Crushed Dreams in the Glass MenagerieTennessee Williams is known for his use of symbols, tension, and irony. Williams uses all of these elements to express the central theme of The Glass Menagerie – hope followed by despair. Each of the characters has dreams that are destroyed by the harsh realities of the world. As the narrator openly admits, “since I have a weakness for symbols,” symbols are at the heart of The Glass Menagerie (Williams 30). Symbols are just concrete substitutions used to express a particular theme, idea, or character. A major symbol is the fire escape which has a distinct function for each of the characters. This emergency exit allows Tom to escape his cramped apartment and his stubborn mother. Therefore, the fire escape represents for him a path to the outside world. For the gentleman caller, the fire escape provides the means by which Jim can enter Wingfield's apartment, thereby entering their lives. For Amanda, the fire escape allows Jim to enter the apartment and prevent Laura from becoming single. The importance of the fire escape to Laura is that it is her door to the inner world in which she can hide. It is ironic that when Laura leaves the safety of her apartment, she falls. This symbolizes Laura's inability to function properly in the outside world. Another recurring symbol is the glass menagerie which represents Laura's hypersensitive nature and fragility. Laura breaks as easily as a glass unicorn - and just as unique. When Jim accidentally hits the unicorn and breaks it, the unicorn is no longer unique. Likewise, when Jim kisses Laura and then dashes her hopes by telling her he's engaged... in the middle of a sheet of paper... structure of the entire play - an ironic pattern of romantic expectations, momentary fulfillment and ultimate loss. ' (Thompson 13). Works cited and consultedBloom, Harold. Introduction. Tennessee Williams. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. 1-8. King, Thomas L. “Irony and Distance in the Glass Menagerie.” In Tennessee Williams. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. 85-94. Levy, Eric P. “Through Soundproof Glass: The Prison of Self-Awareness in the Glass Menagerie.” » Modern Drama, December 36, 1993. 529-537. Thompson, Judith J. The plays of Tennessee Williams: memory, myth and symbol. New York: Peter Lang, 1989. Williams, Tenn. The Glass Menagerie. In Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, 4th ed. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1995. 1519-1568.