The Glass Menagerie

1. Where does the play take place?
The Wingfield tenement (apartment) in St. Louis
2. What significance to the play does Tom Wingfield play?
Narrator of the play as well as a character
3. What is meant by “rented space”?
Renting a church pew
4. How may Beau’s did Amanda have on that one particular Sunday afternoon on Blue Mountain--?
Seventeen
5. Why did Amanda seem upset when she returned from the D.A.R. meeting?
(Daughters of the American Revolution)
Because Laura had been skipping out on attending Rubicam’s Business College
6. What happened to Laura at Rubicam’s Business College?
Laura became sick and threw-up in class and was so embarrassed that she dropped out of the college.
7. What has “gone up the spout”?
All the money spent on Rubicam’s Business College has been wasted.
8. What did Jim call Laura? (Why?)
“BlueRoses” because he misunderstood her when she said that she had pleurosis.
9. What was the one thing Laura’s dad had plenty of?
Charm & Vivacity , and Charm …Plenty of Charm
10. What was Amanda’s tragic mistake? How did she succumb to it?
She married Mr. Wingfield but she succumbed to his charm
11. What was the name of the warehouse that Tom worked at?
Continental Shoemaker
12. The magician that is nailed into a coffin can be paralleled to what in Tom’s life?
The apartment and his existence in St. Louis
13. How does Amanda greet Tom every morning?
“Rise and Shine!” “Rise and Shine!”
14. What does “there is so much in my heart, that I can not describe it,” mean?
There are so many things in life that are hard to put into words
15. Life calls for what?
Spartan Endurance
16. What does Amanda refer to as “a little silver slipper of”?
A small thumb nail moon that represents hope & dreams
17. What did Amanda wish for? What does Amanda tell Laura to wish for?
Success and happiness for both my precious children
Happiness! Good fortune!
18. What are gay deceivers?
Powder puffs to enhance Laura’s bustline
19. Laura had been as unobtrusive as Jim was astonishing. What does this mean?
She is as shy as he is outgoing.






20. What happens when Laura comes to dinner?
She faints
21. What takes time?
Disregard this question
22. What does “cuttin’ the rug” mean?
Dance
23. What happens to Laura as she dances?
She becomes self-assured
24. What was Laura’s favorite glass figurine? What does this figure symbolize? What
does this figure foreshadow?
The unicorn is the unique and fragile state of Laura, which will shatter as her
dreams and hopes. It foreshadows that Laura longs to be like the broken
Unicorn so that she may fit in and be normal.
25. Jim says most people are common as weeds while Laura is BlueRoses.
26. What does the kiss symbolize to Jim and what does it mean to Laura?
A stumblejohn (mistake) Hope for love
27. What happens to Laura when Jim tells her about Betty?
She feels crushed and reverts to her shy self and gives him the unicorn a souvenir.
28. What does Amanda wish for Mr. O’Conner?
Luck-- and happiness— and success
29. What does Tom follow?
In his father’s footsteps
30. What does the shattered pieces of broken glass symbolize?
Shattered dreams and hopes of all the characters
31. What kept calling Tom’s memories back to haunt him?
The memory of Laura