The Glass Menagerie is a very important piece of modern literature. Tennessee Williams portrays four distinct characters, their dreams and the harsh realities they faced in the modern world. Hissetting is set in Depression-era St. Louis. The story is about a loving family that is constantly in conflict. To convey his central theme, Williams uses symbols. It also expresses its theme through the characters' inability to live in the present. The apartment that Amanda, Laura and Tom Wingfield share is in the middle of the city and among many dark alleys with emergency exits. Tomand Laura doesn't like the dark atmosphere and their mother always tries to make it as pleasant as possible. The two women don't go out to socialize much. Amanda sometimes goes to DAR (Daughters of the Revolution) meetings, but Laura doesn't like to socialize at all. She has a slight limp and is extremely shy around people. When she leaves the apartment, she falls. She is unable to function in the outside world. As previously stated, symbols play an important role in The GlassMenagerie. Symbols are substitutions used to express a particular theme, idea, or character. A symbol that is used over and over again is the fire escape. This has different meanings for the characters. For Tom, it's a place where he can escape. This is where he goes to escape his mother's harassment. It is open to the outside world...... middle of paper ...... about the struggles of an American family during the Depression era. He presented the problems of being forced into monotonous work and the fact that one's dreams may not always come true. He also pointed out that not everyone is comfortable with life today. There have always been better times than those we live in today. He recognized that there are those who do not wish to participate and who are uncomfortable in the outside world. Through Williams' brilliant use of symbols, he was able to convey his ideas to the reader. He makes connections with the symbols and actions of the characters. Along with these symbols, he also used the characters' inability to live in the present to express the harsh realities they face in the modern world..