What Makes Laura Beautiful

Something I really enjoyed about the glass menagerie was Laura’s character development. We go from seeing Laura as a nervous girl who spends all of her time alone, to seeing her develop into someone who can be confident and be able to spend time with others. As the ending of the glass menagerie approaches, Jim, Laura’s alleged gentleman caller arrives at her house. She spends the whole night hiding from him, she didn’t even want to answer the door because she claimed to be sick (scene six). The whole time Jim is at the house, she always finds a way to avoid him because she is nervous. After Amanda tells Jim to keep Laura company, is when she finally opens up a bit more. The two share old high school memories, the glass collection, and a waltz (scene seven). By Laura letting Jim dance with her and hold her glass unicorn, this shows although Laura was terribly shy, she is capable of socializing and opening up to those she feels comfortable around. Jim goes on to tell Laura how much she has to offer the world and how unique and beautiful she is. Laura has never experienced this before and gets an insight to how other people view her and how she can improve for the future. Jim ends his monologue with “You know what my strong advice to you is? Think of yourself as superior in some way!”

“What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction reminds me of Jim talking to Laura. He tries to explain to Laura that she is pretty and unlike anyone else and she should feel confident about herself He goes on to say, “I happened to notice you had this inferiority complex that keeps you from feeling comfortable with people. Somebody needs to build your confidence up and make you proud instead of shy and turning away and blushing.” (Scene seven) This song is written for a girl who is insecure and doesn’t realize that she is beautiful, but with help of guidance, she can finally realize how important, special, and beautiful she was all along.