The Glass Menagerie: Symbolism

      As I read The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, I ask myself, "What exactly is a glass menagerie?"  In one scene, Laura is "washing and polishing her collection of glass" (Williams).  Laura is described as admiring this menagerie, which leads me to predict it to simply be a glass collection of figurines. right form the get-go, Tom mentions symbolism in the glass menagerie.  I believe this menagerie symbolizes Laura's fragility to the world in which she is surrounded.  Moreover, like Laura, the glass unicorn figurine breaks in an argument between tom and Laura.  Like the unicorn, Laura is crushed by the pressures of school and Amanda's high expectation for her.  I found it interesting that Laura likes the unicorn better with the horn because now it looks like the other horses.  Now that the horn is gone, the unicorn has lost what made it unique and special.  Because Laura like this, I assume she does not like what make her unique: her crippled leg.  This glass menagerie symbolizes Laura's fragility to the outside world.