Tennessee Williams ' A Streetcar Named Desire

The description of Stanley’s personality pictures him as an animalistic and primitive male. There are several references to animals such as ‘Animal joy’ and ‘feathered male bird among hens’, this quote in particular describes Stanley very well. ‘Feathered male among hens’ is evidence that Stanley is often the leader of the group and maintains dominance as the pack

In Paul Theroux’s article “The Male Myth” Theroux makes a point that he does not like the stereotypes placed on men in today’s society. Theroux’s article is focused on exposing the stereotypes that men face and the reasons for their occurrence. He claims that writers and many others are directly affected by the expectations of masculinity that are thoroughly incorporated in America. The ideas of masculinity are deeply rooted in high school sports, in the view of the president, and in many other areas. Theroux attempts to prove that being a man in American is, “…pitiful, a little like having to wear an ill-fitting coat for one’s entire life.”

One way that Tennessee Williams critiques society's views on gender and heterosexual relationships is showing strong hypermasculinity. Dictionary.com define hypermasculinity as “Hypermasculinity is a psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behavior, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression, and sexuality.”. According to this Stanley is the perfect example of a hypermasculine man. In scene one Tennessee writes “Stanley carries his bowling jacket and a red-stained package from a butcher’s.”. Even in the first few pages of the book Stanley is portrayed as a stereotypical primitive like man and continues when Blanche describes Stanley as an “ape”.

Established as one of the most prolific playwrights of the 20th century, Tennessee Williams used his writing as a form of therapy. The author came from a troubled background consisting of alcoholism, mental breakdowns, and general unhappiness; Williams exploited these unfortunate events and allowed them to motivate his literature. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche DuBois’ struggles represent the reality of people’s lives, “an enduring concern of [Williams’] throughout his writing career (Henthorne 1). Blanche captures our focus with her seemingly sincere and fragile nature, but it is later revealed that this is just an illusion within her own mind. She resides in a world of fantasy to shield herself against the harsh threats of reality and her own fears. Blanche’s main objective in the play is to keep herself from falling apart in a world of cruelty through alcoholism and illusion. Through the characterization of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams depicts the coping mechanism of fantasy and its detrimental repercussions by exploring the specific experiences that eventually impede her happiness.

In A Streetcar Named Desire, the theme of violence is very frequent in the character Stanley Kowalski. Stanley is a married, young man, who comes across to the reader as quite an enraged person with animalistic attributes. A prime insinuation of Stanley’s difference to regular humans is when Stella DuBois (Stanley’s wife) explains to her sister that Stanley is of “a different species”, foreshadowing that Williams may be warning the reader that Stanley is capable of things that are not in

To live in a world of illusion is to live a life of lies.Sometimes people try to escape reality, whether to avoid truths or to avoid their past. A Streetcar named Desire by Tennessee Williams introduces Blanche Dubois as the main protagonist and potential victim of the story. In the story, Blanche leaves her home in “Belle Reve” because it has been destroyed and takes a streetcar to to get to her sister’s (Stella’s) residence. She believes that she will find a new life as well as comfort and acceptance at her sister’s side. Unfortunately she is very wrong about it, in fact, it is the complete opposite. Blanche’s past life was very shameful for her and so in order to forget the tormenting truth, she resorts to living a fantasy life of her own, which causes problems for her later on (self-destruction).

Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire is a web of themes, complicated scenarios, and clashes between the characters. Therefore, it might’ve been somehow difficult to find out who the protagonist of this play is if it wasn’t for Aristotle’s ideas of a good tragedy because neither of the main characters, Stanley Kowalski and Blanche Dubois, is completely good nor bad. According to Aristotle’s Poetics, a good tragedy requires the protagonist to undergo a change of status which only happens with Blanche Dubois.

Williams uses a different type of savagery in Blanche's character. Blanche is more deceptive and exaggerated than Stanley, trying to hide the effects of her hard life from others through constant bathing, avoiding bright lights and by lying, and from herself, by drinking.

Throughout Tennessee Williams’s play, “A Streetcar Named Desire” one can learn a large portion about his personal life. In the play the character, Blanche has a mental illness the same as his sister Rose had in her lifetime. Blanche’s ex-husband was also homosexual and he made the point to say that he left her for a man and Williams himself was also a homosexual. Tennessee chose for the story to be based in New Orleans, which was a crumbling town at the time and Williams was living a crumbling life, due to he was battling depression. In his plays a reader can see that he has different views than most men of his time, he developed many of these views due to his travels throughout his life. ““Streetcar” tackled themes of desperation, sexual

Furthermore Stanley can suggest that his animalistic behaviour is down to Blanche Dubois. She is Stanley’s sister-in-law and lived at ‘belle reve’ which means beautiful dream, nevertheless it also ironic as she has had to mortgage the house and most of her family has died whilst living there. Her name means white one from the woods and the connotations of her name is innocence, which is an exemplar of dramatic irony as she displays many acts in the play that contrast to that of innocence and purity. An example of Blanche not being pure is when she says “I’ve got to keep hold of myself” this statement from Blanche shows she has mental flaws and is addicted to the drink. She also shows she is not innocent and dependable “your sister hasn’t turned into a drunkard” this shows she is prepared to lie to her sister and it could also foreshadow future tragedy as comparable behaviour towards Stanley could result in enemies being created “liquor goes fast in hot conditions” this shows she is also prepared to deceive Stanley as well. As Stanley believes he is a misogynistic as he feels men are far superior to women as did most men in the 1940’s. So if he has any suspicions about being deceived by a woman then he would want to get revenge because Stanley doesn’t like to be manipulated,

Have you ever felt that men always screw things up? Perhaps it is not men themselves that cause destruction; maybe it is merely the result of the presence of a masculine character. The role of masculinity is an essential aspect in both Bobbie Ann Mason's short story entitled, Shiloh, and in Tennessee Williams' play, A Streetcar Named Desire, although it functions very differently in each story. In Shiloh, we see the detrimental effects that the male role has even in its absence through the interactions that Leroy has with his with wife, Norma Jean. Contrasting this particular perspective, in A Streetcar Named Desire the destructive manner of the

All three of the main characters do not want to accept the truth and have the covet to live in an allusion to hide the past from everyone including themselves. Stanley does not like when Blanche questions his manhood and nationality by calling him a Polack; which he takes very offensively. Stanley has had enough of Blanche and yells at her, “But what I am is a one hundred percent American” (110). Stanley has pride in his native land and when Blanche downgrades him, he takes those remarks she makes to heart. He wants to dominate and use his

     Stanley shreds the dreams of Blanche DuBois, revealing her ugly past to her sister and her beau. He refuses to

This is brought forth by her death and deterioration as a character and its contribution to declining relationships. It becomes quite evident to the audience that Blanche “wasn't so good the last two years or so”, alluding to her promiscuous behaviour before her sudden arrival at her sister’s doorstep. The motifs employed by Williams to convey Blanche’s regret are those of bathing and alcohol. Blanche bathes many a time through the course of A Streetcar Named Desire in attempt to feel “…like a brand new human being” and cleanse herself of her past in order to try find kindness and love, particularly in Mitch, “I want to deceive him enough to make him – want me”. The irony of Blanche’s costuming at the start of the play further emphasises what she is “Putting on”. In Scene I Blanche is described as being “daintily dressed in a white suit…earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat”. Traditionally, white is the colour of purity and of “…the Virgin”, both of these “virtues” taken away from Blanche due to her tragic past. The illusion she creates for both Mitch and Stanley again, was brought forth by her own deterioration and want of creating a fantasy that “wouldn’t be make – believe if you believed in me”. Lastly, Blanche’s attempt to legitimise her fantasy is through the symbolic paper lantern. Blanche “…can’t stand a naked lightbulb” in fear of her past and her true age being exposed. In Blanche’s mind putting “…a paper lantern over the light” provides an alternative form of escape from the truth about her past. It is hence, evident that Blanche’s constant deception of those around her through her costuming, fear of the light, which is symbolic of the truth and her relentless attempts to cleanse herself are what contribute to her deterioration and hence to the decline of any possibility of having a relationship with Mitch and her rapid

Like many people in the world, the characters in Tennessee William’s play, A Streetcar Named Desire, are troubled by anxiety and insecurities. Life in New Orleans during the 1940s was characterized by the incredible variety of music, lively and bright atmosphere, and diverse population, while in the midst of the ongoing World War II. Culture was rich and fruitful because the city developed into a “melting pot” of people from all over the world. Due to the wide-range in population, the people of New Orleans adopted an identity like no other. Instead of their identity being entirely pieced together, almost like a puzzle, the people took on one that was shared by the entire community. However, with this being said, people had the ability to use this to their advantage and mask their true selves. This idea translates well into the play A Streetcar Named Desire, and is exhibited through the character Blanche. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams uses the theme of vanity to reveal the importance of appearance, and the insecurities of Blanche and how they influence her actions.