that door!
LAURA. Yes-yes, Mother!
[A faraway, scratchy rendition of "Dardanella" 50
softens the air and gives her strength to move
through it. She slips to the door and draws it
cautiously open. TOM enters with the caller, JIM
O'CONNOR.]
TOM. Laura, this is Jim. Jim, this is my sister, 55
Laura.
JIM [Stepping inside]. I didn't know that
Shakespeare had a sister!
LAURA [Retreating stiff and trembling from the
door]. How-how do you do? 60
JIM [Heartily extending his hand]. Okay!
[LAURA touches it hesitantly with hers.]
Your hand's cold, Laura!
LAURA. Yes, well-I've been playing the
victrola. 65
JIM. Must have been playing classical music
on it! You ought to play a little hot swing music
to warm you up!
LAURA. Excuse me-I haven't finished play-
ing the victrola. [She turns awkwardly and 70
hurries into the front room. She pauses a second
by the victrola Then catches her breath and darts
through the portieres like a frightened deer.]
JIM [Grinning]. What was the matter?
TOM. Oh-with Laura? Laura is-terribly 75
shy.
JIM. Shy, huh? It's unusual to meet a shy girl
nowadays. I don't believe you ever mentioned
you had a sister.
TOM. Well, now you know. I have one. Here 80
is the Post Dispatch. You want a piece of it?
JIM. Uh-huh.
TOM. What piece? The comics?
JIM. Sports! [Glances at it.] Ole Dizzy Dean
is on his bad behavior 85
TOM [Disinterest]. Yeah? [Lights cigarette and
crosses back to fire-escape door.]
"Opening of a door" see poem by Emily Dickinson
"Dardanella" like Laura's other old records. a dance
tune from about the period of her parents' courtship
Dean famous pitcher for the St Louis Cardinals
772
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VI
JIM. Where are you going?
TOM. I'm going out on the terrace.
JIM [Goes after him]. You know, Shakespeare
âI'm going to sell you a bill of goods!
TOM. What goods?
JIM. A course I'm taking.
TOM. Huh?
JIM. In public speaking! You and me, we're
not the warehouse type.
TOM. Thanksâthat's good news. But what
has public speaking got to do with it?
JIM. It fits you forâexecutive positions!
TOM. Awww.
JIM. I tell you it's done a helluva lot for me.
[IMAGE: EXECUTIVE AT DESK.]
TOM. In what respect?
JIM. In every! Ask yourself what is the dif-
ference between you an' me and men in the
office down front? Brains?âNo!âAbility?â
No! Then what? Just one little thingâ
TOM. What is that one little thing?
JIM. Primarily it amounts toâsocial poise!
Being able to square up to people and hold
your own on any social level!
AMANDA [Off stage]. Tom?
TOM. Yes, Mother?
AMANDA. Is that you and Mr. O'Connor?
TOM. Yes, Mother.
AMANDA. Well, you just make yourselves
comfortable in there.
TOM. Yes, Mother.
AMANDA. Ask Mr. O'Conner if he would like
to wash his hands.
JIM. Aw, noânoâthank youâI took care of
that at the warehouse. Tomâ
TOM. Yes?
JIM. Mr. Mendoza was speaking to me about
you.
TOM. Favorably?
JIM. What do you think?
TOM. Wellâ
JIM. You're going to be out of a job if you
don't wake up.
TOM. I am waking upâ
JIM. You show no signs.
TOM. The signs are interior.
[IMAGE ON SCREEN: THE SAILING VESSEL WITH
JOLLY ROGER AGAIN.]
TOM. I'm planning to change. [He leans over
the rail speaking with quiet exhilaration. The
incandescent marquees and signs of the first-run
movie houses light his face from across the alley.
He looks like a voyager.] I'm right at the point
of committing myself to a future that doesn't
include the warehouse and Mr. Mendoza or
even a night-school course in public speaking.
JIM. What are you gassing about?
TOM. I'm tired of the movies.
JIM. Movies!
TOM. Yes, movies! Look at themâ[A wave
toward the marvels of Grand Avenue.] All of
those glamorous peopleâhaving adventuresâ
hogging it all, gobbling the whole thing up!
You know what happens? People go to the
movies instead of moving! Hollywood charac-
ters are supposed to have all the adventures
for everybody in America, while everybody
in America sits in a dark room and watches
them have them! Yes, until there's a war. That's
when adventure becomes available to the
masses! Everyone's dish, not only Gable's!
Then the people in the dark room come out of
the dark room to have some adventures them-
selvesâGoody, goody!âIt's our turn now, to
go to the South Sea Islandâto make a safariâ
to be exotic, far-off!âbut I'm not patient. I
don't want to wait till then. I'm tired of the
movies and I am about to move!
JIM [Incredulously]. Move?
TOM. Yes.
JIM. When?
TOM. Soon!
JIM. Where? Where?
[Theme three music seems to answer the ques-
tion, while TOM thinks it over. He searches among
his pockets.]
TOM. I'm starting to boil inside. I know I
seem dreamy, but insideâwell, I'm boiling!â
Whenever I pick up a shoe, I shudder a little
thinking how short life is and what I am doing!
âWhatever that means. I know it doesn't
mean shoesâexcept as something to wear on
a traveler's feet! [Finds paper.] Lookâ
JIM. What?
TOM. I'm a member.
JIM [Reading]. The Union of Merchant
Seamen.
TOM. I paid my dues this month, instead of
Escape Plans and Southern Charm
- Tom reveals his internal turmoil and existential dread, feeling that his life is being wasted in the shoe warehouse.
- Having secretly joined the Union of Merchant Seamen, Tom plans to abandon his responsibilities and follow his father's path of desertion.
- Tom admits to using the household's light bill money to pay his union dues, signaling his imminent departure.
- Amanda makes a dramatic entrance, donning an old dress and adopting an exaggerated persona of Southern hospitality to impress Jim.
- The interaction highlights the disconnect between Tom's desperate urge to flee and Amanda's fixation on social performance and the past.
- Amanda redirects the focus to Laura, positioning her as the one in charge of the evening's meal to facilitate the matchmaking attempt.
I'm like my father. The bastard son of a bastard! See how he grins? And he's been absent going on sixteen years!
772
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VI
JIM. Where are you going?
TOM. I'm going out on the terrace.
JIM [Goes after him]. You know, Shakespeare
âI'm going to sell you a bill of goods!
TOM. What goods?
JIM. A course I'm taking.
TOM. Huh?
JIM. In public speaking! You and me, we're
not the warehouse type.
TOM. Thanksâthat's good news. But what
has public speaking got to do with it?
JIM. It fits you forâexecutive positions!
TOM. Awww.
JIM. I tell you it's done a helluva lot for me.
[IMAGE: EXECUTIVE AT DESK.]
TOM. In what respect?
JIM. In every! Ask yourself what is the dif-
ference between you an' me and men in the
office down front? Brains?âNo!âAbility?â
No! Then what? Just one little thingâ
TOM. What is that one little thing?
JIM. Primarily it amounts toâsocial poise!
Being able to square up to people and hold
your own on any social level!
AMANDA [Off stage]. Tom?
TOM. Yes, Mother?
AMANDA. Is that you and Mr. O'Connor?
TOM. Yes, Mother.
AMANDA. Well, you just make yourselves
comfortable in there.
TOM. Yes, Mother.
AMANDA. Ask Mr. O'Conner if he would like
to wash his hands.
JIM. Aw, noânoâthank youâI took care of
that at the warehouse. Tomâ
TOM. Yes?
JIM. Mr. Mendoza was speaking to me about
you.
TOM. Favorably?
JIM. What do you think?
TOM. Wellâ
JIM. You're going to be out of a job if you
don't wake up.
TOM. I am waking upâ
JIM. You show no signs.
TOM. The signs are interior.
[IMAGE ON SCREEN: THE SAILING VESSEL WITH
JOLLY ROGER AGAIN.]
TOM. I'm planning to change. [He leans over
the rail speaking with quiet exhilaration. The
incandescent marquees and signs of the first-run
movie houses light his face from across the alley.
He looks like a voyager.] I'm right at the point
of committing myself to a future that doesn't
include the warehouse and Mr. Mendoza or
even a night-school course in public speaking.
JIM. What are you gassing about?
TOM. I'm tired of the movies.
JIM. Movies!
TOM. Yes, movies! Look at themâ[A wave
toward the marvels of Grand Avenue.] All of
those glamorous peopleâhaving adventuresâ
hogging it all, gobbling the whole thing up!
You know what happens? People go to the
movies instead of moving! Hollywood charac-
ters are supposed to have all the adventures
for everybody in America, while everybody
in America sits in a dark room and watches
them have them! Yes, until there's a war. That's
when adventure becomes available to the
masses! Everyone's dish, not only Gable's!
Then the people in the dark room come out of
the dark room to have some adventures them-
selvesâGoody, goody!âIt's our turn now, to
go to the South Sea Islandâto make a safariâ
to be exotic, far-off!âbut I'm not patient. I
don't want to wait till then. I'm tired of the
movies and I am about to move!
JIM [Incredulously]. Move?
TOM. Yes.
JIM. When?
TOM. Soon!
JIM. Where? Where?
[Theme three music seems to answer the ques-
tion, while TOM thinks it over. He searches among
his pockets.]
TOM. I'm starting to boil inside. I know I
seem dreamy, but insideâwell, I'm boiling!â
Whenever I pick up a shoe, I shudder a little
thinking how short life is and what I am doing!
âWhatever that means. I know it doesn't
mean shoesâexcept as something to wear on
a traveler's feet! [Finds paper.] Lookâ
JIM. What?
TOM. I'm a member.
JIM [Reading]. The Union of Merchant
Seamen.
TOM. I paid my dues this month, instead of
Scene VI | The Glass Menagerie
the light bill.
Jim. You will regret it when they turn the lights off.
Tom. I won't be here.
5 Jim. How about your mother?
Tom. I'm like my father. The bastard son of a bastard! See how he grins? And he's been absent going on sixteen years!
Jim. You're just talking, you drip. How does
10 your mother feel about it?
Tom. Shhh!âHere comes Mother! Mother is not acquainted with my plans!
Amanda [Enters portieres]. Where are you all?
15 Tom. On the terrace, Mother.
[They start inside. She advances to them. Tom is distinctly shocked at her appearance. Even Jim blinks a little. He is making his first contact with girlish Southern vivacity and in
20 spite of the night-school course in public speaking is somewhat thrown off the beam by the unexpected outlay of social charm. Certain responses are attempted by Jim but are swept aside by Amanda's gay laughter and chatter. Tom is
25 embarrassed but after the first shock Jim reacts very warmly. Grins and chuckles, is altogether won over.]
[Image: Amanda as a girl.]
Amanda [Coyly smiling, shaking her girlish
30 ringlets]. Well, well, well, so this is Mr O'Connor. Introductions entirely unnecessary. I've heard so much about you from my boy I finally said to him, Tomâgood gracious!âwhy don't you bring this paragon to supper?
35 I'd like to meet this nice young man at the warehouse!âInstead of just hearing him sing your praises so much!
I don't know why my son is so stand-offishâthat's not Southern behavior!
40 Let's sit down andâI think we could stand a little more air in here! Tom, leave the door open. I felt a nice fresh breeze a moment ago. Where has it gone to?
Mmm, so warm already! And not quite
45 summer, even. We're going to burn up when summer really gets started.
However, we're havingâwe're having a very light supper. I think light things are better fo' this time of year. The same as light clothes are.
Light clothes an' light food are what warm 50 weather calls fo'. You know our blood gets so thick during th' winterâit takes a while fo' us to adjust ou'selves!âwhen the season changes . . .
It's come so quick this year. I wasn't pre- 55 pared. All of a suddenâheavens! Already summer!âI ran to the trunk an' pulled out this light dressâTerribly old! Historical almost! But feels so goodâso good an' co-ol, y'know. . . 60
Tom. Motherâ
Amanda. Yes, honey?
Tom. How aboutâsupper?
Amanda. Honey, you go ask Sister if supper is ready! You know that Sister is in full charge 65 of supper!
Tell her you hungry boys are waiting for it. [To Jim.] Have you met Laura?
Jim. Sheâ
Amanda. Let you in? Oh, good, you've met 70 already! It's rare for a girl as sweet an' pretty as Laura to be domestic! But Laura is, thank heavens, not only pretty but also very domestic. I'm not at all. I never was a bit. I never could make a thing but angel-food cake. 75 Well, in the South we had so many servants. Gone, gone, gone. All vestige of gracious living! Gone completely! I wasn't prepared for what the future brought me. All of my gentlemen callers were sons of planters and so of 80 course I assumed that I would be married to one and raise my family on a large piece of land with plenty of servants. But man proposesâand woman accepts° the proposal!âTo vary that old, old saying a little bitâI married no 85 planter! I married a man who worked for the telephone company!âThat gallantly smiling gentleman over there! [Points to the picture.] A telephone man whoâfell in love with long-distance!âNow he travels and I don't even 90 know where!âBut what am I going on for about my tribulations? Tell me yoursâI hope you don't have any! Tom?
Tom [Returning]. Yes, Mother?
Amanda. Is supper nearly ready? 95
and woman accepts her version of the proverb. 'Man proposes. God disposes'' (that is. "decides")
The Fading Gracious Living
- Amanda reminisces about her Southern upbringing, contrasting her expectations of marrying a wealthy planter with the reality of her husband, a telephone man who 'fell in love with long-distance.'
- The tension of the 'gentleman caller' dinner peaks as Laura, overwhelmed by anxiety and physical illness, nearly faints and is unable to sit at the table.
- Amanda attempts to maintain a facade of social grace and domestic normalcy despite Laura's visible distress and the family's clear poverty.
- A sudden summer storm and a subsequent power failure plunge the apartment into darkness, symbolizing the fragility of the family's situation.
- The scene shifts to highlight Laura's 'unearthly prettiness' under the soft light of a new lamp, emphasizing her delicate and detached nature from the real world.
A telephone man whoâfell in love with long-distance!âNow he travels and I don't even know where!
Scene VI | The Glass Menagerie
the light bill.
Jim. You will regret it when they turn the lights off.
Tom. I won't be here.
5 Jim. How about your mother?
Tom. I'm like my father. The bastard son of a bastard! See how he grins? And he's been absent going on sixteen years!
Jim. You're just talking, you drip. How does
10 your mother feel about it?
Tom. Shhh!âHere comes Mother! Mother is not acquainted with my plans!
Amanda [Enters portieres]. Where are you all?
15 Tom. On the terrace, Mother.
[They start inside. She advances to them. Tom is distinctly shocked at her appearance. Even Jim blinks a little. He is making his first contact with girlish Southern vivacity and in
20 spite of the night-school course in public speaking is somewhat thrown off the beam by the unexpected outlay of social charm. Certain responses are attempted by Jim but are swept aside by Amanda's gay laughter and chatter. Tom is
25 embarrassed but after the first shock Jim reacts very warmly. Grins and chuckles, is altogether won over.]
[Image: Amanda as a girl.]
Amanda [Coyly smiling, shaking her girlish
30 ringlets]. Well, well, well, so this is Mr O'Connor. Introductions entirely unnecessary. I've heard so much about you from my boy I finally said to him, Tomâgood gracious!âwhy don't you bring this paragon to supper?
35 I'd like to meet this nice young man at the warehouse!âInstead of just hearing him sing your praises so much!
I don't know why my son is so stand-offishâthat's not Southern behavior!
40 Let's sit down andâI think we could stand a little more air in here! Tom, leave the door open. I felt a nice fresh breeze a moment ago. Where has it gone to?
Mmm, so warm already! And not quite
45 summer, even. We're going to burn up when summer really gets started.
However, we're havingâwe're having a very light supper. I think light things are better fo' this time of year. The same as light clothes are.
Light clothes an' light food are what warm 50 weather calls fo'. You know our blood gets so thick during th' winterâit takes a while fo' us to adjust ou'selves!âwhen the season changes . . .
It's come so quick this year. I wasn't pre- 55 pared. All of a suddenâheavens! Already summer!âI ran to the trunk an' pulled out this light dressâTerribly old! Historical almost! But feels so goodâso good an' co-ol, y'know. . . 60
Tom. Motherâ
Amanda. Yes, honey?
Tom. How aboutâsupper?
Amanda. Honey, you go ask Sister if supper is ready! You know that Sister is in full charge 65 of supper!
Tell her you hungry boys are waiting for it. [To Jim.] Have you met Laura?
Jim. Sheâ
Amanda. Let you in? Oh, good, you've met 70 already! It's rare for a girl as sweet an' pretty as Laura to be domestic! But Laura is, thank heavens, not only pretty but also very domestic. I'm not at all. I never was a bit. I never could make a thing but angel-food cake. 75 Well, in the South we had so many servants. Gone, gone, gone. All vestige of gracious living! Gone completely! I wasn't prepared for what the future brought me. All of my gentlemen callers were sons of planters and so of 80 course I assumed that I would be married to one and raise my family on a large piece of land with plenty of servants. But man proposesâand woman accepts° the proposal!âTo vary that old, old saying a little bitâI married no 85 planter! I married a man who worked for the telephone company!âThat gallantly smiling gentleman over there! [Points to the picture.] A telephone man whoâfell in love with long-distance!âNow he travels and I don't even 90 know where!âBut what am I going on for about my tribulations? Tell me yoursâI hope you don't have any! Tom?
Tom [Returning]. Yes, Mother?
Amanda. Is supper nearly ready? 95
and woman accepts her version of the proverb. 'Man proposes. God disposes'' (that is. "decides")
774
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VII
TOM. It looks to me like supper is on the table.
AMANDA. Let me look- [She rises prettily and looks through portieres.] Oh, lovely!- But where is Sister?
TOM. Laura is not feeling well and she says that she thinks she'd better not come to the table.
AMANDA. What?- Nonsense!- Laura? Oh, Laura!
LAURA. [Off stage, faintly.] Yes, Mother.
AMANDA. You really must come to the table. We won't be seated until you come to the table! Come in, Mr. O'Connor. You sit over there, and I'll- Laura? Laura Wingfield! You're keeping us waiting, honey! We can't say grace until you come to the table!
[The back door is pushed weakly open and LAURA comes in She is obviously quite faint, her lips trembling, her eyes wide and staring. She moves unsteadily toward the table.]
[LEGEND: "TERROR!"]
[Outside a summer storm is coming abruptly. The white curtains billow inward at the windows and there is a sorrowful murmur and deep blue dusk. LAURA suddenly stumbles- she catches at a chair with a faint moan.]
TOM. Laura!
AMANDA. Laura!
[There is a clap of thunder]
[LEGEND: "AH!"]
[Despairingly]
Why, Laura, you are sick, darling! Tom, help your sister into the living room, dear! Sit in the living room, Laura- rest on the sofa. Well! [To the gentleman caller] Standing over the hot stove made her ill!- I told her that it was just too warm this evening, but- [TOM comes back in LAURA is on the sofa.] Is Laura all right now?
TOM. Yes.
AMANDA. What is that? Rain? A nice cool rain has come up! [She gives the gentleman caller a frightened look] I think we may- have grace- now . . . [TOM looks at her stupidly] Tom, honey- you say grace!
TOM Oh . . . "For these and all thy mercies-"
[They bow their heads, AMANDA stealing a nervous glance at JIM. In the living room LAURA, stretched on the sofa, clenches her hand to her lips, to hold back a shuddering sob.] "God's Holy Name be praised"-
The Scene Dims Out
SCENE VII
A Souvenir.
Half an hour later. Dinner is just being finished in the upstage area which is concealed by the drawn portieres. As the curtain rises LAURA is still huddled upon the sofa, her feet drawn under her, her head resting on a pale blue pillow, her eyes wide and mysteriously watchful. The new floor lamp with its shade of rose-colored silk gives a soft, becoming light to her face, bringing out the fragile, unearthly prettiness which usually escapes attention. There is a steady murmur of rain, but it is slackening and stops soon after the scene begins; the air outside becomes pale and luminous as the moon breaks out. A moment after the curtain rises, the lights in both rooms flicker and go out.
JIM. Hey, there, Mr. Light Bulb!
[AMANDA laughs nervously.]
[LEGEND: "SUSPENSION OF A PUBLIC SERVICE."]
AMANDA. Where was Moses when the lights went out? Ha-ha. Do you know the answer to that one, Mr. O'Connor?
JIM. No, Ma'am, what's the answer?
AMANDA. In the dark! [JIM laughs appreciatively.]
Everybody sit still. I'll light the candles. Isn't it lucky we have them on the table? Where's a match? Which of you gentlemen can provide a match?
JIM. Here.
AMANDA. Thank you, sir.
JIM. Not at all, Ma'am!
AMANDA. I guess the fuse has burnt out. Mr. O'Connor, can you tell a burnt-out fuse? I know I can't and Tom is a total loss when it comes to mechanics.
[Sound: Getting up. Voices recede a little to kitchenette]
Candlelight and Negligence
- The Wingfield apartment is plunged into darkness after the electricity is cut off during the gentleman caller's visit.
- Amanda discovers that Tom neglected to pay the light bill, confirming her frustrations regarding his irresponsibility.
- Amanda uses the power outage as a social opportunity, framing the lack of light as a romantic, 'nineteenth-century' atmosphere.
- Jim O'Connor displays a charming, easygoing nature, jokingly defending Tom and humoring Amanda's flirtatious hospitality.
- Amanda orchestrates a private moment between Jim and Laura, sending him into the parlor with a candelabrum and wine.
- The scene shifts to a high-stakes emotional climax for Laura, who is paralyzed by shyness as she is left alone with Jim.
Weâll just have to spend the remainder of the evening in the nineteenth century, before Mr. Edison made the Mazda lamp!
774
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VII
TOM. It looks to me like supper is on the table.
AMANDA. Let me look- [She rises prettily and looks through portieres.] Oh, lovely!- But where is Sister?
TOM. Laura is not feeling well and she says that she thinks she'd better not come to the table.
AMANDA. What?- Nonsense!- Laura? Oh, Laura!
LAURA. [Off stage, faintly.] Yes, Mother.
AMANDA. You really must come to the table. We won't be seated until you come to the table! Come in, Mr. O'Connor. You sit over there, and I'll- Laura? Laura Wingfield! You're keeping us waiting, honey! We can't say grace until you come to the table!
[The back door is pushed weakly open and LAURA comes in She is obviously quite faint, her lips trembling, her eyes wide and staring. She moves unsteadily toward the table.]
[LEGEND: "TERROR!"]
[Outside a summer storm is coming abruptly. The white curtains billow inward at the windows and there is a sorrowful murmur and deep blue dusk. LAURA suddenly stumbles- she catches at a chair with a faint moan.]
TOM. Laura!
AMANDA. Laura!
[There is a clap of thunder]
[LEGEND: "AH!"]
[Despairingly]
Why, Laura, you are sick, darling! Tom, help your sister into the living room, dear! Sit in the living room, Laura- rest on the sofa. Well! [To the gentleman caller] Standing over the hot stove made her ill!- I told her that it was just too warm this evening, but- [TOM comes back in LAURA is on the sofa.] Is Laura all right now?
TOM. Yes.
AMANDA. What is that? Rain? A nice cool rain has come up! [She gives the gentleman caller a frightened look] I think we may- have grace- now . . . [TOM looks at her stupidly] Tom, honey- you say grace!
TOM Oh . . . "For these and all thy mercies-"
[They bow their heads, AMANDA stealing a nervous glance at JIM. In the living room LAURA, stretched on the sofa, clenches her hand to her lips, to hold back a shuddering sob.] "God's Holy Name be praised"-
The Scene Dims Out
SCENE VII
A Souvenir.
Half an hour later. Dinner is just being finished in the upstage area which is concealed by the drawn portieres. As the curtain rises LAURA is still huddled upon the sofa, her feet drawn under her, her head resting on a pale blue pillow, her eyes wide and mysteriously watchful. The new floor lamp with its shade of rose-colored silk gives a soft, becoming light to her face, bringing out the fragile, unearthly prettiness which usually escapes attention. There is a steady murmur of rain, but it is slackening and stops soon after the scene begins; the air outside becomes pale and luminous as the moon breaks out. A moment after the curtain rises, the lights in both rooms flicker and go out.
JIM. Hey, there, Mr. Light Bulb!
[AMANDA laughs nervously.]
[LEGEND: "SUSPENSION OF A PUBLIC SERVICE."]
AMANDA. Where was Moses when the lights went out? Ha-ha. Do you know the answer to that one, Mr. O'Connor?
JIM. No, Ma'am, what's the answer?
AMANDA. In the dark! [JIM laughs appreciatively.]
Everybody sit still. I'll light the candles. Isn't it lucky we have them on the table? Where's a match? Which of you gentlemen can provide a match?
JIM. Here.
AMANDA. Thank you, sir.
JIM. Not at all, Ma'am!
AMANDA. I guess the fuse has burnt out. Mr. O'Connor, can you tell a burnt-out fuse? I know I can't and Tom is a total loss when it comes to mechanics.
[Sound: Getting up. Voices recede a little to kitchenette]
Scene VII | The Glass Menagerie
Oh, be careful you donât bump into something. We donât want our gentleman caller to break his neck. Now wouldnât that be a fine howdy-do?
JIM. Ha-ha! Where is the fuse-box?
AMANDA. Right here next to the stove. Can you see anything?
JIM. Just a minute.
AMANDA. Isnât electricity a mysterious thing? Wasnât it Benjamin Franklin who tied a key to a kite? We live in such a mysterious universe, donât we? Some people say that science clears up all the mysteries for us. In my opinion it only creates more!
Have you found it yet?
JIM. No, Maâam. All these fuses look okay to me.
AMANDA. Tom!
TOM. Yes, Mother?
AMANDA. That light bill I gave you several days ago. The one I told you we got the notices about?
[LEGEND: "HA!"]
TOM. Oh. â Yeah.
AMANDA. You didnât neglect to pay it by any chance?
TOM. Why, Iâ
AMANDA. Didnât! I might have known it!
JIM. Shakespeare probably wrote a poem on that light bill, Mrs. Wingfield.
AMANDA. I might have known better than to trust him with it! Thereâs such a high price for negligence in this world!
JIM. Maybe the poem will win a ten-dollar prize.
AMANDA. Weâll just have to spend the remainder of the evening in the nineteenth century, before Mr. Edison made the Mazda lamp!
JIM. Candlelight is my favorite kind of light.
AMANDA. That shows youâre romantic! But thatâs no excuse for Tom. Well, we got through dinner. Very considerate of them to let us get through dinner before they plunged us into everlasting darkness, wasnât it, Mr. OâConnor?
JIM. Ha-ha!
AMANDA. Tom, as a penalty for your carelessness you can help me with the dishes.
JIM. Let me give you a hand.
AMANDA. Indeed you will not!
JIM. I ought to be good for something.
AMANDA. Good for something? [Her tone is rhapsodic.] You? Why, Mr. OâConnor, nobody, nobodyâs given me this much entertainment in yearsâas you have!
JIM. Aw, now, Mrs. Wingfield!
AMANDA. Iâm not exaggerating, not one bit! But Sister is all by her lonesome. You go keep her company in the parlor!
Iâll give you this lovely old candelabrum that used to be on the altar at the church of the Heavenly Rest. It was melted a little out of shape when the church burnt down. Lightning struck it one spring. Gypsy Jones was holding a revival at the time and he intimated that the church was destroyed because the Episcopalians gave card parties.
JIM. Ha-ha.
AMANDA. And how about you coaxing Sister to drink a little wine? I think it would be good for her! Can you carry both at once?
JIM. Sure, Iâm Superman!
AMANDA. Now, Thomas, get into this apron!
[The door of the kitchenette swings closed on AMANDAâS gay laughter; the flickering light approaches the portieres. LAURA sits up nervously as he enters. Her speech at first is low and breathless from the almost intolerable strain of being alone with a stranger ]
[THE LEGEND: "I DONâT SUPPOSE YOU REMEMBER ME AT ALL!"]
[In her first speeches in this scene, before JIMâS warmth overcomes her paralyzing shyness, LAURAâS voice is thin and breathless as though she has just run a steep flight of stairs. JIMâS attitude is gently humorous. In playing this scene it should be stressed that while the incident is apparently unimportant, it is to LAURA the climax of her secret life ]
JIM. Hello, there, Laura.
LAURA [Faintly] Hello. [She clears her throat.]
JIM. How are you feeling now? Better?
LAURA. Yes. Yes, thank you.
JIM. This is for you. A little dandelion wine.
The Recognition of Blue Roses
- Jim and Laura share an intimate moment by candlelight, drinking dandelion wine and sitting on the floor to bridge the social distance between them.
- Jim displays his characteristic optimism and fascination with American progress, discussing the Hall of Science and the future of the country.
- The conversation shifts to Laura's personal nature as Jim observes her shyness and labels her an 'old-fashioned' type of girl.
- Laura reveals that she has remembered Jim vividly since high school, specifically recalling his talent for singing.
- The climax of the scene occurs when Laura reminds Jim of the nickname he gave her in high school: 'Blue Roses.'
- Jim finally connects Laura to his past, realizing she is the sister of his friend Tom, whom he used to call 'Shakespeare.'
But the name I started to call youâwasn't a name! And so I stopped myself before I said it.
Scene VII | The Glass Menagerie
Oh, be careful you donât bump into something. We donât want our gentleman caller to break his neck. Now wouldnât that be a fine howdy-do?
JIM. Ha-ha! Where is the fuse-box?
AMANDA. Right here next to the stove. Can you see anything?
JIM. Just a minute.
AMANDA. Isnât electricity a mysterious thing? Wasnât it Benjamin Franklin who tied a key to a kite? We live in such a mysterious universe, donât we? Some people say that science clears up all the mysteries for us. In my opinion it only creates more!
Have you found it yet?
JIM. No, Maâam. All these fuses look okay to me.
AMANDA. Tom!
TOM. Yes, Mother?
AMANDA. That light bill I gave you several days ago. The one I told you we got the notices about?
[LEGEND: "HA!"]
TOM. Oh. â Yeah.
AMANDA. You didnât neglect to pay it by any chance?
TOM. Why, Iâ
AMANDA. Didnât! I might have known it!
JIM. Shakespeare probably wrote a poem on that light bill, Mrs. Wingfield.
AMANDA. I might have known better than to trust him with it! Thereâs such a high price for negligence in this world!
JIM. Maybe the poem will win a ten-dollar prize.
AMANDA. Weâll just have to spend the remainder of the evening in the nineteenth century, before Mr. Edison made the Mazda lamp!
JIM. Candlelight is my favorite kind of light.
AMANDA. That shows youâre romantic! But thatâs no excuse for Tom. Well, we got through dinner. Very considerate of them to let us get through dinner before they plunged us into everlasting darkness, wasnât it, Mr. OâConnor?
JIM. Ha-ha!
AMANDA. Tom, as a penalty for your carelessness you can help me with the dishes.
JIM. Let me give you a hand.
AMANDA. Indeed you will not!
JIM. I ought to be good for something.
AMANDA. Good for something? [Her tone is rhapsodic.] You? Why, Mr. OâConnor, nobody, nobodyâs given me this much entertainment in yearsâas you have!
JIM. Aw, now, Mrs. Wingfield!
AMANDA. Iâm not exaggerating, not one bit! But Sister is all by her lonesome. You go keep her company in the parlor!
Iâll give you this lovely old candelabrum that used to be on the altar at the church of the Heavenly Rest. It was melted a little out of shape when the church burnt down. Lightning struck it one spring. Gypsy Jones was holding a revival at the time and he intimated that the church was destroyed because the Episcopalians gave card parties.
JIM. Ha-ha.
AMANDA. And how about you coaxing Sister to drink a little wine? I think it would be good for her! Can you carry both at once?
JIM. Sure, Iâm Superman!
AMANDA. Now, Thomas, get into this apron!
[The door of the kitchenette swings closed on AMANDAâS gay laughter; the flickering light approaches the portieres. LAURA sits up nervously as he enters. Her speech at first is low and breathless from the almost intolerable strain of being alone with a stranger ]
[THE LEGEND: "I DONâT SUPPOSE YOU REMEMBER ME AT ALL!"]
[In her first speeches in this scene, before JIMâS warmth overcomes her paralyzing shyness, LAURAâS voice is thin and breathless as though she has just run a steep flight of stairs. JIMâS attitude is gently humorous. In playing this scene it should be stressed that while the incident is apparently unimportant, it is to LAURA the climax of her secret life ]
JIM. Hello, there, Laura.
LAURA [Faintly] Hello. [She clears her throat.]
JIM. How are you feeling now? Better?
LAURA. Yes. Yes, thank you.
JIM. This is for you. A little dandelion wine.
776
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VII
[He extends it toward her with extravagant
gallantry.]
LAURA. Thank you.
JIM. Drink itâbut don't get drunk! [He
5 laughs heartily. LAURA takes the glass uncer-
tainly; laughs shyly.] Where shall I set the
candles?
LAURA. Ohâoh, anywhere.
JIM. How about here on the floor? Any
10 objections?
LAURA. No.
JIM. I'll spread a newspaper under to catch
the drippings. I like to sit on the floor. Mind
if I do?
15 LAURA. Oh, no.
JIM. Give me a pillow?
LAURA. What?
JIM. A pillow!
LAURA. Oh . . . [Hands him one quickly.]
20 JIM. How about you? Don't you like to sit on
the floor?
LAURA. Ohâyes.
JIM. Why don't you then?
LAURA. Iâwill.
25 JIM. Take a pillow! [LAURA does. Sits on the
other side of the candelabrum. JIM crosses his
legs and smiles engagingly at her.] I can't hardly
see you sitting way over there.
LAURA. I canâsee you.
30 JIM. I know, but that's not fair, I'm in the
lime-light. [LAURA moves her pillow closer.]
Good! Now I can see you! Comfortable?
LAURA. Yes.
JIM. So am I. Comfortable as a cow! Will you
35 have some gum?
LAURA. No, thank you.
JIM. I think that I will indulge, with your per-
mission. [Musingly unwraps it and holds it up.]
Think of the fortune made by the guy that in-
40 vented the first piece of chewing gum. Amaz-
ing, huh? The Wrigley Building is one of the
sights of Chicago.âI saw it summer before
last when I went up to the Century of Progress.°
Did you take in the Century of Progress?
45 LAURA. No, I didn't.
Century of Progress at Chicago. 1933â1934; among its
wonders a demonstration of closed-circuit television
JIM. Well, it was quite a wonderful exposi-
tion. What impressed me most was the Hall
of Science. Gives you an idea of what the
future will be in America, even more wonder-
ful than the present time is! [Pause. Smiling 50
at her.] Your brother tells me you're shy. Is
that right, Laura?
LAURA. Iâdon't know.
JIM. I judge you to be an old-fashioned type
of girl. Well, I think that's a pretty good type 55
to be. Hope you don't think I'm being too
personalâdo you?
LAURA. [Hastily, out of embarrassment]. I be-
lieve I will take a piece of gum, if youâdon't
mind. [Clearing her throat.] Mr. O'Connor, 60
have youâkept up with your singing?
JIM. Singing? Me?
LAURA. Yes. I remember what a beautiful
voice you had.
JIM. When did you hear me sing? 65
[VOICE OFF STAGE IN THE PAUSE.]
VOICE [Off stage.]
O blow, ye winds, heigh-ho,
A-roving I will go! 70
I'm off to my love
With a boxing gloveâ
Ten thousand miles away!
JIM. You say you've heard me sing?
LAURA. Oh, yes! Yes, very often . . . Iâdon't 75
supposeâyou remember meâat all?
JIM. [Smiling doubtfully]. You know I have
an idea I've seen you before. I had that idea
as soon as you opened the door. It seemed
almost like I was about to remember your 80
name. But the name I started to call youâ
wasn't a name! And so I stopped myself before
I said it.
LAURA. Wasn't itâBlue Roses?
JIM. [Springs up. Grinning]. Blue Roses!âMy 85
gosh, yesâBlue Roses! That's what I had on
my tongue when you opened the door! Isn't it
funny what tricks your memory plays? I didn't
connect you with high school somehow or
other. But that's where it was; it was high 90
school. I didn't even know you were Shake-
speare's sister! Gosh, I'm sorry.
Scene VII | The Glass Menagerie
LAURA. I didn't expect you to. You--barely
knew me!
JIM. But we did have a speaking acquaint-
ance, huh?
LAURA. Yes, we--spoke to each other.
JIM. When did you recognize me?
LAURA. Oh, right away!
JIM. Soon as I came in the door?
LAURA. When I heard your name I thought
it was probably you. I knew that Tom used to
know you a little in high school. So when you
came in the door--Well, then I was--sure.
JIM. Why didn't you say something, then?
LAURA. [Breathlessly] I didn't know what to
say, I was--too surprised!
JIM. For goodness' sakes! You know, this
sure is funny!
LAURA. Yes! Yes, isn't it, though...
JIM. Didn't we have a class in something
together?
LAURA. Yes, we did.
JIM. What class was that?
LAURA. It was--singing--Chorus!
JIM. Aw!
LAURA. I sat across the aisle from you in the
Aud.
JIM. Aw
LAURA. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
JIM. Now I remember--you always came in
late.
LAURA. It was so hard for me, getting
upstairs. I had that brace on my leg--it
clumped so loud!
JIM. I never heard any clumping.
LAURA. [Wincing at the recollection] To me it
sounded like--thunder!
JIM. Well, well, well, I never even noticed.
LAURA. And everybody was seated before
I came in. I had to walk in front of all those
people. My seat was in the back row. I had to
go clumping all the way up the aisle with
everyone watching!
JIM. You shouldn't have been self-conscious.
LAURA. I know, but I was. It was always such
a relief when the singing started.
JIM. Aw, yes, I've placed you now! I used to
call you Blue Roses. How was it that I got
started calling you that?
LAURA. I was out of school a little while with
pleurosis. When I came back you asked me
what was the matter. I said I had pleurosis--
you thought I said Blue Roses. That's what you
always called me after that!
JIM. I hope you didn't mind.
LAURA. Oh, no--I liked it. You see, I wasn't
acquainted with many--people...
JIM. As I remember you sort of stuck by
yourself.
LAURA. I--I--never have had much luck at
--making friends.
JIM. I don't see why you wouldn't.
LAURA. Well, I--started out badly.
JIM. You mean being--
LAURA. Yes, it sort of--stood between me--
JIM. You shouldn't have let it!
LAURA. I know, but it did, and--
JIM. You were shy with people!
LAURA. I tried not to be but never could--
JIM. Overcome it?
LAURA. No, I--I never could!
JIM. I guess being shy is something you have
to work out of kind of gradually.
LAURA. [Sorrowfully] Yes--I guess it--
JIM. Takes time!
LAURA. Yes--
JIM. People are not so dreadful when you
know them. That's what you have to remem-
ber! And everybody has problems, not just
you, but practically everybody has got some
problems. You think of yourself as having the
only problems, as being the only one who is
disappointed. But just look around you and
you will see lots of people as disappointed as
you are. For instance, I hoped when I was
going to high school that I would be further
along at this time, six years later, than I am
now--You remember that wonderful write-up
I had in The Torch?
LAURA. Yes! [She rises and crosses to table.]
JIM. It said I was bound to succeed in any-
thing I went into! [LAURA returns with the
annual.] Holy Jeez! The Torch! [He accepts it
reverently. They smile across it with mutual
wonder. LAURA crouches beside him and they
begin to turn through it. LAURA'S shyness is
dissolving in his warmth.]
The Memory of Blue Roses
- Laura and Jim reminisce about their shared high school chorus class, revealing Laura's deep-seated insecurities regarding her physical disability.
- Laura describes the agonizing self-consciousness she felt walking through the auditorium, perceiving the sound of her leg brace as 'thunder' while Jim admits he never even noticed it.
- The origin of Laura's nickname, 'Blue Roses,' is revealed as a misunderstanding of her illness, pleurosis, which became a term of endearment she cherished.
- Jim offers a perspective on overcoming shyness, suggesting that everyone faces disappointments and that Laura is not alone in her struggles.
- The two bond over an old high school yearbook, 'The Torch,' which highlights Jim's former glory as a popular student and performer.
- Laura confesses her secret admiration for Jim during high school, admitting she attended all three of his operetta performances but was too shy to approach him.
I had that brace on my leg--it clumped so loud! To me it sounded like--thunder!
Scene VII | The Glass Menagerie
LAURA. I didn't expect you to. You--barely
knew me!
JIM. But we did have a speaking acquaint-
ance, huh?
LAURA. Yes, we--spoke to each other.
JIM. When did you recognize me?
LAURA. Oh, right away!
JIM. Soon as I came in the door?
LAURA. When I heard your name I thought
it was probably you. I knew that Tom used to
know you a little in high school. So when you
came in the door--Well, then I was--sure.
JIM. Why didn't you say something, then?
LAURA. [Breathlessly] I didn't know what to
say, I was--too surprised!
JIM. For goodness' sakes! You know, this
sure is funny!
LAURA. Yes! Yes, isn't it, though...
JIM. Didn't we have a class in something
together?
LAURA. Yes, we did.
JIM. What class was that?
LAURA. It was--singing--Chorus!
JIM. Aw!
LAURA. I sat across the aisle from you in the
Aud.
JIM. Aw
LAURA. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
JIM. Now I remember--you always came in
late.
LAURA. It was so hard for me, getting
upstairs. I had that brace on my leg--it
clumped so loud!
JIM. I never heard any clumping.
LAURA. [Wincing at the recollection] To me it
sounded like--thunder!
JIM. Well, well, well, I never even noticed.
LAURA. And everybody was seated before
I came in. I had to walk in front of all those
people. My seat was in the back row. I had to
go clumping all the way up the aisle with
everyone watching!
JIM. You shouldn't have been self-conscious.
LAURA. I know, but I was. It was always such
a relief when the singing started.
JIM. Aw, yes, I've placed you now! I used to
call you Blue Roses. How was it that I got
started calling you that?
LAURA. I was out of school a little while with
pleurosis. When I came back you asked me
what was the matter. I said I had pleurosis--
you thought I said Blue Roses. That's what you
always called me after that!
JIM. I hope you didn't mind.
LAURA. Oh, no--I liked it. You see, I wasn't
acquainted with many--people...
JIM. As I remember you sort of stuck by
yourself.
LAURA. I--I--never have had much luck at
--making friends.
JIM. I don't see why you wouldn't.
LAURA. Well, I--started out badly.
JIM. You mean being--
LAURA. Yes, it sort of--stood between me--
JIM. You shouldn't have let it!
LAURA. I know, but it did, and--
JIM. You were shy with people!
LAURA. I tried not to be but never could--
JIM. Overcome it?
LAURA. No, I--I never could!
JIM. I guess being shy is something you have
to work out of kind of gradually.
LAURA. [Sorrowfully] Yes--I guess it--
JIM. Takes time!
LAURA. Yes--
JIM. People are not so dreadful when you
know them. That's what you have to remem-
ber! And everybody has problems, not just
you, but practically everybody has got some
problems. You think of yourself as having the
only problems, as being the only one who is
disappointed. But just look around you and
you will see lots of people as disappointed as
you are. For instance, I hoped when I was
going to high school that I would be further
along at this time, six years later, than I am
now--You remember that wonderful write-up
I had in The Torch?
LAURA. Yes! [She rises and crosses to table.]
JIM. It said I was bound to succeed in any-
thing I went into! [LAURA returns with the
annual.] Holy Jeez! The Torch! [He accepts it
reverently. They smile across it with mutual
wonder. LAURA crouches beside him and they
begin to turn through it. LAURA'S shyness is
dissolving in his warmth.]
778
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VII
LAURA Here you are in The Pirates of Penzance!
JIM [Wistfully] I sang the baritone lead in that operetta
LAURA [Raptly] Soâbeautifully!
JIM [Protesting] Awâ
LAURA Yes, yesâbeautifullyâbeautifully!
JIM You heard me?
LAURA All three times!
JIM No!
LAURA Yes!
JIM All three performances?
LAURA [Looking down] Yes.
JIM Why?
LAURA Iâwanted to ask youâautograph my program
JIM Why didn't you ask me to?
LAURA You were always surrounded by your own friends so much that I never had a chance to.
JIM You should have justâ
LAURA Well, Iâthought you might think I wasâ
JIM Thought I might think you wasâwhat?
LAURA Ohâ
JIM [With reflective relish] I was beleaguered by females in those days.
LAURA You were terribly popular!
JIM Yeahâ
LAURA You had such aâfriendly wayâ
JIM I was spoiled in high school.
LAURA Everybodyâliked you!
JIM Including you?
LAURA Iâyes, IâI did, tooâ [She gently closes the book in her lap.]
JIM Well, well, well!âGive me that program, Laura [She hands it to him. He signs it with a flourish.] There you areâbetter late than never!
LAURA Oh, Iâwhat aâsurprise!
JIM My signature isn't worth very much right now. But some dayâmaybeâit will increase in value! Being disappointed is one thing and being discouraged is something else I am disappointed but I am not discouraged. I'm twenty-three years old. How old are you?
LAURA I'll be twenty-four in June.
JIM That's not old age!
LAURA No, butâ
JIM You finished high school?
LAURA [With difficulty] I didn't go back.
JIM You mean you dropped out?
LAURA I made bad grades in my final examinations [She rises and replaces the book and the program Her voice strained.] How isâEmily Meisenbach getting along?
JIM Oh, that kraut-head!
LAURA Why do you call her that?
JIM That's what she was
LAURA You're not stillâgoing with her?
JIM I never see her.
LAURA It said in the Personal Section that you wereâengaged!
JIM I know, but I wasn't impressed by thatâpropaganda!
LAURA It wasn'tâthe truth?
JIM Only in Emily's optimistic opinion!
LAURA Ohâ
[LEGEND: "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE SINCE HIGH SCHOOL?"]
[JIM lights a cigarette and leans indolently back on his elbows smiling at LAURA with a warmth and charm which lights her inwardly with altar candles. She remains by the table and turns in her hands a piece of glass to cover her tumult.]
JIM [After several reflective puffs on a cigarette] What have you done since high school? [She seems to not hear him.] Huh? [LAURA looks up.] I said what have you done since high school, Laura?
LAURA Nothing much.
JIM You must have been doing something these six long years
LAURA Yes.
JIM Well, then, such as what?
LAURA I took a business course at business collegeâ
JIM How did that work out?
LAURA Well, not veryâwellâI had to drop out, it gave meâindigestionâ
[JIM laughs gently.]
JIM What are you doing now?
LAURA I don't do anythingâmuch. Oh, please don't think I sit around doing nothing! My glass collection takes up a good deal of
The Diagnosis of Shyness
- Jim O'Connor reconnects with Laura Wingfield by signing her old high school program, symbolizing his lingering status as a former hero.
- Laura reveals her deep-seated insecurities, admitting she dropped out of both high school and business college due to anxiety and physical illness.
- Jim dismisses his past engagement to Emily Meisenbach as mere 'propaganda,' momentarily easing Laura's romantic anxieties.
- Laura explains that her life is currently centered around the meticulous care of her glass menagerie, which Jim views as a sign of her withdrawal.
- Jim adopts a mentor-like persona, diagnosing Laura with an 'inferiority complex' and claiming her perceived physical flaws are 'hardly noticeable.'
- The interaction highlights the contrast between Jimâs self-assured optimism and Lauraâs fragile, static existence since their school days.
You see what you did? You dropped out of school, you gave up an education because of a clump, which as far as I know was practically non-existent!
778
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VII
LAURA Here you are in The Pirates of Penzance!
JIM [Wistfully] I sang the baritone lead in that operetta
LAURA [Raptly] Soâbeautifully!
JIM [Protesting] Awâ
LAURA Yes, yesâbeautifullyâbeautifully!
JIM You heard me?
LAURA All three times!
JIM No!
LAURA Yes!
JIM All three performances?
LAURA [Looking down] Yes.
JIM Why?
LAURA Iâwanted to ask youâautograph my program
JIM Why didn't you ask me to?
LAURA You were always surrounded by your own friends so much that I never had a chance to.
JIM You should have justâ
LAURA Well, Iâthought you might think I wasâ
JIM Thought I might think you wasâwhat?
LAURA Ohâ
JIM [With reflective relish] I was beleaguered by females in those days.
LAURA You were terribly popular!
JIM Yeahâ
LAURA You had such aâfriendly wayâ
JIM I was spoiled in high school.
LAURA Everybodyâliked you!
JIM Including you?
LAURA Iâyes, IâI did, tooâ [She gently closes the book in her lap.]
JIM Well, well, well!âGive me that program, Laura [She hands it to him. He signs it with a flourish.] There you areâbetter late than never!
LAURA Oh, Iâwhat aâsurprise!
JIM My signature isn't worth very much right now. But some dayâmaybeâit will increase in value! Being disappointed is one thing and being discouraged is something else I am disappointed but I am not discouraged. I'm twenty-three years old. How old are you?
LAURA I'll be twenty-four in June.
JIM That's not old age!
LAURA No, butâ
JIM You finished high school?
LAURA [With difficulty] I didn't go back.
JIM You mean you dropped out?
LAURA I made bad grades in my final examinations [She rises and replaces the book and the program Her voice strained.] How isâEmily Meisenbach getting along?
JIM Oh, that kraut-head!
LAURA Why do you call her that?
JIM That's what she was
LAURA You're not stillâgoing with her?
JIM I never see her.
LAURA It said in the Personal Section that you wereâengaged!
JIM I know, but I wasn't impressed by thatâpropaganda!
LAURA It wasn'tâthe truth?
JIM Only in Emily's optimistic opinion!
LAURA Ohâ
[LEGEND: "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE SINCE HIGH SCHOOL?"]
[JIM lights a cigarette and leans indolently back on his elbows smiling at LAURA with a warmth and charm which lights her inwardly with altar candles. She remains by the table and turns in her hands a piece of glass to cover her tumult.]
JIM [After several reflective puffs on a cigarette] What have you done since high school? [She seems to not hear him.] Huh? [LAURA looks up.] I said what have you done since high school, Laura?
LAURA Nothing much.
JIM You must have been doing something these six long years
LAURA Yes.
JIM Well, then, such as what?
LAURA I took a business course at business collegeâ
JIM How did that work out?
LAURA Well, not veryâwellâI had to drop out, it gave meâindigestionâ
[JIM laughs gently.]
JIM What are you doing now?
LAURA I don't do anythingâmuch. Oh, please don't think I sit around doing nothing! My glass collection takes up a good deal of
Scene VII | The Glass Menagerie
time Glass is something you have to take good
care of.
JIM. What did you say â about glass?
LAURA. Collection I said â I have one â [She
clears her throat and turns away again, acutely
shy]
JIM [Abruptly]. You know what I judge to
be the trouble with you? Inferiority complex!
Know what that is? Thatâs what they call it
when someone low-rates himself! I understand
it because I had it, too. Although my case was
not so aggravated as yours seems to be. I had
it until I took up public speaking, developed
my voice, and learned that I had an aptitude
for science. Before that time I never thought
of myself as being outstanding in any way
whatsoever! Now Iâve never made a regular
study of it, but I have a friend who says I can
analyze people better than doctors that make
a profession of it I donât claim that to be
necessarily true, but I can sure guess a personâs
psychology, Laura! [Takes out his gum.] Excuse
me, Laura I always take it out when the flavor
is gone. Iâll use this scrap of paper to wrap
it in. I know how it is to get it stuck on a shoe.
Yep â thatâs what I judge to be your principal
trouble. A lack of confidence in yourself as a
person. You donât have the proper amount of
faith in yourself. Iâm basing that fact on a
number of your remarks and also on certain
observations Iâve made. For instance that
clumping you thought was so awful in high
school. You say you even dreaded to walk into
class. You see what you did? You dropped out
of school, you gave up an education because
of a clump, which as far as I know was prac-
tically non-existent! A little physical defect is
what you have. Hardly noticeable even! Mag-
nified thousands of times by imagination!
You know what my strong advice to you is?
Think of yourself as superior in some way!
LAURA In what way would I think?
JIM. Why, man alive, Laura! Just look about
you a little. What do you see? A world full of
common people! All of âem born and all of âem
going to die! Which of them has one-tenth of
your good points! Or mine! Or anyone elseâs,
as far as that goes â Gosh! Everybody excels
in some one thing. Some in many! [Uncon-
sciously glances at himself in the mirror] All
youâve got to do is discover in what! Take me,
for instance. [He adjusts his tie at the mirror]
My interest happens to lie in electro-dynamics.
Iâm taking a course in radio engineering at
night school, Laura, on top of a fairly re-
sponsible job at the warehouse. Iâm taking that
course and studying public speaking
LAURA Ohhhh
JIM. Because I believe in the future of tele-
vision! [Turning back to her.] I wish to be ready
to go up right along with it. Therefore Iâm
planning to get in on the ground floor. In
fact Iâve already made the right connections
and all that remains is for the industry to get
under way! Full steam â [His eyes are starry]
Knowledge â Zzzzzp! Money â Zzzzzp! â Power!
Thatâs the cycle democracy is built on! [His
attitude is convincingly dynamic. LAURA stares
at him, even her shyness eclipsed in her absolute
wonder He suddenly grins.] I guess you think
I think a lot of myself!
LAURA No â o â o â o, I â
JIM. Now how about you? Isnât there some-
thing you take more interest in than anything
else?
LAURA. Well, I do â as I said â have my â
glass collection â
[A peal of girlish laughter from the kitchen]
JIM Iâm not right sure I know what youâre
talking about. What kind of glass is it?
LAURA Little articles of it, theyâre 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!
Hereâs an example of one, if youâd like to see
it! This is one of the oldest. Itâs nearly thirteen
[Music: âThe Glass Menagerieâ]
[He stretches out his hand.]
Oh, be careful â if you breathe, it breaks!
JIM. Iâd better not take it. Iâm pretty clumsy
with things.
LAURA Go on, I trust you with him! [Places
it in his palm.] There now â youâre holding him
gently! Hold him over the light, he loves the
light! You see how the light shines through
him?
The Unicorn and the Future
- Jim encourages Laura to view herself as superior to the 'common people' by discovering her unique talents.
- Jim shares his ambitious vision for the future, focusing on the potential of television and the cycle of knowledge, money, and power.
- Laura introduces Jim to her glass menagerie, specifically her favorite piece: a delicate, rare unicorn.
- The unicorn serves as a metaphor for Laura herselfâfragile, unique, and somewhat 'extinct' or out of place in the modern world.
- Jim attempts to draw Laura out of her shell by inviting her to dance to the music drifting in from the Paradise Dance Hall.
Oh, be careful â if you breathe, it breaks!
Scene VII | The Glass Menagerie
time Glass is something you have to take good
care of.
JIM. What did you say â about glass?
LAURA. Collection I said â I have one â [She
clears her throat and turns away again, acutely
shy]
JIM [Abruptly]. You know what I judge to
be the trouble with you? Inferiority complex!
Know what that is? Thatâs what they call it
when someone low-rates himself! I understand
it because I had it, too. Although my case was
not so aggravated as yours seems to be. I had
it until I took up public speaking, developed
my voice, and learned that I had an aptitude
for science. Before that time I never thought
of myself as being outstanding in any way
whatsoever! Now Iâve never made a regular
study of it, but I have a friend who says I can
analyze people better than doctors that make
a profession of it I donât claim that to be
necessarily true, but I can sure guess a personâs
psychology, Laura! [Takes out his gum.] Excuse
me, Laura I always take it out when the flavor
is gone. Iâll use this scrap of paper to wrap
it in. I know how it is to get it stuck on a shoe.
Yep â thatâs what I judge to be your principal
trouble. A lack of confidence in yourself as a
person. You donât have the proper amount of
faith in yourself. Iâm basing that fact on a
number of your remarks and also on certain
observations Iâve made. For instance that
clumping you thought was so awful in high
school. You say you even dreaded to walk into
class. You see what you did? You dropped out
of school, you gave up an education because
of a clump, which as far as I know was prac-
tically non-existent! A little physical defect is
what you have. Hardly noticeable even! Mag-
nified thousands of times by imagination!
You know what my strong advice to you is?
Think of yourself as superior in some way!
LAURA In what way would I think?
JIM. Why, man alive, Laura! Just look about
you a little. What do you see? A world full of
common people! All of âem born and all of âem
going to die! Which of them has one-tenth of
your good points! Or mine! Or anyone elseâs,
as far as that goes â Gosh! Everybody excels
in some one thing. Some in many! [Uncon-
sciously glances at himself in the mirror] All
youâve got to do is discover in what! Take me,
for instance. [He adjusts his tie at the mirror]
My interest happens to lie in electro-dynamics.
Iâm taking a course in radio engineering at
night school, Laura, on top of a fairly re-
sponsible job at the warehouse. Iâm taking that
course and studying public speaking
LAURA Ohhhh
JIM. Because I believe in the future of tele-
vision! [Turning back to her.] I wish to be ready
to go up right along with it. Therefore Iâm
planning to get in on the ground floor. In
fact Iâve already made the right connections
and all that remains is for the industry to get
under way! Full steam â [His eyes are starry]
Knowledge â Zzzzzp! Money â Zzzzzp! â Power!
Thatâs the cycle democracy is built on! [His
attitude is convincingly dynamic. LAURA stares
at him, even her shyness eclipsed in her absolute
wonder He suddenly grins.] I guess you think
I think a lot of myself!
LAURA No â o â o â o, I â
JIM. Now how about you? Isnât there some-
thing you take more interest in than anything
else?
LAURA. Well, I do â as I said â have my â
glass collection â
[A peal of girlish laughter from the kitchen]
JIM Iâm not right sure I know what youâre
talking about. What kind of glass is it?
LAURA Little articles of it, theyâre 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!
Hereâs an example of one, if youâd like to see
it! This is one of the oldest. Itâs nearly thirteen
[Music: âThe Glass Menagerieâ]
[He stretches out his hand.]
Oh, be careful â if you breathe, it breaks!
JIM. Iâd better not take it. Iâm pretty clumsy
with things.
LAURA Go on, I trust you with him! [Places
it in his palm.] There now â youâre holding him
gently! Hold him over the light, he loves the
light! You see how the light shines through
him?
780
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VII
Jim. It sure does shine!
Laura. I shouldn't be partial, but he is my favorite one.
Jim. What kind of a thing is this one sup-
5 posed to be?
Laura. Haven't you noticed the single horn on his forehead?
Jim. A unicorn, huh?
Laura. Mmm-hmmm!
10 Jim. Unicorns, aren't they extinct in the modern world?
Laura. I know!
Jim. Poor little fellow, he must feel sort of lonesome
15 Laura [Smiling]. Well, if he does he doesn't complain about it. He stays on a shelf with some horses that don't have horns and all of them seem to get along nicely together.
Jim. How do you know?
20 Laura [Lightly]. I haven't heard any arguments among them!
Jim [Grinning]. No arguments, huh? Well, that's a pretty good sign! Where shall I set him!
Laura. Put him on the table. They all like a
25 change of scenery once in a while!
Jim [Stretching]. Well, well, well, wellâLook how big my shadow is when I stretch!
Laura. Oh, oh, yesâit stretches across the ceiling!
30 Jim [Crossing to door]. I think it's stopped raining. [Opens fire-escape door.] Where does the music come from?
Laura. From the Paradise Dance Hall across the alley.
35 Jim. How about cutting the rug a little, Miss Wingfield?
Laura. Oh, Iâ
Jim. Or is your program filled up? Let me have a look at it. [Grasps imaginary card] Why,
40 every dance is taken! I'll just have to scratch some out. [Waltz music: "La Golondrina."] Ahhh, a waltz! [He executes some sweeping turns by himself then holds his arms toward Laura.]
45 Laura [Breathlessly]. Iâcan't dance!
Jim. There you go, that inferiority stuff!
Laura. I've never danced in my life!
Jim. Come on, try!
Laura. Oh, but I'd step on you!
Jim. I'm not made out of glass. 50
Jim. Howâhowâhow do we start?
Jim. Just leave it to me. You hold your arms out a little
Laura. Like this?
Jim. A little bit higher. Right. Now don't 55 tighten up, that's the main thing about itârelax.
Laura [Laughing breathlessly]. It's hard not to.
Jim. Okay. 60
Laura. I'm afraid you can't budge me.
Jim. What do you bet I can't? [He swings her into motion.]
Laura. Goodness, yes, you can!
Jim. Let yourself go, now, Laura, just let 65 yourself go.
Laura. I'mâ
Jim. Come on!
Laura. Trying!
Jim. Not so stiffâEasy does it! 70
Laura. I know but I'mâ
Jim. Loosen th' backbone! There now, that's a lot better.
Laura. Am I?
Jim. Lots, lots better! [He moves her about the 75 room in a clumsy waltz.]
Laura. Oh, my!
Jim. Ha-ha!
Laura. Oh, my goodness!
Jim. Ha-ha-ha! [They suddenly bump into the 80 table. Jim stops.] What did we hit on?
Laura. Table.
Jim. Did something fall off it? I thinkâ
Laura. Yes.
Jim. I hope that it wasn't the little glass horse 85 with the horn!
Laura. Yes.
Jim. Aw, aw, aw. Is it broken?
Laura. Now it is just like all the other horses.
Jim. It's lost itsâ 90
Laura. Horn! It doesn't matter. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise.
Jim. You'll never forgive me. I bet that that was your favorite piece of glass.
Laura. I don't have favorites much. It's no 95 tragedy, Freckles. Glass breaks so easily. No
The Broken Unicorn
- Jim coaxes a reluctant and insecure Laura into a clumsy waltz, momentarily breaking through her social paralysis.
- During their dance, they collide with a table, causing Laura's favorite glass unicorn to fall and lose its horn.
- Laura reacts with surprising grace to the accident, suggesting the unicorn is now 'normal' and will feel more at home with the other horses.
- Jim shifts from a mentor-like role to a romantic one, praising Laura's unique beauty and 'different' nature.
- The metaphor of 'Blue Roses' is used to describe Laura's rare, exotic, and non-conformist identity.
- The scene culminates in a moment of intense emotional vulnerability as Jim attempts to instill confidence in Laura through physical and verbal affection.
I'll just imagine he had an operation. The horn was removed to make him feel less-freakish!
780
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VII
Jim. It sure does shine!
Laura. I shouldn't be partial, but he is my favorite one.
Jim. What kind of a thing is this one sup-
5 posed to be?
Laura. Haven't you noticed the single horn on his forehead?
Jim. A unicorn, huh?
Laura. Mmm-hmmm!
10 Jim. Unicorns, aren't they extinct in the modern world?
Laura. I know!
Jim. Poor little fellow, he must feel sort of lonesome
15 Laura [Smiling]. Well, if he does he doesn't complain about it. He stays on a shelf with some horses that don't have horns and all of them seem to get along nicely together.
Jim. How do you know?
20 Laura [Lightly]. I haven't heard any arguments among them!
Jim [Grinning]. No arguments, huh? Well, that's a pretty good sign! Where shall I set him!
Laura. Put him on the table. They all like a
25 change of scenery once in a while!
Jim [Stretching]. Well, well, well, wellâLook how big my shadow is when I stretch!
Laura. Oh, oh, yesâit stretches across the ceiling!
30 Jim [Crossing to door]. I think it's stopped raining. [Opens fire-escape door.] Where does the music come from?
Laura. From the Paradise Dance Hall across the alley.
35 Jim. How about cutting the rug a little, Miss Wingfield?
Laura. Oh, Iâ
Jim. Or is your program filled up? Let me have a look at it. [Grasps imaginary card] Why,
40 every dance is taken! I'll just have to scratch some out. [Waltz music: "La Golondrina."] Ahhh, a waltz! [He executes some sweeping turns by himself then holds his arms toward Laura.]
45 Laura [Breathlessly]. Iâcan't dance!
Jim. There you go, that inferiority stuff!
Laura. I've never danced in my life!
Jim. Come on, try!
Laura. Oh, but I'd step on you!
Jim. I'm not made out of glass. 50
Jim. Howâhowâhow do we start?
Jim. Just leave it to me. You hold your arms out a little
Laura. Like this?
Jim. A little bit higher. Right. Now don't 55 tighten up, that's the main thing about itârelax.
Laura [Laughing breathlessly]. It's hard not to.
Jim. Okay. 60
Laura. I'm afraid you can't budge me.
Jim. What do you bet I can't? [He swings her into motion.]
Laura. Goodness, yes, you can!
Jim. Let yourself go, now, Laura, just let 65 yourself go.
Laura. I'mâ
Jim. Come on!
Laura. Trying!
Jim. Not so stiffâEasy does it! 70
Laura. I know but I'mâ
Jim. Loosen th' backbone! There now, that's a lot better.
Laura. Am I?
Jim. Lots, lots better! [He moves her about the 75 room in a clumsy waltz.]
Laura. Oh, my!
Jim. Ha-ha!
Laura. Oh, my goodness!
Jim. Ha-ha-ha! [They suddenly bump into the 80 table. Jim stops.] What did we hit on?
Laura. Table.
Jim. Did something fall off it? I thinkâ
Laura. Yes.
Jim. I hope that it wasn't the little glass horse 85 with the horn!
Laura. Yes.
Jim. Aw, aw, aw. Is it broken?
Laura. Now it is just like all the other horses.
Jim. It's lost itsâ 90
Laura. Horn! It doesn't matter. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise.
Jim. You'll never forgive me. I bet that that was your favorite piece of glass.
Laura. I don't have favorites much. It's no 95 tragedy, Freckles. Glass breaks so easily. No
matter how careful you are. The traffic jars
the shelves and things fall off them
JIM Still I'm awfully sorry that I was the
cause
LAURA [Smiling] I'll just imagine he had an
operation. The horn was removed to make him
feel less-freakish! [They both laugh ] Now he
will feel more at home with the other horses,
the ones that don't have horns.
JIM Ha-ha, that's very funny! [Suddenly
serious ] I'm glad to see that you have a sense
of humor.
You know-you're-well-very different!
Surprisingly different from anyone else I know!
[His voice becomes soft and hesitant with a
genuine feeling]. Do you mind me telling you
that? [LAURA is abashed beyond speech ] I mean
it in a nice way... [LAURA nods shyly, looking
away.] You make me feel sort of-I don't know
how to put it! I'm usually pretty good at ex-
pressing things, but-This is something that
I don't know how to say! [LAURA touches her
throat and clears it-turns the broken unicorn
in her hands Even softer]. Has anyone ever
told you that you were pretty?
[PAUSE: MUSIC.]
[LAURA looks up slowly, with wonder, and
shakes her head.]
Well, you are! In a very different way from
anyone else. And all the nicer because of the
difference too [His voice becomes low and
husky LAURA turns away, nearly faint with the
novelty of her emotions] I wish that you were
my sister. I'd teach you to have some con-
fidence in yourself. The different people are
not like other people, but being different is
nothing to be ashamed of. Because other people
are not such wonderful people. They're one
hundred times one thousand. You're one
times one! They walk all over the earth. You
just stay here. They're common as-weeds, but
-you-well, you're-Blue Roses!
[IMAGE ON SCREEN: BLUE ROSES.]
[MUSIC CHANGES.]
LAURA But blue is wrong for-roses...
JIM It's right for you!-You're-pretty!
LAURA In what respect am I pretty?
JIM In all respects-believe me! Your eyes-
Scene VII | The Glass Menagerie
your hair-are pretty! Your hands are pretty!
[He catches hold of her hand] You think I'm 50
making this up because I'm invited to dinner
and have to be nice. Oh, I could do that! I
could put on an act for you, Laura, and say
lots of things without being very sincere. But
this time I am. I'm talking to you sincerely I 55
happened to notice you had this inferiority
complex that keeps you from feeling com-
fortable with people. Somebody needs to
build your confidence up and make you proud
instead of shy and turning away and-blush- 60
ing-Somebody-ought to-ought to-kiss
you, Laura! [His hand slips slowly up her arm to
her shoulder.]
[MUSIC SWELLS TUMULTUOUSLY.]
[He suddenly turns her about and kisses her 65
on the lips. When he releases her, LAURA sinks
on the sofa with a bright, dazed look. JIM backs
away and fishes in his pocket for a cigarette]
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "SOUVENIR."]
Stumble-john! [He lights the cigarette, avoiding 70
her look There is a peal of girlish laughter from
AMANDA in the kitchen LAURA slowly raises
and opens her hand. It still contains the little
broken glass animal. She looks at it with a tender,
bewildered expression.] Stumble-john! I 75
shouldn't have done that-That was way off
the beam. You don't smoke, do you? [She
looks up, smiling, not hearing the question. He
sits beside her a little gingerly. She looks at him
speechlessly-waiting. He coughs decorously and 80
moves a little farther aside as he considers the
situation and senses her feelings, dimly, with
perturbation. Gently.] Would you-care for a
-mint? [She doesn't seem to hear him but her
look grows brighter even.] Peppermint-Life- 85
Saver? My pocket's a regular drug store-
wherever I go... [He pops a mint in his mouth.
Then gulps and decides to make a clean breast
of it. He speaks slowly and gingerly] Laura,
you know, if I had a sister like you, I'd do 90
the same thing as Tom. I'd bring out fel-
lows and-introduce her to them. The right
type of boys of a type to-appreciate her. Only
-well-he made a mistake about me. Maybe
I've got no call to be saying this. That may not 95
have been the idea in having me over. But
A Fragile Moment Shattered
- Jim attempts to bolster Laura's self-esteem by addressing her social anxieties and offering a sudden, impulsive kiss.
- The romantic tension peaks as Laura experiences a brief moment of dazed hope, symbolized by the broken glass figurine in her hand.
- Jim immediately regrets his actions, labeling himself a 'stumble-john' and attempting to distance himself from the intimacy of the moment.
- The revelation that Jim is already 'going steady' with a woman named Betty effectively crushes Laura's burgeoning expectations.
- Jimâs oblivious monologue about the transformative power of love contrasts sharply with Laura's internal devastation and sense of betrayal.
- The scene concludes with a profound shift in Laura's demeanor, moving from a state of radiant possibility to one of infinite desolation.
The holy candles in the altar of LAURAâS face have been snuffed out There is a look of almost infinite desolation
matter how careful you are. The traffic jars
the shelves and things fall off them
JIM Still I'm awfully sorry that I was the
cause
LAURA [Smiling] I'll just imagine he had an
operation. The horn was removed to make him
feel less-freakish! [They both laugh ] Now he
will feel more at home with the other horses,
the ones that don't have horns.
JIM Ha-ha, that's very funny! [Suddenly
serious ] I'm glad to see that you have a sense
of humor.
You know-you're-well-very different!
Surprisingly different from anyone else I know!
[His voice becomes soft and hesitant with a
genuine feeling]. Do you mind me telling you
that? [LAURA is abashed beyond speech ] I mean
it in a nice way... [LAURA nods shyly, looking
away.] You make me feel sort of-I don't know
how to put it! I'm usually pretty good at ex-
pressing things, but-This is something that
I don't know how to say! [LAURA touches her
throat and clears it-turns the broken unicorn
in her hands Even softer]. Has anyone ever
told you that you were pretty?
[PAUSE: MUSIC.]
[LAURA looks up slowly, with wonder, and
shakes her head.]
Well, you are! In a very different way from
anyone else. And all the nicer because of the
difference too [His voice becomes low and
husky LAURA turns away, nearly faint with the
novelty of her emotions] I wish that you were
my sister. I'd teach you to have some con-
fidence in yourself. The different people are
not like other people, but being different is
nothing to be ashamed of. Because other people
are not such wonderful people. They're one
hundred times one thousand. You're one
times one! They walk all over the earth. You
just stay here. They're common as-weeds, but
-you-well, you're-Blue Roses!
[IMAGE ON SCREEN: BLUE ROSES.]
[MUSIC CHANGES.]
LAURA But blue is wrong for-roses...
JIM It's right for you!-You're-pretty!
LAURA In what respect am I pretty?
JIM In all respects-believe me! Your eyes-
Scene VII | The Glass Menagerie
your hair-are pretty! Your hands are pretty!
[He catches hold of her hand] You think I'm 50
making this up because I'm invited to dinner
and have to be nice. Oh, I could do that! I
could put on an act for you, Laura, and say
lots of things without being very sincere. But
this time I am. I'm talking to you sincerely I 55
happened to notice you had this inferiority
complex that keeps you from feeling com-
fortable with people. Somebody needs to
build your confidence up and make you proud
instead of shy and turning away and-blush- 60
ing-Somebody-ought to-ought to-kiss
you, Laura! [His hand slips slowly up her arm to
her shoulder.]
[MUSIC SWELLS TUMULTUOUSLY.]
[He suddenly turns her about and kisses her 65
on the lips. When he releases her, LAURA sinks
on the sofa with a bright, dazed look. JIM backs
away and fishes in his pocket for a cigarette]
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "SOUVENIR."]
Stumble-john! [He lights the cigarette, avoiding 70
her look There is a peal of girlish laughter from
AMANDA in the kitchen LAURA slowly raises
and opens her hand. It still contains the little
broken glass animal. She looks at it with a tender,
bewildered expression.] Stumble-john! I 75
shouldn't have done that-That was way off
the beam. You don't smoke, do you? [She
looks up, smiling, not hearing the question. He
sits beside her a little gingerly. She looks at him
speechlessly-waiting. He coughs decorously and 80
moves a little farther aside as he considers the
situation and senses her feelings, dimly, with
perturbation. Gently.] Would you-care for a
-mint? [She doesn't seem to hear him but her
look grows brighter even.] Peppermint-Life- 85
Saver? My pocket's a regular drug store-
wherever I go... [He pops a mint in his mouth.
Then gulps and decides to make a clean breast
of it. He speaks slowly and gingerly] Laura,
you know, if I had a sister like you, I'd do 90
the same thing as Tom. I'd bring out fel-
lows and-introduce her to them. The right
type of boys of a type to-appreciate her. Only
-well-he made a mistake about me. Maybe
I've got no call to be saying this. That may not 95
have been the idea in having me over. But
782
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VII
what if it was? Thereâs nothing wrong about
that. The only trouble is that in my caseâIâm
not in a situation toâdo the right thing
I canât take down your number and say Iâll
5 phone. I canât call up next week andâask for a
date. I thought I had better explain the situa-
tion in case youâmisunderstood it andâhurt
your feelings. . .
[Pause. Slowly, very slowly, LAURAâS look
10 changes, her eyes returning slowly from his to
the ornament in her palm AMANDA utters
another gay laugh in the kitchen.]
LAURA [Faintly]. Youâwonâtâcall again?
JIM. No, Laura, I canât. [He rises from the
15 sofa] As I was just explaining, Iâveâgot strings
on me. Laura, Iâveâbeen going steady! I go
out all of the time with a girl named Betty
Sheâs a home-girl like you, and Catholic, and
Irish, and in a great many ways weâget along
20 fine. I met her last summer on a moonlight
boat trip up the river to Alton, on the Majestic.
Wellâright away from the start it wasâlove!
[LEGEND: LOVE!]
[LAURA sways slightly forward and grips the
25 arm of the sofa He fails to notice, now enrapt
in his own comfortable being.]
Being in love has made a new man of me!
[Leaning stiffly forward, clutching the arm of the
sofa, LAURA struggles visibly with her storm.
30 But JIM is oblivious, she is a long way off.] The
power of love is really pretty tremendous!
Love is something thatâchanges the whole
world, Laura! [The storm abates a little and
LAURA leans back. He notices her again.] It
35 happened that Bettyâs aunt took sick, she got a
wire and had to go to Centralia. So Tomâ
when he asked me to dinnerâI naturally just
accepted the invitation, not knowing that you
âthat heâthat Iâ[He stops awkwardly.] Huh
40 âIâm a stumble-john! [He flops back on the
sofa The holy candles in the altar of LAURAâS
face have been snuffed out There is a look of
almost infinite desolation JIM glances at her
uneasily.] I wish that you wouldâsay some-
45 thing. [She bites her lip which was trembling
and then bravely smiles. She opens her hand
again on the broken glass ornament. Then she
gently takes his hand and raises it level with her
own. She carefully places the unicorn in the palm
of his hand, then pushes his fingers closed upon 50
it.] What are youâdoing that for? You want
me to have him?âLaura? [She nods] What
for?
LAURA. Aâsouvenir [She rises un-
steadily and crouches beside the victrola to wind 55
it up.]
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: âTHINGS HAVE A WAY
OF TURNING OUT SO BADLY!â]
[OR IMAGE: âGENTLEMAN CALLER WAVING
GOOD-BYE!âGAILY.â] 60
[At this moment AMANDA rushes brightly
back in the front room. She bears a pitcher of
fruit punch in an old-fashioned cut-glass pitcher
and a plate of macaroons. The plate has a gold
border and poppies painted on it.] 65
AMANDA. Well, well, well! Isnât the air de-
lightful after the shower? Iâve made you chil-
dren a little liquid refreshment [Turns gaily
to the gentleman caller.] Jim, do you know that
song about lemonade? 70
âLemonade, lemonade
Made in the shade and stirred with a spadeâ
Good enough for any old maid!â
JIM [Uneasily] Ha-ha! NoâI never heard it.
AMANDA. Why, Laura! You look so serious! 75
JIM. We were having a serious conversation.
AMANDA. Good! Now youâre better ac-
quainted!
JIM [Uncertainly]. Ha-ha! Yes.
AMANDA. You modern young people are 80
much more serious-minded than my genera-
tion. I was so gay as a girl!
JIM. You havenât changed, Mrs. Wingfield.
AMANDA. Tonight Iâm rejuvenated! The
gaiety of the occasion, Mr. OâConnor! [She 85
tosses her head with a peal of laughter Spills
lemonade.] Oooo! Iâm baptizing myself!
JIM. Hereâlet meâ
AMANDA [Setting the pitcher down]. There
now. I discovered we had some maraschino 90
cherries. I dumped them in, juice and all!
JIM. You shouldnât have gone to that trouble,
Mrs. Wingfield.
AMANDA. Trouble, trouble? Why, it was
loads of fun! Didnât you hear me cutting up in 95
the kitchen? I bet your ears were burning! I
The Shattered Souvenir
- Laura gives Jim her broken glass unicorn as a souvenir, symbolizing the end of her fragile hopes.
- Amanda enters with refreshments, oblivious to the emotional weight of the preceding conversation.
- Amanda aggressively encourages Jim to become a frequent visitor, envisioning a future that does not exist.
- Jim awkwardly reveals that he is already engaged to a girl named Betty and plans to marry in June.
- The revelation of Jim's engagement acts as a devastating climax, described metaphorically as the sky falling.
- Amanda's forced gaiety is instantly deflated as she realizes Tom failed to mention Jim's romantic status.
Oh, just a girl! The girl I go steady with! [He smiles charmingly. The sky falls.]
782
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VII
what if it was? Thereâs nothing wrong about
that. The only trouble is that in my caseâIâm
not in a situation toâdo the right thing
I canât take down your number and say Iâll
5 phone. I canât call up next week andâask for a
date. I thought I had better explain the situa-
tion in case youâmisunderstood it andâhurt
your feelings. . .
[Pause. Slowly, very slowly, LAURAâS look
10 changes, her eyes returning slowly from his to
the ornament in her palm AMANDA utters
another gay laugh in the kitchen.]
LAURA [Faintly]. Youâwonâtâcall again?
JIM. No, Laura, I canât. [He rises from the
15 sofa] As I was just explaining, Iâveâgot strings
on me. Laura, Iâveâbeen going steady! I go
out all of the time with a girl named Betty
Sheâs a home-girl like you, and Catholic, and
Irish, and in a great many ways weâget along
20 fine. I met her last summer on a moonlight
boat trip up the river to Alton, on the Majestic.
Wellâright away from the start it wasâlove!
[LEGEND: LOVE!]
[LAURA sways slightly forward and grips the
25 arm of the sofa He fails to notice, now enrapt
in his own comfortable being.]
Being in love has made a new man of me!
[Leaning stiffly forward, clutching the arm of the
sofa, LAURA struggles visibly with her storm.
30 But JIM is oblivious, she is a long way off.] The
power of love is really pretty tremendous!
Love is something thatâchanges the whole
world, Laura! [The storm abates a little and
LAURA leans back. He notices her again.] It
35 happened that Bettyâs aunt took sick, she got a
wire and had to go to Centralia. So Tomâ
when he asked me to dinnerâI naturally just
accepted the invitation, not knowing that you
âthat heâthat Iâ[He stops awkwardly.] Huh
40 âIâm a stumble-john! [He flops back on the
sofa The holy candles in the altar of LAURAâS
face have been snuffed out There is a look of
almost infinite desolation JIM glances at her
uneasily.] I wish that you wouldâsay some-
45 thing. [She bites her lip which was trembling
and then bravely smiles. She opens her hand
again on the broken glass ornament. Then she
gently takes his hand and raises it level with her
own. She carefully places the unicorn in the palm
of his hand, then pushes his fingers closed upon 50
it.] What are youâdoing that for? You want
me to have him?âLaura? [She nods] What
for?
LAURA. Aâsouvenir [She rises un-
steadily and crouches beside the victrola to wind 55
it up.]
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: âTHINGS HAVE A WAY
OF TURNING OUT SO BADLY!â]
[OR IMAGE: âGENTLEMAN CALLER WAVING
GOOD-BYE!âGAILY.â] 60
[At this moment AMANDA rushes brightly
back in the front room. She bears a pitcher of
fruit punch in an old-fashioned cut-glass pitcher
and a plate of macaroons. The plate has a gold
border and poppies painted on it.] 65
AMANDA. Well, well, well! Isnât the air de-
lightful after the shower? Iâve made you chil-
dren a little liquid refreshment [Turns gaily
to the gentleman caller.] Jim, do you know that
song about lemonade? 70
âLemonade, lemonade
Made in the shade and stirred with a spadeâ
Good enough for any old maid!â
JIM [Uneasily] Ha-ha! NoâI never heard it.
AMANDA. Why, Laura! You look so serious! 75
JIM. We were having a serious conversation.
AMANDA. Good! Now youâre better ac-
quainted!
JIM [Uncertainly]. Ha-ha! Yes.
AMANDA. You modern young people are 80
much more serious-minded than my genera-
tion. I was so gay as a girl!
JIM. You havenât changed, Mrs. Wingfield.
AMANDA. Tonight Iâm rejuvenated! The
gaiety of the occasion, Mr. OâConnor! [She 85
tosses her head with a peal of laughter Spills
lemonade.] Oooo! Iâm baptizing myself!
JIM. Hereâlet meâ
AMANDA [Setting the pitcher down]. There
now. I discovered we had some maraschino 90
cherries. I dumped them in, juice and all!
JIM. You shouldnât have gone to that trouble,
Mrs. Wingfield.
AMANDA. Trouble, trouble? Why, it was
loads of fun! Didnât you hear me cutting up in 95
the kitchen? I bet your ears were burning! I
SCENE VII | The Glass Menagerie
told Tom how outdone with him I was for
keeping you to himself so long a time! He
should have brought you over much, much
sooner! Well, now that youâve found your way,
5 I want you to be a very frequent caller! Not
just occasional but all the time Oh, weâre
going to have a lot of gay times together! I see
them coming! Mmmm, just breathe that air!
So fresh, and the moonâs so pretty! Iâll skip
10 back outâI know where my place is when
young folks are having aâserious conversa-
tion!
JIM. Oh, donât go out, Mrs. Wingfield. The
fact of the matter is Iâve got to be going.
15 AMANDA. Going, now? Youâre joking! Why,
itâs only the shank of the evening, Mr. OâCon-
nor!
JIM. Well, you know how it is.
AMANDA. You mean youâre a young work-
20 ingman and have to keep workingmenâs hours.
Weâll let you off early tonight. But only on the
condition that next time you stay later. Whatâs
the best night for you? Isnât Saturday night
the best night for you workingmen?
25 JIM. I have a couple of time-clocks to punch,
Mrs. Wingfield. One at morning, another one
at night!
AMANDA. My, but you are ambitious! You
work at night, too?
30 JIM. No, Maâam, not work butâBetty! [He
crosses deliberately to pick up his hat. The band
at the Paradise Dance Hall goes into a tender
waltz.]
AMANDA. Betty? Betty? WhoâsâBetty! [There
35 is an ominous cracking sound in the sky ]
JIM. Oh, just a girl! The girl I go steady with!
[He smiles charmingly. The sky falls.]
[LEGEND: "THE SKY FALLS."]
AMANDA. [A long-drawn exhalation]. Ohhhh
40 . . . Is it a serious romance, Mr. OâConnor?
JIM. Weâre going to be married the second
Sunday in June.
AMANDA. Ohhhhâhow nice! Tom didnât
mention that you were engaged to be married
45 JIM. The catâs not out of the bag at the ware-
house yet. You know how they are They call
you Romeo and stuff like that [He stops at the
oval mirror to put on his hat. He carefully shapes
the brim and the crown to give a discreetly dash-
ing effect ] Itâs been a wonderful evening, Mrs. 50
Wingfield. I guess this is what they mean by
Southern hospitality
AMANDA. It really wasnât anything at all
JIM. I hope it donât seem like Iâm rushing off.
But I promised Betty Iâd pick her up at the 55
Wabash depot, anâ by the time I get my jalopy
down there her trainâll be in. Some women are
pretty upset if you keep âem waiting.
AMANDA. Yes, I knowâThe tyranny of
women! [Extends her hand ] Good-bye, Mr. 60
OâConnor. I wish you luckâand happinessâ
and success! All three of them, and so does
Laura!âDonât you, Laura?
LAURA. Yes!
JIM [Taking her hand] Good-bye, Laura. Iâm 65
certainly going to treasure that souvenir And
donât forget the good advice I gave you
[Raises his voice to a cheery shout ] So long,
Shakespeare! Thanks again, ladiesâGood
night! [He grins and ducks jauntily out Still 70
bravely grimacing, AMANDA closes the door on
the gentleman caller. Then she turns back to the
room with a puzzled expression She and LAURA
donât dare to face each other. LAURA crouches
beside the victrola to wind it.] 75
AMANDA [Faintly] Things have a way of
turning out so badly. I donât believe that I
would play the victrola. Well, wellâwellâOur
gentleman caller was engaged to be married!
Tom! 80
TOM [From back] Yes, Mother?
AMANDA. Come in here a minute I want to
tell you something awfully funny.
TOM [Enters with macaroon and a glass of the
lemonade] Has the gentleman caller gotten 85
away already?
AMANDA. The gentleman caller has made an
early departure. What a wonderful joke you
played on us!
TOM. How do you mean? 90
AMANDA. You didnât mention that he was
engaged to be married.
TOM. Jim? Engaged?
AMANDA. Thatâs what he just informed us.
TOM. Iâll be jiggered! I didnât know about 95
that.
The Shattered Illusion
- Jim O'Connor departs the Wingfield apartment early, revealing he is engaged to be married to a woman named Betty.
- Amanda is devastated by the news, realizing the extensive preparations and expenses for the 'gentleman caller' were in vain.
- A heated confrontation erupts between Amanda and Tom, as she accuses him of being a 'selfish dreamer' who is oblivious to his family's needs.
- Tom reacts violently to his mother's criticism, smashing a glass and fleeing to the fire escape to escape the domestic tension.
- The scene shifts to a silent pantomime where Amanda comforts a heartbroken Laura, regaining a sense of tragic dignity in the absence of her voice.
- The 'gentleman caller' experiment ends in total failure, deepening the family's isolation and Tom's desire for permanent escape.
Go, then! Then go to the moonâyou selfish dreamer!
SCENE VII | The Glass Menagerie
told Tom how outdone with him I was for
keeping you to himself so long a time! He
should have brought you over much, much
sooner! Well, now that youâve found your way,
5 I want you to be a very frequent caller! Not
just occasional but all the time Oh, weâre
going to have a lot of gay times together! I see
them coming! Mmmm, just breathe that air!
So fresh, and the moonâs so pretty! Iâll skip
10 back outâI know where my place is when
young folks are having aâserious conversa-
tion!
JIM. Oh, donât go out, Mrs. Wingfield. The
fact of the matter is Iâve got to be going.
15 AMANDA. Going, now? Youâre joking! Why,
itâs only the shank of the evening, Mr. OâCon-
nor!
JIM. Well, you know how it is.
AMANDA. You mean youâre a young work-
20 ingman and have to keep workingmenâs hours.
Weâll let you off early tonight. But only on the
condition that next time you stay later. Whatâs
the best night for you? Isnât Saturday night
the best night for you workingmen?
25 JIM. I have a couple of time-clocks to punch,
Mrs. Wingfield. One at morning, another one
at night!
AMANDA. My, but you are ambitious! You
work at night, too?
30 JIM. No, Maâam, not work butâBetty! [He
crosses deliberately to pick up his hat. The band
at the Paradise Dance Hall goes into a tender
waltz.]
AMANDA. Betty? Betty? WhoâsâBetty! [There
35 is an ominous cracking sound in the sky ]
JIM. Oh, just a girl! The girl I go steady with!
[He smiles charmingly. The sky falls.]
[LEGEND: "THE SKY FALLS."]
AMANDA. [A long-drawn exhalation]. Ohhhh
40 . . . Is it a serious romance, Mr. OâConnor?
JIM. Weâre going to be married the second
Sunday in June.
AMANDA. Ohhhhâhow nice! Tom didnât
mention that you were engaged to be married
45 JIM. The catâs not out of the bag at the ware-
house yet. You know how they are They call
you Romeo and stuff like that [He stops at the
oval mirror to put on his hat. He carefully shapes
the brim and the crown to give a discreetly dash-
ing effect ] Itâs been a wonderful evening, Mrs. 50
Wingfield. I guess this is what they mean by
Southern hospitality
AMANDA. It really wasnât anything at all
JIM. I hope it donât seem like Iâm rushing off.
But I promised Betty Iâd pick her up at the 55
Wabash depot, anâ by the time I get my jalopy
down there her trainâll be in. Some women are
pretty upset if you keep âem waiting.
AMANDA. Yes, I knowâThe tyranny of
women! [Extends her hand ] Good-bye, Mr. 60
OâConnor. I wish you luckâand happinessâ
and success! All three of them, and so does
Laura!âDonât you, Laura?
LAURA. Yes!
JIM [Taking her hand] Good-bye, Laura. Iâm 65
certainly going to treasure that souvenir And
donât forget the good advice I gave you
[Raises his voice to a cheery shout ] So long,
Shakespeare! Thanks again, ladiesâGood
night! [He grins and ducks jauntily out Still 70
bravely grimacing, AMANDA closes the door on
the gentleman caller. Then she turns back to the
room with a puzzled expression She and LAURA
donât dare to face each other. LAURA crouches
beside the victrola to wind it.] 75
AMANDA [Faintly] Things have a way of
turning out so badly. I donât believe that I
would play the victrola. Well, wellâwellâOur
gentleman caller was engaged to be married!
Tom! 80
TOM [From back] Yes, Mother?
AMANDA. Come in here a minute I want to
tell you something awfully funny.
TOM [Enters with macaroon and a glass of the
lemonade] Has the gentleman caller gotten 85
away already?
AMANDA. The gentleman caller has made an
early departure. What a wonderful joke you
played on us!
TOM. How do you mean? 90
AMANDA. You didnât mention that he was
engaged to be married.
TOM. Jim? Engaged?
AMANDA. Thatâs what he just informed us.
TOM. Iâll be jiggered! I didnât know about 95
that.
784
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VII
AMANDA. That seems very peculiar
TOM. What's peculiar about it?
AMANDA. Didn't you call him your best
friend down at the warehouse?
5 TOM. He is, but how did I know?
AMANDA. It seems extremely peculiar that
you wouldn't know your best friend was going
to be married!
TOM. The warehouse is where I work, not
10 where I know things about people!
AMANDA. You don't know things anywhere!
You live in a dream; you manufacture illusions!
[He crosses to door ] Where are you going?
TOM. I'm going to the movies.
15 AMANDA. That's right, now that you've had
us make such fools of ourselves. The effort,
the preparations, all the expense! The new
floor lamp, the rug, the clothes for Laura! All
for what? To entertain some other girl's
20 fiancĂŠ! Go to the movies, go! Don't think about
us, a mother deserted, an unmarried sister
who's crippled and has no job! Don't let any-
thing interfere with your selfish pleasure! Just
go, go, goâto the movies!
25 TOM. All right, I will! The more you shout
about my selfishness to me the quicker I'll
go, and I won't go to the movies!
AMANDA. Go, then! Then go to the moonâ
you selfish dreamer!
30 [TOM smashes his glass on the floor. He
plunges out on the fire-escape, slamming the door.
LAURA screamsâcut by door Dance-hall music
up. TOM goes to the rail and grips it desperately,
lifting his face in the chill white moonlight pene-
35 trating the narrow abyss of the alley.]
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "AND SO GOOD-
BYE . . ."]
[TOM's closing speech is timed with the in-
terior pantomime. The interior scene is played
40 as though viewed through soundproof glass.
AMANDA appears to be making a comforting
speech to LAURA who is huddled upon the sofa.
Now that we cannot hear the mother's speech,
her silliness is gone and she has dignity and
45 tragic beauty LAURA's dark hair hides her face
until at the end of the speech she lifts it to smile
at her mother. AMANDA's gestures are slow and
graceful, almost dance-like, as she comforts the
daughter. At the end of her speech she glances a
moment at the father's pictureâthen withdraws 50
through the portieres. At close of TOM's speech,
LAURA blows out the candles, ending the play.]
TOM. I didn't go to the moon, I went much
furtherâfor time is the longest distance be-
tween two placesâNot long after that I was 55
fired for writing a poem on the lid of a shoe-
box. I left Saint Louis. I descended the steps
of this fire-escape for a last time and followed,
from then on, in my father's footsteps, attempt-
ing to find in motion what was lost in spaceâI 60
traveled around a great deal. The cities swept
about me like dead leaves, leaves that were
brightly colored but torn away from the
branches. I would have stopped, but I was
pursued by something It always came upon 65
me unawares, taking me altogether by sur-
prise. Perhaps it was a familiar bit of music.
Perhaps it was only a piece of transparent
glassâPerhaps I am walking along a street at
night, in some strange city, before I have found 70
companions. I pass the lighted window of a
shop where perfume is sold. The window is
filled with pieces of colored glass, tiny trans-
parent bottles in delicate colors, like bits of a
shattered rainbow. Then all at once my sister 75
touches my shoulder. I turn around and look
into her eyes . . . Oh, Laura, Laura, I tried to
leave you behind me, but I am more faithful
than I intended to be! I reach for a cigarette,
I cross the street, I run into the movies or a 80
bar, I buy a drink, I speak to the nearest
strangerâanything that can blow your candles
out! [LAURA bends over the candles.]âfor now-
adays the world is lit by lightning! Blow out
your candles, Lauraâand so good-bye. . . . 85
[She blows the candles out.]
The Scene Dissolves
The Longest Distance
- Tom reflects on his departure from St. Louis after being fired for writing poetry on a shoebox lid.
- He attempts to escape his past through constant travel, describing cities as dead leaves torn from branches.
- Despite his physical distance, Tom finds himself haunted by sensory triggers that remind him of his sister, Laura.
- The memory of Laura acts as an inescapable emotional anchor that persists regardless of his attempts to distract himself.
- Tom concludes that the modern world is lit by the harshness of lightning rather than the soft light of candles.
- The play ends with a final, symbolic severance as Laura blows out the candles, signaling the end of their shared reality.
I didn't go to the moon, I went much furtherâfor time is the longest distance between two places.
784
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS | Scene VII
AMANDA. That seems very peculiar
TOM. What's peculiar about it?
AMANDA. Didn't you call him your best
friend down at the warehouse?
5 TOM. He is, but how did I know?
AMANDA. It seems extremely peculiar that
you wouldn't know your best friend was going
to be married!
TOM. The warehouse is where I work, not
10 where I know things about people!
AMANDA. You don't know things anywhere!
You live in a dream; you manufacture illusions!
[He crosses to door ] Where are you going?
TOM. I'm going to the movies.
15 AMANDA. That's right, now that you've had
us make such fools of ourselves. The effort,
the preparations, all the expense! The new
floor lamp, the rug, the clothes for Laura! All
for what? To entertain some other girl's
20 fiancĂŠ! Go to the movies, go! Don't think about
us, a mother deserted, an unmarried sister
who's crippled and has no job! Don't let any-
thing interfere with your selfish pleasure! Just
go, go, goâto the movies!
25 TOM. All right, I will! The more you shout
about my selfishness to me the quicker I'll
go, and I won't go to the movies!
AMANDA. Go, then! Then go to the moonâ
you selfish dreamer!
30 [TOM smashes his glass on the floor. He
plunges out on the fire-escape, slamming the door.
LAURA screamsâcut by door Dance-hall music
up. TOM goes to the rail and grips it desperately,
lifting his face in the chill white moonlight pene-
35 trating the narrow abyss of the alley.]
[LEGEND ON SCREEN: "AND SO GOOD-
BYE . . ."]
[TOM's closing speech is timed with the in-
terior pantomime. The interior scene is played
40 as though viewed through soundproof glass.
AMANDA appears to be making a comforting
speech to LAURA who is huddled upon the sofa.
Now that we cannot hear the mother's speech,
her silliness is gone and she has dignity and
45 tragic beauty LAURA's dark hair hides her face
until at the end of the speech she lifts it to smile
at her mother. AMANDA's gestures are slow and
graceful, almost dance-like, as she comforts the
daughter. At the end of her speech she glances a
moment at the father's pictureâthen withdraws 50
through the portieres. At close of TOM's speech,
LAURA blows out the candles, ending the play.]
TOM. I didn't go to the moon, I went much
furtherâfor time is the longest distance be-
tween two placesâNot long after that I was 55
fired for writing a poem on the lid of a shoe-
box. I left Saint Louis. I descended the steps
of this fire-escape for a last time and followed,
from then on, in my father's footsteps, attempt-
ing to find in motion what was lost in spaceâI 60
traveled around a great deal. The cities swept
about me like dead leaves, leaves that were
brightly colored but torn away from the
branches. I would have stopped, but I was
pursued by something It always came upon 65
me unawares, taking me altogether by sur-
prise. Perhaps it was a familiar bit of music.
Perhaps it was only a piece of transparent
glassâPerhaps I am walking along a street at
night, in some strange city, before I have found 70
companions. I pass the lighted window of a
shop where perfume is sold. The window is
filled with pieces of colored glass, tiny trans-
parent bottles in delicate colors, like bits of a
shattered rainbow. Then all at once my sister 75
touches my shoulder. I turn around and look
into her eyes . . . Oh, Laura, Laura, I tried to
leave you behind me, but I am more faithful
than I intended to be! I reach for a cigarette,
I cross the street, I run into the movies or a 80
bar, I buy a drink, I speak to the nearest
strangerâanything that can blow your candles
out! [LAURA bends over the candles.]âfor now-
adays the world is lit by lightning! Blow out
your candles, Lauraâand so good-bye. . . . 85
[She blows the candles out.]
The Scene Dissolves
Brief Summary not generated yet.