The Glass Menagerie, The Death of a Salesman, and Oedipus Rex are complex and profound stories that any reader can appreciate. The Glass Menagerie is the story of a family of three, a mother, a son and a daughter, all struggling to come to terms with how their lives have gone. Sometimes they are reminiscent of a happier life or a way to somehow escape life itself. Death of a Salesman is about a depressed man named Willy who often daydreams about what he perceives as a perfect life. Willy is angry with his life and wants his children to be more successful. Towards the end of the story Willy decides that life is not worth living and commits suicide. Oedipus Rex is the story of the king and queen of Thebes who were told by a prophet that one day their newborn baby, Oedipus, would kill his father (King Laius). The king decides to ask a shepherd to take Oedipus to a distant mountain to be left for dead. But the shepherd takes pity on the child and ends up giving Oedipus to the king and queen of Corinth. Oedipus ends up crossing his father and kills him. Oedipus then correctly answers a riddle from a Sphinx who then rewards Oedipus by making him the new king of Thebes. Unknown to him that his father and mother were the king and queen of Thebes, he ends up marrying and having children with his mother and searches for King Laius' assassin. The theme of The Glass Menagerie, Death of a Salesman, and Oedipus Rex gives the reader a chance to get a more in-depth interpretation of the story. If you know the theme of The Glass Menagerie, you will get a much clearer interpretation of what the Author was trying to say to his audience. The theme is how difficult it is to accept reality. Each character in the story has difficulty dealing with reality and as a result retreats into a perfect fantasy land that the real world does not offer. Knowing the theme lets the reader know how much thought is put into the story. It lets the reader know that every word in the story has a meaning that makes them respect and appreciate the Author's work even more. Laura would like to have real friends but can't overcome her insecurity, so she plays with her glass animals as if they were her only friends.