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1、The Threefold Images of Amanda in The Glass MenagerieIntroduction Tennessee Williams was one of the most prominent playwrights in United States after the WWII. The character type of the faded Southern belle is inevitably the signature character type of Tennessee Williams dramatic works. In The Glass
2、 Menagerie which brought him to the celebrity, the character of Amanda Wingfield is a clear representative of this type. Amanda is typically coincident to the general features of Tennessee Williams faded belle, growing in a prominent southern family, having received a traditional upbringing, and hav
3、ing suffered a reversal of economic and social fortune at some point in her life. Nonetheless, what makes Amanda particularly special is that the character of Amanda is the combination of three different images of being a woman, being a wife and being a mother, all of which are influenced by her exp
4、erience of being southern belle more or less. As a woman, Amanda is an innocent, faded southern belle indulged in illusions of the Blue Mountain; as a wife, she is a pathetic wife tempted and deserted by her husband; as a mother, Amanda is a heroic but autocratic mother loving her children deeply. M
5、ain analysis1. Amanda - an innocent, faded southern belle indulged in illusions of the Blue Mountain.Amanda was a typical southern belle when she was young, beautiful and intelligent, being chased by endless admirers, and attending social occasions as if she was in her own element. She counts this k
6、ind of experience in her young age an honor, and is indulged in her memories and illusions of that experience, even though she is down and out now. Her past become the forever topic of her story telling. The first telling in this play happens in Scene One, when the three family members are having di
7、nner together, Amanda says: “One Sunday afternoon in Blue Mountain - your mother received - seventeen! - Gentleman callers! ” (Williams 428) and she particularly emphasizes that none of her callers is common people: “My callers were gentlemen - all! Among my callers were some of the most prominent y
8、oung planters of Mississippi Delta - planters and sons of planters! ” (Williams 428)However, the truth is all of her narrations can only be illusions now. Based on Amandas story telling in the whole play, it is all known that all of her past stories began in the Blue Mountain and ended in the Moon L
9、ake. And, when Tom and Amanda talking about Fitzhugh, as Tom says: “Isnt this the first youve mentioned that still survives?”(Williams 429) it seems that almost all of Amandas admirers died unnaturally and their death were related to the Moon Lake. The Moon Lake is the grave of Amandas past. The tra
10、nsition from the Blue Mountain to the Moon Lake suggests that in stead of being in a prominent position and living without having a care in the world as the past, Amanda has fell to the ground and has to struggle for living now.Nevertheless, Amanda does not adjust herself to the transition. In the p
11、lay of The Glass Menagerie, when telling the tragic deaths of her admirers, Amandas mood changed from “Airily” (Williams 427) at the beginning to no more than “her eyes lift, her face glows, her voice becomes rich and elegiac.”(Williams 429) In spite of her hardship, Amanda still cherishes illusions
12、 about the life in the Blue Mountain, and she even plans the same life for her daughter. However, the end of The Glass Menagerie tells us that the Blue Mountain is an illusion, and all efforts that direct to the Blue Mountain would invariably end up in the Moon Lake.2. Mrs.Wingfield - a pathetic wif
13、e tempted and deserted by her husband.In the society at Amandas time, most women won mens love through their beauty, and they themselves were easy to be attracted by mens handsome appearances. In the play of The Glass Menagerie, Amandas marriage resulted from her surrender to the temptation of Mr. W
14、ingfield. In Scene Six, in front of Laura, Amanda recalls the time she first met her husband in her young age again:I had malaria fever all that springI had a little temperature all the time - not enough to be serious - just enough to make me restless and giddy. I took quinine but kept on going, goi
15、ng! - Evenings, dances! - Afternoons, long, long rides! Picnics - lovely! - So lovely, that country in May. - All lacy with dogwood, literally flooded with jonquils! - That was the spring I had craze for jonquils. Jonquils became an absolute obsession. (Williams 464-465)Amanda, at that age, was a da
16、msel who was eager for romantic love. The germ of romance in her heart disturbed her as the malaria fever and little temperature did; the longing for romance drove her to attend the endless evenings and dances; and the jonquils symbolized herself and her romantic love. The series of symbols, malaria
17、 fever, little temperature and jonquils, drew a picture of temptation. Contrary to the alien and vulnerable blue rose which symbolizes Laura, the jonquils that symbolizes Amanda is the focus of world, exceeding fascinating and charming.Too coincidental to believe, Amanda met the temptation when she
18、was easy to be tempted: “and then I - met your father! Malaria fever and jonquils and then - this - boy”(Williams 465) The young Amanda was attracted by the handsome appearance of the boy: “That innocent look of your fathers had everyone fooled! He smiled - the world was enchanted!”(Williams 459) Th
19、en the wonderful single life end up with marriage. However, Amanda who had already become Mrs. Wingfield found that her marriage was not as romantic as she expected. Her husband left and deserted her: He gave up his job with the telephone company and skipped the light fantastic of town the last we h
20、eard of him was a picture postcard from Mazatlan, on the Pacific coast of Mexico, containing a massage of two words -Hello - Good-bye! and no address. (Williams 426)Being tempted and then being deserted, Amanda bears great grief which comes from her husband, as a wife. 3. Mother - a heroic but autoc
21、ratic mother loving her children deeply.In The Glass Menagerie, Amanda is a strong and heroic mother who loves her children deeply, but arranges her childrens life autocratically without considering their own willingness. On one hand, when facing the fate of being deserted by her husband, Amanda ins
22、ists on struggling to maintain the wellbeing of her tottering, fragmented family. It is her hope and deeply loves to her children that drive Amandas insistence: “Ive had to put up a solitary battle all these years. But youre my right-hand bower! Dont fall down, dont fall.”(Williams 447) She worries
23、about her Lauras future life and makes every attempt to look for a boyfriend for her; she promotes magazines with blandishments, regardless of others refusal and unconcern; she has great ambition for Tom and nags him with her trivial morality. Although she is in distress, Amanda still keeps strong p
24、assion to her life. In Scene Five, Amanda is enjoying the glorious full moon with Tom, she says to Tom: “Ill tell you what I wished for on the moon. Success and happiness for my precious children! I wish for that whenever theres a moon, and when there isnt a moon, I wish for it, too.” (Williams 455)
25、On the other hand, Amanda is an autocratic mother who hopes for her childrens wellbeing only based on her own concept of wellbeing. In front of Laura, Amanda has autocratically made a plan for Lauras life; she just wants Laura to be a woman she used to be. In addition, Amanda is familiar with the tr
26、icks in the social occasions; she abets Laura to adjust herself to the social occasions, and tells Laura how to win mens favor outspokenly: “All pretty girls are trap, a pretty trap, and men except them to be!”(Williams 463-464). In Toms mind, all that Amanda does show that she is a wicked mother. N
27、evertheless, all of these are because of Amandas extreme dearth of sense of security that results from her husbands desertion. Amanda is so worried about Toms departure one day, that her dearth of sense of security makes her nervous and shrewish. She wants to totally control her childrens life, and
28、hopes them to obey her command. However, on the contrary, the reality is: “My devotion has made me a witch and so I make myself hateful to my children.”(Williams 446-447)ConclusionIn the play of The Glass Menagerie, the characterization of Amanda wingfield is quite complicated and must be carefully
29、created. Amanda is frail when facing to the huge reversal of economic and social fortune in her life. She is so frail to accept the transition that she withdraws from reality into illusion of the past. Shakespeare said: “Frailty, thy name is woman”, Amanda is the frailty in her marriage. Being easily tempted and deserted by her husband with no more than three words, all that Amanda can do is quietly accepting it
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