Laura

Laura is the pivotal character of the play. She seems so simple on the surface, but I believe that she is very complex in her thoughts, feelings, and actions. She was born with a "defect," as her mother likes to call it, of one of her legs being shorter than the other. While that could be difficult to deal with at times, I don't think that it is anything that should make her feel so awful about herself. I think that Jim hits the nail on the head when he says that she feels inferior and needs to find something that she feels superior in. She brings up her glass collection, which is one thing that she has truly dedicated time and effort to. I also think that he is right when he says that she needs to realize that she is not the only person with problems; everyone has problems. I think that is one of the themes of the play- to realize that everyone struggles, so one shouldn't always be down on his/herself. I felt like Jim really brought Laura out of her shell, and it's really sad, to me, that he is already engaged to another woman, because he treated her in such a special way. Although I don't think he meant to, he really gave her the wrong impression, which is unfair to her.