Scenes 6 & 7-The Glass Menagerie

Tom finally comes through and presents Jim O'Connor to his family.  His tragic mistake is not telling Jim about Laura.  While Jim and Laura are having their discussion, it is clear that Jim gives her confidence.  At first, this seems to be merely false confidence.  Laura and Jim can never be together because Jim is engaged.  Yet, Jim still has something to offer.  When he and Laura break the glass horn off the unicorn, this seems to also break Laura's attachment to the imaginary world she lives in where she too is composed of glass.  "JIM.  Aw, aw, aw.  Is it broken?  LAURA. Now it is just like all the other horses.  JIM.  It's lost its--  LAURA. Horn!  It doesn't matter.  Maybe it's a blessing in disguise" (Williams, 1282).  What Laura says proves true, the evening shared between Jim and Laura was a blessing in disguise.  Though it ends in disappointment, Laura learns that she is capable of being viewed by others as a meaningful individual who is worthy of love.  The unfortunate aspect of this is that Laura could not get this feeling from members of her family whose love for her is undeclared.