A Streetcar Named Desire Character Analysis

A Streetcar Named Desire is focused almost completely on its three protagonists: Blanche, Stella, and Stanley. It could be suggested that this play was influenced by Williams’ own upbringing: his sister Rose was mentally ill, and Williams’ was a doting older brother. Potentially, Blanche was inspired by Rose and that this play uses his unique perspective to comment on the treatment of the mentally ill. Williams may be using Stella’s conflict to highlight this.

Her passivity is shown on several occasions throughout the play. Blanche constantly commands Stella, ‘I like to wait on you Blanche’ , and this shows that Stella is considered inferior to Blanche. Moreover, her submissiveness is shown when Stanley hits here at scene three, this action is shown through stage directions ‘Stanley charges after Stella (…). There is a sound of a blow’. If Stella was a strong-willed character instead of a passive and submissive one she would have left Stanley for what he had done, but she chose to continue suffering domestic violence. In addition, it may be argued that her financial dependency on her husband is also one of the reasons she continues with her husband, this is linked to the Marxist theory as this the economic class of the character affects her personality and action. In addition, her subordination is also linked to a satisfying sexual life, ‘But there are things that happen between a man and a woman in the dark – that sort of make everything else seem – unimportant.’ This is linked to the Freudian theory as it shows that sexual pleasure affects her decision to keep tolerating Stanley’s abuse. The representation of Stella as the subordinating submissive housewife is a representation of the women in the 1940s, who lived in a patriarchal society and in some occasions suffered domestic

“Stella has embraced him with both arms, fiercely, and full in the view of Blanche. He laughs and clasps her head to him. Over her head he grins through the curtains at Blanche.” (Williams 73) A Streetcar Named Desire written by Tennessee Williams exemplifies the theme of a struggle to attain happiness. The play not only portrays this theme in its characters and setting, but through the literary devices of Foil, Imagery, and Intertextuality. Williams took great care in applying each of these literary device techniques to the theme as he presents an intriguing contrast between Blanche and Stanley, vivid images both animalistic and broken, and imploring the use of the Odyssey to further

In Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire, Williams explores the internal conflict of illusion versus reality through the characters. Humans often use illusion to save us pain and it allows us to enjoy pleasure instead. However, as illusion clashes with reality, one can forget the difference between the two. When people are caught up in their illusions, eventually they must face reality even if it is harsh. In the play, Blanche suffers from the struggle of what is real and what is fake because of the difficult events of her past. Blanche comes to her sister Stella seeking aid because she has lost her home, her job, and her family. To deal with this terrible part of her life, she uses fantasy to escape her dreadful reality. Blanche’s embracement of a fantasy world can be categorized by her attempts to revive her youth, her relationship struggles, and attempts to escape her past.

In the classic fairytale of Cinderella, the main character is trapped in an abusive household. However, Cinderella’s self-perception of optimism and hope, enables her to believe that ultimately, her life will naturally improve with these attributes. True to her convictions, Cinderella gets her happily ever after by going to the ball where the prince falls in love with her. Cinderella is saved from her evil. On the other hand, Cinderella can be viewed as a victim who does nothing to enable herself to escape her abusive reality, insteads helplessly waits for fate to intervene. She does not confront the situation nor independently strive to improve her circumstances. Correspondingly, how individuals act when faced with conflict is strongly influenced by their self-perception. It is possible to become confused between reality and illusion, which is determined by their level of self-awareness. In Tennessee Williams’ play, A Streetcar Named Desire, the character of Stella struggles between the control of her husband and sister. Throughout the play, this conflict is demonstrated as she struggles with becoming aware of her abusive household and the contrast to the fairytale illusion she desperately clings to. Ultimately, Stella’s choice to maintain her illusion, rather than confronting her reality, is due to the self-perception of her need to depend on others and desire for idealism, which overall controls her fate.

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

2016. Many works of literature contain a character who intentionally deceives others. The character’s dishonesty may be intended to help or to hurt. Such a character, for example, may choose to mislead others for personal safety, to spare someone’s feelings, or to carry out a crime. Choose a novel or play in which a character deceives others. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the motives for that character’s deception and discuss how the deception contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

In Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche DuBois is thrust into a series of unfortunate events and undergoes drastic changes in an effort to come to terms with her completely changed life. Through these events, Blanche happens to be the only remaining individual left to take care of the once valuable and prestigious family belongings, and her psychological mind spirals out of control in her attempts to restore the family’s honor. In addition to experiencing loneliness and feeling isolation from humans, Blanche faced many new challenges in stressful situations, which contributed to her poor decision making skills and inevitable negative outcomes in most of those situations. Through the characterization of Blanche DuBois, Williams’ intends to display the power of significant experiences in one’s life, which serves as a warning of how the effects of significant experiences on individuals should not be underestimated. Unfortunately, in Blanche’s case, abandonment by her sister was the perfect example of an individual underestimating the result of their actions, as this action was the initiation point of the events that would eventually lead to her unfortunate fate. Specifically, Williams’ focuses on portraying the disastrous effects of human isolation, which is often the result of an individual’s mindless actions. Human isolation plays an important role in the outcome of the play, as Blanche is known to have been abandoned at a young age, and her

The author, Tennessee Williams, does a phenomenal job of portraying Blanche Dubois as a deceiving, manipulative, arrogant person in his book “A Streetcar named Desire”. Williams first showcases these characteristics during the arrival of Blanche. This introduction not only sets a mood and tone but it gives us our first impression of Blanche. Overall this impression leaves the audience with a sour taste in their mouths and ill feelings towards the new girl. However, don’t be so quick to jump the gun. What if I said Blanche isn’t the villain she’s depicted as in this story?

The play A Streetcar Named Desire, was remade into a movie that was filmed in New Orleans. The film takes place in the 1950s with Blanche who moves in with her sister, Stella, and her brother in law, Stanley. The movie is about Blanche’s experience and eventually demise all in New Orleans.

Having to live with a sister that is paranoid and selfish would be irritating for many people, but a woman named Stella in the book A StreetCar Named Desire had a sister just like that. Her name was Blanche, she was a very troubled woman that tried many years to fix herself but all her efforts didn’t work out. She just couldn’t resist her selfish nature.

A Streetcar Named Desire written by Tennessee 0portray a play center and revolving around characters and New Orleans. The two settings are completely different we are introduced to Elysian Field where the Kowalski live and then Blanche from Belle Reve a high class society. Stella has written to Blanche “She wasn’t expecting to find us in such a small place. You see I’d tried to gloss things over a little in my letters” (31). Blanche meanwhile travelled to stay with the Kowalski on two streetcars which will ultimately determine her faith she longs for desire but could not bear the sign of death.

The nature of motivations is driven by an individual’s need to pursue self interest, which directs their course of action. One’s interest is dependent on their influences as well as ambition to achieve goals. In Tennessee Williams’ modern play, A Streetcar Named Desire, Stanley’s actions are directed by his need to maintain power in his relationship with Stella even when these actions are immoral or wrong. The setting of the play takes place in late 1940s of New Orleans; where relationships are predominantly patriarchal. Stanley initially lived life in a stable relationship, taking the dominant role as a man. However, when Blanche is introduced into their lives, Stella is reminded of her upper class roots, interfering the life Stanley originally had. When Stanley’s predominant role is being challenged, Stanley’s need to reattain his personal equilibrium develops, impacting his course of action and treatment towards others. Due to this, Stanley struggles with fear and uncertainty, resulting in increased violence and a short-tempered nature. Therefore, when individuals have strong motives to reach their ambitions, their actions follows, even when these actions may be morally flawed.

In the play, A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, Stella and Stanley Kowalski have a far from perfect marriage. In the Kowalski household ranking is set in stone; Stanley is the alpha and protects his ranking by emotionally and physically abusing Stella. Stanley is an aggressive husband but signs of a softer side peak through Stanley’s hard exterior creating two personalities. Stanley has destroyed the meaning of sex, using sex for physical satisfaction and creating a sense of desire for Stella. By using sex as a type of desire Stanley has created an animalistic need for sex. Stanley has contrived authority over Stella, creating a strained marriage. Out of panic, Stella has become Stanley’s enabler, returning to him regardless how hard the hit, Stella accepts the abuse. Stella has become so manipulated by Stanley that she believes that the abuse is a large part of marriage. Stella has grown so dependant on Stanley that Stella grows panicked by the thought of being without Stanley. The Kowalskis have become trapped in an endless cycle of domestic abuse. Stanley Kowalski’s control over Stella Kowalski creates an environment of fear.

This 1950's theatrical presentation was directed by Elia Kazan and written by Tennessee Williams. It is about a southern bell by the name of Blanche Dubois who loses her father's plantation to a mortgage and travels to live in her sister's home in New Orleans by means of a streetcar called Desire. There she finds her sister living in a mess with a drunken bully husband, and the events that follow cause Blanche to step over the line of insanity and fall victim to life's harsh lessons.