“The Glass Menagerie” is a sad work, plagued by a missing father, a young man walking in his father's footsteps, and a mother whose only life is lived in the past. There is another unfortunate member of this dysfunctional family: Amanda's daughter Laura. Laura lives in a fantasy world, afraid to face the reality of her paralyzed destiny. She exists in a glass world, pretty and flawless. Laura represents the glass menagerie; this is reinforced by the separation of the horn from the misfit unicorn which in turn represents its handicap. The fragile Laura is treated throughout the story as if she were fragile. When she tries to do something, her family members “come to her rescue” and prohibit her from completing rather simple tasks. The family's respect for her fragility is demonstrated when Amanda stops her from bringing the blancmange, "No, sister, no, sister, you'll be the lady this time and I'll be the black one," Amanda says, even though Laura is already up . . The family tries to hide their protectiveness from her and give her little excuses, for example, when Amanda explains by saying: "Take your place again, little sister - I want you fresh and pretty - for the gentlemen who call!" A similar situation occurs not long after, when Laura tries to do a simple housework and Laura stands up insisting, "Mom, let me clear the table." Although she shows a genuine desire to clear the table, her mother denies this by advising her to do something else: “No, dear, go to the front and study the table on your typewriter. . . “It is sheltered and protected; just like glass. When someone handles glass, they do so with a delicate touch and taking care to prevent it from breaking. The same concept applies here. The family treats her with care because sh...... middle of paper ...... she hadn't met many people, making her a little lonely. During Jim and Laura's dance, Jim accidentally bumps into the table, knocking Laura's favorite glass item: the unicorn, to the floor. After crashing onto the floor, his horn separated from the unicorn. Laura makes up a story to accompany the incident. «I just imagine he had an operation. The horn was removed to make it feel less... weird! Now he will feel more comfortable with other horses, those who don't have horns. . .” The horn symbolized Laura's handicap. Laura feels that if she were to be cleared of her handicap she would be like everyone else and not be so "oddball". Just as Laura tells Jim that blue is wrong for roses, people should not be handicapped since horses are not meant to have horns. In this perspective, she is the glass menagerie.