Sometimes things that are not immediately prominent have a big affect in the end . This is very true in the plays Inherit The Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee and The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. “A thought is like a child inside our body. It has to be born. If it dies inside you, part of you dies, too!” (124) Each play has a secondary character that has influence whether it be on another character or the outcome of that character's actions. “You’re about to meet the mightiest of your descendants.” (17) These are seen in the personalities, judgments, and attitudes of the character. In a piece of literature, when a character appears briefly, it can cause a significant change.
In the playbook, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, there is a secondary character named Jim. Jim was brought into the play as a “gentleman caller” by another character, Tom, for his sister, Laura. Jim was Laura’s crush when she was in school. When she saw him in the room, she became very chary (well, more than she usually is) and “turns awkwardly and hurries into the front room.” (58) Later Jim and Laura are left alone in the room. At first Laura was shy and reluctant to talk. But as the night went on, she began to open up towards Jim. The character of Jim gets Laura to open up more,and tells her to not let her being shy get in the way. He tells her that “people are not so dreadful when you know them” (76) and also tells her that she “low-rates” herself and that her being crippled is just a “little physical defect.” (81)
Jim O’Connor also talks with Laura about when they were in a class together in high school, and Laura recalls that she was always late to the singing class because of “that brace on (her) leg,” and the strident noise the brace made. Jim tells her that he “never heard any clumping,” and that she “shouldn’t have been self-conscious.” (75) After they talked for a while, Laura opens up and shows Jim her “glass menagerie,” and hands him her favorite piece, a unicorn,which he tentatively takes. (82) Jim tells Laura that everyone else is “common as---weeds” but that she’s different, that she’s “Blue Roses!” (87) Jim helps to build up Laura’s confidence, and without his character, the character of Laura would have never really open up and shown her true personality.
The function of E. K. Hornbeck in Inherit The Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee needs to be scrutinized in order to be fully understood. Hornbeck is a critical newspaperman who gives censure to anybody and is not afraid to be very honest about his opinion. He takes the side of the antagonist and uses his sarcasm throughout the story to show the ridiculous side of the problem. “I do hateful things, for which people love me, and lovable things for which they hate me.” (33) He plays an important role because he tells jokes and critiques of everyone that displays the ridiculousness of the trial. “I am a friend of enemies, the enemy of friends; I am admired for my detestability.” (33) He is the guy who is usually controversial to society.
One of the many ways Hornbeck is different from society is that in this time period, most people are deeply religious. And those that are religious mostly follow Christianity. When asked about his religious views, he says, “The worst kind. I write for a newspaper.” (15) But after reading the book, you can tell he is on the side of the evolutionists. He makes many jokes about those who believe in God. “A man who wears a cathedral for a cloak, A church spire for a hat, whose tread has the thunder of the legions of the Lion-Hearted!” (17) E.K. Hornbeck is an influence in society by writing his newspaper articles. And these can influence revolutionary thought.
Secondary characters are influential in the development of these books. They help set the story in motion. Without secondary characters like Jim in The Glass Menagerie, key things in the story like Laura’s glass collection that “takes up a good deal of time,” never would have been mentioned. (80) Characters like Jim can affect the story in a different way from if the character hadn’t been in the play at all. Characters like Jim can give a new perspective to a story, like when he decides Laura doesn’t think highly enough of herself and that all she really has is “a little physical defect.” (81) These plays teach us that even in the real world, those out of the spotlight might be of importance too.
Sometimes things that are not immediately prominent have a big affect in the end . This is very true in the plays Inherit The Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee and The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. “A thought is like a child inside our body. It has to be born. If it dies inside you, part of you dies, too!” (124) Each play has a secondary character that has influence whether it be on another character or the outcome of that character's actions. “You’re about to meet the mightiest of your descendants.” (17) These are seen in the personalities, judgments, and attitudes of the character. In a piece of literature, when a character appears briefly, it can cause a significant change.
In the playbook, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, there is a secondary character named Jim. Jim was brought into the play as a “gentleman caller” by another character, Tom, for his sister, Laura. Jim was Laura’s crush when she was in school. When she saw him in the room, she became very chary (well, more than she usually is) and “turns awkwardly and hurries into the front room.” (58) Later Jim and Laura are left alone in the room. At first Laura was shy and reluctant to talk. But as the night went on, she began to open up towards Jim. The character of Jim gets Laura to open up more,and tells her to not let her being shy get in the way. He tells her that “people are not so dreadful when you know them” (76) and also tells her that she “low-rates” herself and that her being crippled is just a “little physical defect.” (81)
Jim O’Connor also talks with Laura about when they were in a class together in high school, and Laura recalls that she was always late to the singing class because of “that brace on (her) leg,” and the strident noise the brace made. Jim tells her that he “never heard any clumping,” and that she “shouldn’t have been self-conscious.” (75) After they talked for a while, Laura opens up and shows Jim her “glass menagerie,” and hands him her favorite piece, a unicorn,which he tentatively takes. (82) Jim tells Laura that everyone else is “common as---weeds” but that she’s different, that she’s “Blue Roses!” (87) Jim helps to build up Laura’s confidence, and without his character, the character of Laura would have never really open up and shown her true personality.
The function of E. K. Hornbeck in Inherit The Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee needs to be scrutinized in order to be fully understood. Hornbeck is a critical newspaperman who gives censure to anybody and is not afraid to be very honest about his opinion. He takes the side of the antagonist and uses his sarcasm throughout the story to show the ridiculous side of the problem. “I do hateful things, for which people love me, and lovable things for which they hate me.” (33) He plays an important role because he tells jokes and critiques of everyone that displays the ridiculousness of the trial. “I am a friend of enemies, the enemy of friends; I am admired for my detestability.” (33) He is the guy who is usually controversial to society.
One of the many ways Hornbeck is different from society is that in this time period, most people are deeply religious. And those that are religious mostly follow Christianity. When asked about his religious views, he says, “The worst kind. I write for a newspaper.” (15) But after reading the book, you can tell he is on the side of the evolutionists. He makes many jokes about those who believe in God. “A man who wears a cathedral for a cloak, A church spire for a hat, whose tread has the thunder of the legions of the Lion-Hearted!” (17) E.K. Hornbeck is an influence in society by writing his newspaper articles. And these can influence revolutionary thought.
Secondary characters are influential in the development of these books. They help set the story in motion. Without secondary characters like Jim in The Glass Menagerie, key things in the story like Laura’s glass collection that “takes up a good deal of time,” never would have been mentioned. (80) Characters like Jim can affect the story in a different way from if the character hadn’t been in the play at all. Characters like Jim can give a new perspective to a story, like when he decides Laura doesn’t think highly enough of herself and that all she really has is “a little physical defect.” (81) These plays teach us that even in the real world, those out of the spotlight might be of importance too.