Think about it...

For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls is a complete mockery of The Glass Menagerie. If you had not read or seen The Glass Menagerie then this play would have seemed pretty stupid because all of the jokes are about the characters from the previous play. All of their flaws are exaggerated and instead of being sad it is turned into a comedy. There are many examples of this such as, Laura had a set of glass animals which she cherished, Lawrence has a set of swizzel sticks that he has named completely idiotic names. Laura has a serious illness while Lawrence has a serious case of hypochondria. Tom brings over a girl for Lawrence that is a very rude, partially deaf, lesbian and Laura's date is a handsome gentleman that she had a crush on in school. In the glass menagerie, Tom is very reluctant to leave amanda and Laura but he wants to pursue his own dreams. In this play, Tom is mean to his amanda and lawrence and very quick to leave them with little guilt. Although the Glass Menagerie is sad and causes the audience to feel sympathy for all three of the characters, this play makes a mockery of Lawrence and it is easier to laugh at him than feel sorry for him. Although he seems to have a mental illness that he truly cannot get over, it is hard to want to help him because he is so whiney and annoying in the play. Even his mother doesn't try to help him she only tries to find someone to take care of him so that she doesn't have to. I did find the play to be funny at some points and I could appreciate it because I have read the Glass Menagerie. I think it would be even better to see it performed to truly understand how ridiculous Lawrence is in the play.