Question

One role of the narrator in The Glass Menagerie is as the person who __________. Question 2 options: A. sets the other characters straight when they are wrong B.provides commentary on what happens during the play C. performs magic tricks during the scenes D. encourages the audience to pay attention to important scenes
Through his use of screens, lighting, and music, the playwright __________.

Question 1 options:
A.creates a sense of danger


B.paints images of beauty

C.conveys the unreality of the action


D.builds suspense in the action

Answer 1

B. One role of the narrator in "The Glass Menagerie" is as the person who B.provides commentary on what happens during the play. Since it is a play, many of the parts are either dialogues or actions. For example, there is no detailed description of the character's thoughts and feelings. The narrator comes in to supply the necessary information so that the audience will be guided and gaps in the meanings and intentions are filled. 

D. Through his use of screens, lighting, and music, the playwright builds suspense in the action. Since the play is performed on stage live, there is no "take two's" and editing. Thus, in order to lead the audience to suspense, sound effects and music are added along with the changes in light with each color giving meaning to the scene. In addition, to help in the changes in settings, screens are used because there is limited time to make big changes on the stage.