Dramatic elements are present in any narrative, whether assembled in a literary form or a cinematic or, traditionally, constituting a theatrical performance. These elements, constituting parts of any well-written narrative, are working towards captivating the audience’s attention and enhancing the story, making it engaging and comprehensible. In that sense, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams excels by a number of criteria. While each of the dramatic elements serves its own unique purpose in relation to the story, there are ones that are imminently more pronounced than others, which can be owed to Glass Menagerie’s own specificity. Conflict, contrast, and tension are the ones that protrude the most – while at the same time serving the play and its reception remarkably well.
Tension is the first thing one is met with when watching the film. While the opening scene features Tom taking the stance of a dispassionate narrator, later on, it is unveiled by him that he, too, is a character with deep involvement with the story. As soon as it appears clear – the fact that the play’s author is engrossed in the action – the audience experience the first display of tension. The feeling of tightness and lack of physical and emotional freedom is pervasive throughout the play. It is particularly evident when Tom says in a rush of anger that “he has got nothing in his life to call his own”, which is characteristic of a feeling when one is desperate and cornered (Williams 17). In the film, tension is intensified by the dimly lit apartment and repetitive shot angles – the importance of the setting is accentuated. The setting is immensely important as it sets the tone – and it is “critical for interpreting the meaning” (Elements of Drama). Via these visual choices, the audience is able to comprehend the inner world of the characters in full detail.
However, the most prominent dramatic element of The Glass Menagerie is, undoubtedly, its inflating conflict – Amanda’s and Tom’s, and Laura’s ones. Along with tension, conflict is one characteristic that is particularly clear in the play. While Laura’s internal conflict remains to be one of the main driving forces of the narrative, Tom’s and Amanda’s, and even Jim’s, are of importance, too. Tom is indulging in various forms of “compensation for lives passing by without any change,” his mother is being nostalgic for her youth, and Laura is living inside her head (The Glass Menagerie). All of the characters appear to be broken, each in their own way. It is the unique apposition of the trauma of all of those people that makes this conversational play, limited to the setting of their decaying apartment, so interesting to follow.
Interestingly enough, it is Jim, the last character to appear, who allows for one of the most outstanding features of the play to shine in its full glory. Contrast, as it appears in the dialogue between Laura and Jim, is crucial to demonstrating conflict and engaging the viewer’s attention. What happens after Laura has reached a level of intimacy with another person as she has never done before – a moment that is an apex – crushes the audience’s hopes for her fulfilling her romantic dreams. The fact that the only man she has ever loved is engaged to another woman is truly tragic, especially in Laura’s position, which makes it an outstanding example of the use of contrast. Multiple layers of it can be distilled from the text – from the appalling news that Jim has for Laura to the casual behavior that he adopts right after such an intimate, important moment.
Finally, it is essential to note that the usage of the dramatic elements is at its finest in both the play and its cinematographic rendition. Although there are a number of other elements, the building tension, contrast, and conflict are the most characteristic and the most well-executed. With the help of those dramatic devices, the audience is able to see deeper into the different manifestations of human nature and ultimately, themselves.
Works Cited
Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. Penguin Books, 1988.
“The Glass Menagerie”, YouTube, uploaded by FilmRise Movies, 2020, Web.
“Elements of Drama.” Lumen, Web.