Bringing Home The Kill Sometimes, an individual’s instinct for self-preservation significantly influences her response to competing demands as it is necessary for her life to go on no matter what obstacle she must face. In Tennessee Williams’ play, A Streetcar Named Desire, he discussed how an individual’s desire for self-preservation creates bias when she is to respond to competing demands as it is necessary for her to go on with her catastrophic life, no matter what demands she is faced with. -------------------------------- Tennessee Williams uses symbols, colours, and character foil to foreshadow what little choice his tragic character Stella has if her life is to on. The text creator reveals Stanley to be animalistic and highly masculine …show more content…
Furthermore, when the text creator has his characters discuss their astrological signs in scene five, Williams reveals Stanley to be a Capricorn, a stubborn goat who will eat anything anyone puts in front of him. The text creator demonstrates these attributes when Stanley refuses to let go of the loss of Belle Reve and when he retells the rumours passed along a string of men which tore at Blanche’s innocence. Contrasting Stanley’s study, stubborn, and masculine character we have Tennessee Williams’ character foil, Blanche, who is shown as fragile, innocent, and pure. Her innocence and purity are displayed through the text creator molding her image with symbolic white gowns, dresses, and suits. The author uses stage direction to describe Blanche as a delicate moth who will burn in a bright light. Williams’ …show more content…
The author both clearly and discreetly discussed the power struggle between Blanche and Stanley over Stella. We first see that Stella is stuck between leaving with her sister or staying with her husband after Stanley’s violent outburst during the poker game. Stella soon forgives Stanley after his abuse because she is passionately in love with him. While it may seem that she is being extremely naïve and avoiding her own self-preservation, what other choice does she have? The author’s use of parallelism between scene seven and scene four reflects the decision Stella will have to make regarding Blanche and Stanley’s competing demands for her favour. Williams’ use of stage direction in scene four has Stanley eavesdropping on Stella and Blanche’s conversation and in scene seven something very similar occurs. Stanley is now the one giving his opinion of Blanche while she bathes in the tub. Tennessee Williams uses music as another tool to foreshadow Stella’s decision. The world of illusion which her fragile sister sings about is not a world Stella can be a part of. If she is to preserve herself she must go on with her life even if it means living in the cruel and harsh world that Blanche escapes from with her illusions. While staying with her abusive husband rather than leaving with her sister would seem outrageous, it is very unlikely that Stella will leave her husband as he is
Through form, duologues specifically, Williams’ could be presenting the fragmented relationships between the three characters. Felicia Hardison Londré suggests Scene Two is ‘comprised of two sequences, both ‘duets’, one between Stella and Stanley, followed by one between Stanley and
This play is about people who display cruelty and harshness in their treatment to others, especially those who are weak and vulnerable. Blanche Dubois is the central victim of mistreatment even though she had tried to make Stanley the victim. She displays her self as fragile and moth like, dealing out her share of insensitivities that happened during her younger days. Also because of her moth like image, the other characters see her as an easy target to knock down and use her insecurities against her. Her figure and appearance also reveals her vulnerability and delicacy. “Slim figure, face of delicate, fading beauty” All this and her clinging on to material preferences, being reassured by alcohol make her a victim to ours and the other
“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
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 his plays, A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams uses different ways to show in the play of social realism. It show each of individual character and focusing on how particular way of viewpoint contrast with men, and the perspective of looking at women. The play explores struggle of two character Stanley and Blanche, between appearances and reality which made the play’s plot more affected reality. Throughout this play, it show the symbolize of the gender roles and the power of men over women in the 1940’s in New Orleans.
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.
He abuses his wife Stella physically and emotionally as he strikes and hits his pregnant wife while Stella represents the self-deprecating, submissive wife who tolerates and excuses her husband behavior. Another central theme in Williams’ play is the theme of illusion; Blanche lives in a fantasy world of sentimental illusion. She exerts efforts to maintain the appearance of being an upper-class young innocent woman, even though she is a fallen woman. Another theme is the theme of loneliness as Blanche is lost and alone in the world and she desperately seeks protection and companionship in the arms of strangers. Mitch is another character who is a victim of loneliness and he needs to find a woman to love him the way his mother does. The theme of sexual desire is related to destruction. Blanche wants to be a lady but she continually tripped up by her sexual desire. Stanley leads a violent brutal desire and views Stella as a sexual object and his final act as he rapes Blanche emphasizes his lustful desire. The theme of hatred is prevailed throughout the play as Blanche’s insult and insolence aroused the hatred of Stanley. The play focused on the feeling of repulsion between
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.
Tennessee Williams was a thriving playwriter with many of his ideas coming from actual events in his life. Growing up with a father that was an alcoholic and known for gambling led him down the same path (Parry 304). In the play “A Streetcar Named Desire”, Blanche, who is trying to get away from her erroneous past goes to New Orleans to visit her sister Stella. Seeing that she is in a place where no one knows her, she hopes to make a new life for herself. During her visit, Blanche clashes with Stella’s husband Stanley and the biggest difference between them would be the way they were brought up. When Stanley starts to figure out that Blanche has a shady past, he is on a mission to uncover her past and expose her for who she really is. This makes things very hard for Stella because Stanley and Blanche see each other as enemies and they both are trying to get her away from the other. Throughout the play many disturbing issues will arise. Alcohol is brought up in the play approximately thirty-two times and violence around twenty-four (Williams). Tennessee Williams brings awareness of the characters through alcohol and violence to create a dynamic downfall into the mental state of Blanche.
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
Tennessee Williams has also made use of symbols - and his consistency in using them is very helpful to the audience to grasp the ideas he is putting across. The very names of the characters and places are symbolic. The famous streetcar that brings Blanche to her sister’s house is called ‘Desire’ - desire being one of the main themes in the play. Interestingly, it is the superintendent of the school in Laurel - Mr. Graves - who is one of the main causes for Blanche having to make this journey, from a streetcar named ‘Desire’ to one called ‘Cemeteries’ and finally to her sister’s house, situated in Elysian Fields - the Elysian Fields being the dwelling place of virtuous people after death (in Greek mythology). Blanche DuBois itself means ‘white woods’ as she tells Mitch - which implies something virginal and unsullied - both of which she is not. Stella means star: “Stella, oh Stella, Stella! Stella for Star!” as Blanche cries wildly, yet Stella burns not with the intensity of Blanche. Her passions are different, and she is extremely unlike her namesake. Even the home of the DuBois - Belle Reve - means ‘beautiful dream’, symbolic of the past that has gone forever, and Blanche’s inability to rouse herself from her dreamworld of illusions and magic. This use of irony is
In Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire the question of protagonist versus antagonist is a challenging concept. Williams, at the start, introduces Stanley as a seemingly good man; he is passionate to his wife and loyal to his friends. Stanley possesses an animalistic physical vigor that is evident in his love of work, of fighting, and of sex. However, this representation unravels as the play progresses. Blanche, on the other hand, is generally a consistent character. She spends the play indulging in her fantasies, concocting stories, and performing the part of a young Southern Belle. Stanley quickly sees through Blanche’s act and seeks out information about her past. Stanley is very grounded in reality, whereas Blanche dwells in her
Tennessee Williams was born and raised in the South. He held plenty of southern ideals and expressed himself as a southern writer. He put hundreds of symbolism into his work that let the reader take a look into his life and what he thought. Williams usually put symbols into his plays to romanticize and make the reader feel sorry for the south and hate the forces that destroyed it. In A Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams wanted to make the reader feel like the Northern aggression raped the old South. By having Stanley as the strong, aggressive, urban, North and Blanche as the frail, poor, rural, old South.
Before one can understand Blanche's character, one must understand the reason why she moved to New Orleans and joined her sister, Stella, and brother-in-law, Stanley. By analyzing the symbolism in the first scene, one