The Glass Menagerie Study Guide

Tom appears, dressed in the uniform of the merchant marines. He introduces the play, which he describes as a memory play and therefore dimly lit, sentimental, and unrealistic. He also introduces the characters - himself, his mother Amanda, his sister Laura, and a Gentleman Caller. He explains that the Gentleman Caller is a symbol of the "long delayed but always expected something that we long for." Tom goes on to say that there is a fifth character in the play who never actually appears - his father, who disappeared when he and Laura were children but whose picture is prominently displayed. (read more)