The Glass Menagerie Group

Question:

luna15
luna15
Student
College - Freshman

In "The Glass Menagerie," what is the significance of Laura's glass animals, especially the symbolic unicorn?   

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Posted by luna15 on Sunday October 5, 2008 at 5:50 PM and tagged with glass menagerie, plot, symbolism, the glass menagerie, theme, unicorn.

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  1. ms-mcgregor Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Laura is like her glass animals because she is so fragile and easily broken.  There is a special affinity between Laura and the unicorn. The unicorn does not exist in the modern world, just as Laura seems unable to exist in modern society. She has a limp and feels deformed; the unicorn has only one horn, which makes him different from the rest of the animals. This symbolism is reinforced when Laura and Jim are dancing and Jim accidentally breaks the horn off the unicorn. Laura says, "Now he's just like all the other animals." She, too, seems more like any other girl now that Jim has made her feel special. Of course, the irony is Jim is engaged and, at that news, Laura gives the unicorn to Jim, indicating he is taking her normalcy with him.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/glass-menagerie
    http://www.enotes.com/glass-menagerie/characters
    http://www.enotes.com/glass-menagerie/themes

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    Posted by ms-mcgregor on Sunday October 5, 2008 at 5:58 PM