The Glass Menagerie

write on chartacters, symbolism, setting, and theme

Considering that Tennessee Williams wrote this play with the setting in 1944, the topic of comparing and contrasting the roles of Mother, Son, and daughter would be a good direction to go.  The culture during that era was very different than the culture today.  The son was expected to take care of the family after the departure of his father.  The women are portrayed as weak and fragile characters.

If you don't like that idea you might analyze the personalities of the three main characters and how they use fantasy to escape the harsh reality of their lives.  The mother dreams of days gone by, the daughter lives through her glass animals, and the son dreams of escaping through the merchant marines.  A great deal of material on the specifics of setting, symbols, and theme can be found at the link listed below.

There are literally hundreds of topics one could write about pertaining to this play.  If I could choose any topic, I would do a paper about the strained family dynamic between Tom, Laura, and Amanda and how they meet and do not meet traditional family roles.

The theme of isolation is definitely present here... All of the family is completely isolated despite living together.  Although Laura lives in a world of glass animals, Tom and Amanda also live in their own little world. Amanda still lives in Blue Mountain and can only recall the days when she was popular. Tom wishes to break out of the house and join the merchant marines.  It's funny how people can live under one roof and still remain so closed off.  Plus, the entire play takes place in the apartment.  This also shows how their lives are limited to one place.  The dance hall across the street offers excitement and represents the outside world, but no one bothers to notice (except Jim).