The Glass Menagerie The play The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, Williams uses many symbols which represent many different things. Many of the symbols used in the play try to symbolize some form of escape or difference between reality and illusion. The first symbol, presented in the first scene, is the fire escape. This represents the "bridge" between the illusory world of the Wingfields and the world of reality. This "bridge" seems to be a …showed first 75 words of 714 total…

…showed last 75 words of 714 total…broken love to Jim, as Jim has revealed that he is engaged to be married. As can be seen, there are quite a few symbols in this play. And a number of them have diverse meanings. Most of these symbols have a direct meaning in the author's own life. This is understandable seeing that the play is supposed to be "memory play." It is obvious that this memory play is based on Williams' own memories.