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The Glass Menagerie | Study Guide

Tennessee Williams

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Course Hero. "The Glass Menagerie Study Guide." Course Hero. 20 Dec. 2016. Web. 10 June 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Glass-Menagerie/>.

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Course Hero. (2016, December 20). The Glass Menagerie Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved June 10, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Glass-Menagerie/

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Course Hero. "The Glass Menagerie Study Guide." December 20, 2016. Accessed June 10, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Glass-Menagerie/.

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Course Hero, "The Glass Menagerie Study Guide," December 20, 2016, accessed June 10, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Glass-Menagerie/.

The Glass Menagerie | Scene Summaries

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Timeline of Events

  • Early winter 1937

    The characters' interactions reveal the family's dysfunction.

    Scene 1
  • Later in winter 1937

    Amanda discovers Laura has dropped out of business college.

    Scene 2
  • The same day

    Amanda realizes Laura cannot work and must marry.

    Scene 2
  • Early Spring 1937

    Amanda obsesses about finding Laura a husband.

    Scene 3
  • Later that day

    Tom and Amanda quarrel.

    Scene 3
  • Later

    Laura listens to drunken Tom's frustrations and asks him to apologize.

    Scene 4
  • The next day

    Tom apologizes and Amanda asks him to find a man for Laura.

    Scene 4
  • Thursday, mid-Spring 1937

    Tom invites Jim O'Connor to dinner.

    Scene 5
  • Later and next day

    Amanda frantically prepares for the gentleman caller.

    Scene 5
  • Friday, soon after 5 P.M.

    Laura panics when hearing Jim's name.

    Scene 6
  • About half an hour later

    The lights go out.

    Scene 7
  • Shortly after

    Laura relaxes as she and Jim talk; Laura shows Jim the glass unicorn.

    Scene 7
  • Moments later

    Laura and Jim dance; the unicorn breaks as they bump into the table.

    Scene 7
  • A little later

    Jim reveals his engagement and leaves.

    Scene 7
  • Moments later

    Amanda accuses Tom of lying.

    Scene 7
  • Not far in the future

    Tom gets fired from his job and leaves home.

    Scene 7

Scene Summaries Chart

Scene Summary
Scene 1 Tom, as the narrator, walks toward the fire escape leading to the door of the apartment. He offers a brief summary of na... Read More
Scene 2 Laura is polishing her glass animals. When she hears her mother approaching, she pushes the bowl of glass animals aside ... Read More
Scene 3 Tom begins Scene 3 on the fire escape narrating events in the weeks since Amanda presented her plan to find Laura a husb... Read More
Scene 4 A church bell tolls 5:00 A.M. as Tom staggers home from a night watching movies and drinking. Laura lets him in and asks... Read More
Scene 5 It is spring. Laura and Amanda are cleaning up after dinner; Tom is reading the newspaper. Amanda hassles him about his ... Read More
Scene 6 Tom, as the narrator, provides background about Jim O'Connor, the gentleman caller. He explains that in high school wher... Read More
Scene 7 The rain ends, and the apartment lights go out. Jim checks the fuses at Amanda's request and finds out they are working ... Read More
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