ENGLISH DRAMA ANALYSIS: GLASS MANAGERIE PLAY

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

A. BACKGROUND
Prose analysis is almost old as prose itself. One of the branches of prose is a fiction. Drama is one of a fiction form. This analysis will concern to Tennessee William Drama and focus on one character, Tom. Tom suffers from a frustration.
The play is not real, just a memory play use special effects like music. For Amanda memory is kind of escape, she always repeat the same story to her children that show she always escaping to her memory (she received seventeen gentleman caller) from the present fact; her hard situation being a single parent and unemployed because she chosed their father. But for Tom, memory is kind of thing that cannot be escaped.
In this explanation, we will discuss Tom’s characters and Tom himself that being a symbol in the play.
B. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
1. What are the characters of Tom in “Glass Managerie Play”?
2. What are the symbols that represent by Tom in “Glass Managerie Play”
C. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
1. Find the characters of Tom in “Glass Managerie Play”
2. Find the symbols that represent by Tom in “Glass Managerie Play”

CHAPTER II
ANALYSIS

A. TOM’S CHARACTERS
a. Responsible Person
Tom viewed as a responsible person in his family. He worked in a shoemaker’s warehouse, earning money for his mother Amanda and his sister Laura. It is seen from his words “You think I’m in love with the Continental Shoemakers? You think I want to spend fifty years down there in that ceiotex interior! With – fluorescent – tubes! It shows that he extremely disliked his job, but he had to do this job for his family. Even at last he left his family behind, but the memory of Amanda and his crippled sister Laura haunted him every day “it always came upon me unaware, taking me altogether by surprise. Perhaps it was familiar bit of music. Perhaps it was only a piece of transparent glass…..” and “I reach a cigarette, I cross the street, I run into the movies or bar, I buy a drink, I speak to nearest stranger – anything that can blow your candles out! It shows that he was trying to escape from his family but it didn’t work. Something that unaware played his memory. It means that something under his awareness he still concern about his family’s life.
b. Ambitious Person
Tom is ambitious person SEEN FROM “Amanda: That hideous book by that insane Mr. Lawrence. I cannot control the output of diseased mind or people who cater to them – BUT I WON’T ALLOW CUSH FILTH BROUGHT INTO MY HOUSE! No, no, no, no, no! it show that Mr. Lawrence referred to D. H. Lawrence, Tom was interested in literary work . It was Tom ambitions. It also seen from Jim special call for Tom “Shakespeare”
And from the beginning of the play Tom wore merchant sailor that reflect Tom ambitions, it is related to other Tom’s word: “I like adventure…” he could not wait any longer to make his dream comes true “…But I’m not patient. I don’t want to wait till then. I’m tired of the movies and I’m about to move!” to move means that he wanted to go away from his family, and make change of his own life.
Ambitious man reflected from his words “I’m stating to boil inside. I know I seem dreamy, but inside – well, I’m boiling…” it means that his ambitions were in top of his mind. His ambitions were overflow and no one could stop it, even his family because he was already paid for The Union of Merchant Seamen.
c. Frustration man
Since his father escaped, Tom took responsibility of his family economy. It was hard for him. He loved his mother and sister, but he feels trapped at home. They are dependent to Tom as long as Tom still stays at home. It was make Tom become a frustrated man; try to escape from the reality to the illusion. Seen from “but I am opposite of stage magician. He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion” it means that he denied the fact; he tried to escape from the reality. Therefore every night he went to the movies to blow over his frustration.
“TOM: I’ll rise but I won’t shine” show us that he worked and life but could live a life. He rise but not shine. He worked but didn’t have spirit in his life. It was a frustration.
And here Tom’s other words that show his frustration, worked in warehouse.
“…..none of those instincts are given much play at the warehouse…”
“You think I’m in love with the Continental Shoemakers? You think I want to spend fifty years down there in that ceiotex interior! With – fluorescent – tubes!”

B. TOM CHARACTERS THROUGH SYMBOL
a. Frustration
i. Fire escape: he mentioned this word at the beginning of the play to inform us his condition, he used to escape from his tiny apartment and go to the outside world. And he went down to the fire escape and stood on the landing at the end of the play to show his position between his family and the outside world, between his responsibility and his ambition to live his own life and to reach his dream.
ii. Movies: Tom addicted to the movies reveals his need for fantasy of wonderful places outside his apartment and warehouse. He can only blow his frustration with movie; escape from the reality. He dreamed to leave his home and has own life.
iii. Magician Tricks: represent what tom wanted to do, escaping in a flash from his family, easy way escape. But the fact is not as easy as that way.
iv. Coffin: show his dead life. Being trap in coffin: trapped in apartment and his dark life. The magician is able to escape from the coffin without destroying single part of it nails; it that entire Tom wants, being escape without hurting his family by taking gentleman caller for Laura.
b. Responsible
i. Magician: he wanted to be like magician, got out of the coffin without removing one nail, it means that he wanted to escape go away) from his family that trapped him without hurting his sister or his mother “We nailed him into a coffin and he got out of the coffin without removing one nail”