Symbolism is an aspect used in several novels of today's and yesterday's world. In the book, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Willams, symbols are a major part of this play. As Tom, the narrator, is a poet, and admits he has a weakness for symbols. There are three prominent symbols in this play that stick out more than anything. One major symbol presented in the story is the fire escape, a symbol that has a different meaning and function for each character. For Tom, it is a way of escape from fire, not the normal type of fire that would need a fire truck, but "the slow and implacable fires of human desperat