"The Glass Menagerie" p. 1119 #7

The amount of time covered in the action of the play is unclear. The events of the play seem to occur very fast pace; however, dialogue hints at significant amounts of time passing. At the beginning of the play, the setting is described as "Time: Now and the Past" (scene 1, page 1235). This small detail is very important to the play. As the play unfolds, it is revealed that the story is all a part of Tom's memory. Therefore, time does not really play an important key in the events. Everything occurs as he remembers it and not necessarily how it actually occurred. As the play is being performed, the action seems rushed. For example, at the end of one scene Amanda is talking to Tom about bringing home someone from work for Laura to meet. Then, in the beginning of the next scene, Tom asks Laura if she remembers asking him to find a gentleman for Laura. This small detail leads the audience to believe that time has passed since they last had the discussion; however, it appears only lines apart in the progression of the play.