rtance of Laura’s collection of glass is the unicorn. This is Laura’s favorite, and the most important of the symbolic ornaments, representing Laura directly. This ornament comes into play when Laura is introduced to her brother’s friend Jim; who turns out to be the former high school crush of Laura. When Jim asks Laura what she has done since high school, she immediately displays her collection of glass figurines. Laura specifically points out the unicorn and the fact that it is different, just as she is different. She also points out that the unicorn does not complain of being different, as she does not complain either. And when Jim breaks the horn off the unicorn while he and Laura dance, Laura points out that now it is like the other horses, just as Laura has shed some of her shyness and becomes more normal. When she hands the broken unicorn to Jim, this might represent Laura handing over her broken love to Jim, as Jim has revealed that he is engaged to be married.Throughout the play, it is seen that reality has the weakest grasp on Laura, allowing her to escape reality through her menagerie. Like her glass collection, Laura is fanciful and dangerously delicate; and just as glass is easily shattered, Laura’s delicate mental state leaves her exposed to emotional damage. The Glass Menagerie identifies the conquest of reality by illusion, which is shown through Laura being so engrossed with taking care of her glass collection that she forgets to live her life. As a consequence, Laura never tries to do anything but live in a reality where she is afraid of everything....
