my thoughts

I actually thoroughly enjoyed "The Glass Menagerie". Because its setup was so unusual, I found it refreshing and interesting. At this point in my life, I've read so many plays and literary excerpts that many of them begin to sound the same and have similar plots and similar characters. But this one went in an entirely different direction. The characters were still easy to relate to regardless of their dysfunctional relationships, and I found it interesting how Tom directly addressed the audience. Since I like to know all the extra details going on in a story, I normally like prose better than drama because it's more informative. In this case, that was not true due to the extensive stage directions. While some people may have found those irritating to read, I liked them because it gave me a much better feeling of the play overall. The one thing I'd still like to know is just how much Tom's real life influenced this play. In the introduction, it said that it was modeled after his real life except that it differed from most of its key events. It sort of confused me but I could easily see why his mother, father, and sister would all deny being like any of the characters in this story. I mean, after all, they aren't exactly ideal fairytale characters. So I'd like to know how exactly they influenced his writing regardless.