SHATTERED DREAMS AND SILENT INNER STRUGGLE: A POST-WAR REFLECTION IN THE GLASS MENAGERIE BY TENNESSEE WILLIAMS

This paper explores The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams as a post-war reflection on psychological trauma, social instability, and the silent emotional conflicts within the American family. By focusing on the shattered dreams of its characters and their quiet struggles for identity, stability, and escape, this study reveals how Williams channels the anxieties of post-war America through memory, illusion, and fragile relationships. Using a psychoanalytic and socio-historical lens, the analysis delves into the silent suffering of Laura, Amanda’s desperate clinging to the past, and Tom’s guilt-ridden pursuit of freedom, offering a timeless narrative of disillusionment and internal war.