o Escaping Reality in Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie (1944), A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1956)
Abstract
The present study offers a reading of T. Williams' early plays (The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, And Cat on A Hot Tin Roof) and highlights the theme of escaping reality as portrayed by him. Thus it touches upon a topic that is still not fully researched with reference to Williams' works. Basically, Williams' portraits of ordinary, mostly dysfunctional American families are painted with such force and vigor that they resurrect Williams' personal sufferings as well as speak the reality of most Americans at that time. This paper will try to show that these plays are related strongly to each other in a sense that the characters do represent different facets of Williams's real character and these particular characters reflect his main dilemma as an outcast individual living in the pain of the past and struggling to fit in the society. Nevertheless, the study proposes that these plays' success does not rest solely on their biographical or social merit, for their visions are astoundingly universal.