Able-Bodied Narratives of Disability: Importance of ‘crippled’ Laura in TheGlassMenagerie

Abstract

The character of Laura in TheGlassMenagerie often gets overlooked in disability studies concerning theatre since it is a memory play and thus not entirely realistic. However, the representation of the disabled character by an able-bodied one (her brother, Tom) makes it even more pertinent for one to analyse the play in order to address the tropes used in theatre to portray disability. The paper aims to investigate how Tennessee Williams, through the character of Laura, contributes to disability theatre. Keeping in mind Sieber's idea of "how some bodies make other bodies feel," the play can be explored as a realistic depiction of the effects of disability on both the individual and those around them. Disability cannot be excluded from social representation in any form of media because it is not an isolated experience but a social category at par with race, class, and gender. It creates a community with a desire to both represent and be represented. And, like other communities, it has a history that resists being viewed solely as against the so-called "normal" bodies. Disability history, therefore, seeks to demonstrate that it can be represented as something valuable, as opposed to the typical depiction of the 'loss' of normalcy. The paper then addresses how Glass menagerie as a modernist play contributes to the history of disability through non-conventional ways. For instance, Amanda’s insistence on not using the word ‘cripple’ will help readers identify the importance of reclaiming the word. The inherent ableist language used throughout the play brings out the human determination of disregarding the differences of the human body, seeing the differently-abled only as individuals who ‘lack’, thereby invalidating their identity. The paper will conclude by stating that, while Laura's character is not an ideal character to study disability, the play provides its audience with an authentic disability experience.