Existential Identity and Authenticity in The Glass Menagerie Through Sartrean Lens

General Background: Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie has long been recognized for its psychological complexity and portrayal of familial dysfunction. Specific Background: While many analyses focus on psychoanalytic or realist readings, the play also invites exploration through existential philosophy, particularly that of Jean-Paul Sartre. Knowledge Gap: Limited scholarly attention has been given to examining the play through an existentialist-expressivist lens that bridges literary technique and philosophical inquiry. Aim: This paper aims to reinterpret The Glass Menagerie through Sartrean existentialism, focusing on themes of freedom, identity, and authenticity. Results: The study finds that Williams employs memory and expressionist techniques to illustrate characters’ existential crises, highlighting their struggles with "bad faith," alienation, and the burden of freedom. Amanda, Tom, and Laura each embody forms of existential angst and self-deception, yet their experiences also signal the possibility of self-assertion and authentic living. Novelty: The paper offers a novel reading by integrating Sartrean concepts such as subjectivity, personal responsibility, and authenticity with Williams’s theatrical method, revealing deeper existential dimensions of the play. Implications: This perspective not only broadens the interpretative scope of the play but also demonstrates how literary works can serve as philosophical discourses, emphasizing the relevance of existential thought in analyzing human experience amid socio-political pressures. Highlights: Explores The Glass Menagerie through Sartrean existential philosophy. Analyzes characters' identity, freedom, and existential crisis via expressionism. Reveals existential depth and philosophical relevance in Williams’s dramatic technique. Keywords: Existentialism, Expressionism, Jean-Paul Sartre, Tennessee Williams, Plastic Theatre, Subjective Identity.