Symbolism in The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie uses an extensive pattern of symbolism that describes the characters of Tom,Amanda,Laura and Jim.Glass,light,color and music constitute the substance of the dominant symbols and motifs,serving to reveal deeper aspects of characters and underlying themes of the play.Tennessee Williams wrote the play so that each character had a special symbol which resembled their personality.But he didn't only give the characters of the play a a resembling symbol;he also mentions the apartment blocks to be hivelike conglomerations of cellular living-units resembling a beenstock.The way he describes their location