Glass Menagerie

Laura and Her Ways

Laura is a woman who has reached the body of a full adult, but she has yet to gain the brain and thought process of an adult. Laura is a woman that lives in her own dream world, and is not motivated by what is going on in the real world. She is a woman that fails to grow mentally as she does physically.

Laura is very shy around people, especially around strangers or someone she likes such as Jim. Jim is a friend of Laura's brother who is invited to dinner one night. Laura had a crush on him in high school, but she is still shy around him. When Jim talks to Laura during the night he is at dinner she does not fully respond to Jim's friendly questions and his gentle talk, rather she replies slowly and does not fully respond. Laura says that "I know, but I did, and I-" (608), then Jim has to finish where Laura left off by saying, "you mean you were shy with people (609)." Laura said that wanted Jim's autograph in High School because he was in a play called The Pirates of Penzance but didn't get it because "you were always surrounded by your own friends so much that I never had a chance."

Laura lives in her dream world all day and feels that what she does is important. Laura responds to Jim questioning about what she has done since High School by saying "My glass collection takes a good deal of time...(610)" Laura feels as if the glass animals that she has are real, "he stays on the shelf with some horses...and they all seem to get together (611)."

Laura is very concerned about others opinion about her. The reason that she drops out of High School is that she had a brace and felt that it was very loud and everyone heard it. Jim tells her that he didn't "hear any clumping" and Laura responds by saying, "it sounded like thunder."

Laura is a very shy woman who has not yet completely grown mentally. She lives in her own dream world, which consists of taking care of her glass animal collection. She is very self-conscious and for those reasons she is left behind in her society. Her brother leaves the family and she cannot support the family because of her characteristics. Laura is very child-like.