The imagery in Tom’s speech about the magic show contains
several layers of symbolic meaning. The coffin trick, with its suggestions
of rising from the dead, is a reference to Christian resurrection. Christian
themes are also suggested by Tom’s tendency, when he reaches the
limits of his patience with Amanda’s reproaches, to see himself
as a martyr committing a supreme sacrifice for the family’s good.
In addition, the rainbow-colored scarf that Tom brings home and
gives to Laura reminds the audience of the rainbow of colors refracted
by her glass animals. On a social and historical front, the coffin
is representative of the condition of the American lower middle
classes, whom Williams describes, in the stage directions, as a “fundamentally
enslaved” sector of America.
