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Outcasts and Illusion Tennessee Williams is one of the most famous writers and playwrights in American history. He was born on March 26, 1911, in Columbus, Mississippi. His father was a traveling salesman that never had a permanent home for them. His mother was a simple woman that took his father’s cruel manners and drinking problems. He had two siblings, a brother and a sister. His plays show the reality of life and what can become of a person through emotional destruction. He uses unique characters that re set as outcast that give his stories special qualities. He also uses themes that make his stories more interesting to the reader. Williams places characters as outcast to set them apart from the others. In The Glass Menagerie, Laura Wingfield is set as an outcast because of her disability and shyness. Her disability that sets her apart is her slightly crippled leg that her mother refers to as a “little defect.” In the story, Tom and Amanda argue about Laura’s leg: TOM: We don’t even notice she’s crippled anymore. AMANDA: Don’t say crippled! You know that I never allow that word to be used!(Sc. 1) Laura’s shyness sets her aside because she’s too scared to have a conversation with someo