Realistic vs. Nonrealistic

From the beginning of The Glass Menagerie, Tom allows it to be known to the audience that this play is nonrealistic. He tells the audience that he is "the narrator of the play, and also a character in it." This aspect is one of the nonrealistic aspects of the play. It is impossible for a person to be the narrator and a character at the same time. Also, he tells the audience that "the play is memory." This also sets up for a nonrealistic play because memory is often different from real life. It looks at these from a convenient perspective and only sees one person's point of view. Also, the many music cues which conveniently appear throughout the play are nonrealistic. These cues serve to reflect the feelings of characters and what is going on. Also, the scene where the father's photo conveniently lights up when the son is speaking of him is nonrealistic. This is a figment of the son's imagination because this is how he remembers this encounter with his sister taking place. One of the realistic aspects of the play is the dialogue between the characters. They fight how people normally would and apologize as well. They also relate and have dynamics like a normal family has.