The glass menagerie tennessee williams artist note: Nancy Palk My mother never talked about herself very much. She was devoted to her husband and children, and made them the stars of her own movie. We don’t know enough of what was buried deep in her heart, because as children; we never really kept digging, we were too self-absorbed. Amanda shares more of her heart with Tom and Laura, remembering a glorious, genteel girlhood in the South. Having being abandoned by her husband sixteen years prior to the events in the play, and having to make ends meet, alone, in the 1920’s and 30’s, is it so surprising that she escapes back to her glory days? Is that so laughable? One of the many joys of working on this perfect piece of writing, is that it is. It is so laughable, and yet tragic, in the same moment. We can see all our families’ foibles, their moments of joy and exasperation; recognize all our mothers, and “the odd one out” in every family, and the one who has to escape the claustrophobic obligation of it all. Even the gentleman caller in the play is written with such understanding of the slight disappointments and pending responsibilities of adulthood, alongside the memories of the glory days of high school. The play is not a vast epic piece, but a fragile, interior exploration of family. I hope you see not just what makes this family unique and eccentric, but also what makes it exactly like yours. Amanda says, “I’ll tell you what I wished for on the moon. Success and happiness for my precious children. I wish for that whenever there’s a moon, and when there isn’t a moon, I wish for it too.” Is that so strange? Enjoy it with an open heart.
Nancy Palk, Amanda in The Glass Menagerie