The Glass Menagerie (Blog 2)
By: Tennessee Williams

In Scene 7, Laura shows Jim her glass menagerie.  She shows him the unicorn figure and tells him that it's her favorite one in her collection.  "'Poor little fellow, he must feel sort of lonesome'" (1281).  When Jim said this, I concluded that the unicorn is symbolic of Laura.  Laura feels lonesome, especially due to the fact that she has never had a gentleman caller before this.  In addition, Jim accidentally hits the table and breaks the unicorn's horn.  This makes it look like an ordinary horse.  Similarly, Jim kisses Laura.  However, he quickly admits that he is seeing a woman named Betty.  This causes Laura to feel unimportant, like she is just any other girl that Jim encounters.  She no longer feels unique, which she finally felt when Jim danced with her and kissed her.  In the end, Laura is still left alone.  She still remains without a potential husband, and she feels broken (like the broken glass unicorn).  I think that this was her motivation in giving Jim the broken unicorn.  It would have reminded her of how broken Jim left her feeling, and it would be better for it to no longer be near her.