The Glass Menagerie
By: Tennessee Williams
While the play is focused on memories from the past, little
hints foreshadow the future. Such is true in Scene Five as Tom informs Amanda
that he has found a gentleman caller named James Delaney O’Connor for Laura.
Although the future remains unknown as to the impact this man might have on the
family, the reader can infer with a new certainty as to what might lie ahead.
“Adventure and change were imminent in this year. They were
waiting around the corner…they were suspended in mist… (Page 1256)” With the
promise of a gentleman caller, it is foreshadowed that the future holds promise
of adventure. Adventure lies not only in the fact that the caller will be
coming the next day which required many hasty preparations, but also in that
the caller had no knowledge of Laura. Most importantly, adventure is
foreshadowed in the idea that the caller will open new doors of possibility for
the family. In this statement of foreshadowing above, the reader cannot assume
that the caller’s visit will lead to marriage, but the reader can hope that love
might someday be possible for Laura. Additionally, the reader can infer that
the future for both Amanda and Tom will also be filled with adventure as the
caller would be a source of security for the family if everything worked as
Amanda hoped and proposed. Tom sees this adventure most clearly as he dreams of
leaving the family as his father did to pursue his own real adventure that
inspires him in the movies.
Although the reader cannot fully know what lies ahead, one
can infer that the next pages of the play will be full of adventure. From the
adventure to love to that of pursuing dreams, the play promises change. In a
memory of the past, the future is foreshadowed.
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