The Glass Menagerie: #4

In this play, dramatic suspense is created in several ways. One, way in which this occurs is through the fact that Tom is both a narrator and a character. p. 1236 " I am the narrator of the play, and also a character in it." This allows Tom to provide us with key information which the other characters do not know. For example, he begins the play by describing the plot to the reader, or audience of it. This creates a dramatic effect, because symbols are given and are easier to search for. The suspense is furthered through the different music and lighting cues given throughout the play which make ironic or symbolic suggestions. One such example of this is on p. 1238 where "Tom motions for music and a spot light on AMANDA." These directions create some of their own dramatic suspense, because the audience knows that this is a memory, but the characters do not.