The Glass Meangere
Thesis: The outcasts in Tennessee Williams's major plays suffer, not because of the acts or situations which make them outcasts but because of the destructive effect of conventional morality upon them.
More than a half century has passed since critics and theater-goers recognized Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) as an important--perhaps the most important--American playwright. Two recent events, however, have created renewed interest in his work. The first is the death in 1996 of Maria St. Just, who controlled the late playwright's papers1. The second is the publication, in that same year, of Lyle Leverich's Tom: The Unknown Tennessee Williams. Both events represent access to information ...
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or will not, conform to the values of the dominant culture, and of conformists, who represent that culture. The outcast characters in Tennessee Williams's major plays do not suffer because of the actions or circumstances that make them outcast but because of the destructive impact of conventional morality upon them. The outcasts are driven, in the conflict between their values and those of conventional morality, to: 1) confess their transgressions against conventional morality, and 2) suffer, at their own hands or by placing themselves in dangerous situations, in atonement for their non-conformity.
That Williams's outcasts are miserable is evidence of his opinion that the demands of conventional morality can be destructive. Chapter One of my dissertation will provide a foundation for discussion of this argument. Chapters Two, Three, and Four will contain extensive examples from Williams's plays in support of his statement that "...I have only one major theme for my work which is ...
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by the dominant culture, is a reflection of his personal experiences with family, friends, and society.
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams was born to Cornelius and Edwina Dakin Williams on March 26, 1914, in Columbus, Mississippi. At age 12, Williams and his family (which included a brother, Dakin, and sister, Rose) moved to St. Louis, Missouri. He attended the University of Missouri from 1931 to 1933, and finished his BA. in 1938 at the University of Iowa.
The playwright's mother, a model for Amanda in The Glass Menagerie, was an aggressive woman, devoted to the idea of genteel Southern living. His father, also known as C.C., was a salesman for a large shoe manufacturer and, ...
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The Glass Meangere. (2005, April 2). Retrieved April 16, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Glass-Meangere/24735
"The Glass Meangere." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 2 Apr. 2005. Web. 16 Apr. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Glass-Meangere/24735>
"The Glass Meangere." Essayworld.com. April 2, 2005. Accessed April 16, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Glass-Meangere/24735.
"The Glass Meangere." Essayworld.com. April 2, 2005. Accessed April 16, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Glass-Meangere/24735.
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