Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams

Both Stanley and Blanche believe that Stella is negatively impacted by the other’s influence. Blanche believes that Stella being with Stanley who is of lower class will bring her reputation down. On the other hand Stanley believes that since Blanche has been residing within their home she has been changing Stella’s opinion of Stanley. This is evident when Stella tells Stanley “your face and your fingers are disgustingly greasy. Go and wash up and then help me clear the table.” (Williams, 107) This shows how Stella is changing negatively in

In the summer of post World War II in New Orleans, Louisiana lives hard working, hardheaded Stanley and twenty-five year old pregnant, timid Stella Kowalski in a charming two-bedroom apartment on Elysian Fields. Stella’s older sister Blanche Dubois appears in the first scene unexpectedly from Laurel, Mississippi carrying everything she owns. In Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, despite Blanche’s desire to start fresh in New Orleans, her snobbish nature, inability to act appropriately on her desires, and denial of reality all lead to her downfall. Blanche believes that her upper class roots puts her above everyone else including her sister Stella. The two sisters have a heartwarming reunion, but Blanche has resentment towards her sister for leaving her to care for their dying family. While Stella left to start a new life for herself, Blanche’s life went downhill. The deaths were slow and tortuous and lead her to the desire of destruction in her life. Blanche breaks the news to her younger sister that their childhood home Belle Reve has been lost, but fails to explain how.

  A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, is a classical play about Blanche Dubois’s visit to Elysian Fields and her encounters with her sister’s barbaric husband, Stanley Kowalski. Stanley Kowalski is a very brutal person who always has to feel that he is better than everyone else. His brutish actions during the play leave the readers with a bad taste in their mouths. Stanley Kowalski’s brutality is clearly exemplified in several places during the course of the play: first, with the radio episode on poker night; next, when he beats his wife, Stella, and lastly, when he rapes Blanche.

Stella wanting everything to be perfect, overlooks Stanley’s downfalls, she escapes her reality. This is the husband of Stella. Stanley makes Blanche see the reality and the illusion that she lives in. This is why Stanley would do anything to make Blanche be ruined, which in this design is where Stanley is kneeling and looking down at Blanche’s love notes from her husband that were hidden. In “A Streetcar Named Desire” where Stanley uses a quote” You see, under the Napoleonic code – a man has to take an interest in his wife affairs – especially now that she’s going to have a baby”.

Stella, Stanley's wife, isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. She is fairly ignorant to her situation, and to the situations of those around her. In the story Stella doesn’t create her own thoughts, she simply follows and obeys others. At the end of A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche is sexually assaulted by Stanley while Stella is waiting to deliver her baby at the hospital. Blanche, being the protective and caring sister that she is, tells Stella the truth, but doesn’t get the reaction she expects. Instead Stella says, “I couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley,” (Williams 165), and kicks Blanche to the curb, sending her to a mental hospital. Stella embodies the judgement Tennessee received in the past, as she represents the ignorant and unaccepting society that he lived

Stanley raped Blanche while they were there by themselves at home. According to John S. Bak, “The answer, I believe, lies more in Blanche than it does in Stanley, and more in William’s esoteric understanding of the word “rape” than in his audience’s collectivist definition of it.” Bak accused Blanche of Stanley’s actions. The actions of Blanche and Stanley was leading up to this terrifying moment. “The preceding scenes foreshadow this moment in Blanche’s invitations to sexual violence and in Stanley’s brutal actions, gestures, words, and tone” (Tischler). Blanche is already going through things from her husband dying things to being taken away from her. “Stanley does destroy Blanche in many ways when he rapes her, but Streetcar’s controversial rape scene is more the thematic confluence of Blanche’s inability to sequester her own sexual attraction toward Stanley than it is the dramatic climax of their visceral attraction” (Bak). Blanche told her sister, Stella, that her husband, Stanley, had raped her. Stella believe her sister in this case. “At the end of the stage version of A Streetcar Named Desire, after Blanche is removed to a mental hospital for telling the truth, that Stanley has assaulted her sexually, Stella goes on living with Stanley. Stella chooses not to let belief take hold of her. She allows herself to live as if the truth were lie and a lie, the truth” (Heims). A

From the beginning of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, one can recognize the overwhelming tension between Stanley and his sister-in-law, Blanche. As for sources of this tension, the dominating reason origin comes from Blanche’s grandeur and superior attitude, exemplified when she tells Stella, “I thought you would never come back to this horrible place” (Williams 11), referring to Stella and Stanley’s “shabby” apartment. Due to the fact that Stanley is a “common” man, he does not appreciate Blanche’s pompousness, and the clashes between the two attitudes results in tension. Additionally, the loss of Belle Reve and the disappearance of the family fortune infuriated Stanley, as seen when he accuses Blanche of possible embezzlement by saying,

Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire express Blanche Dubois’ dilemma of trying living a fanciful life in the real world by contrasting her character with Stanley Kowalski and other elements of the real world, demonstrating at fantasy and reality can never coexist. Stanley’s ever-flowing harsh language towards Blanche that his character is the more grounded, realistic individual by detailing his destruction of Blanche’s fantasy world with each rude remark. Earlier in the piece, Stanley’s remarks were more sceptical than offensive as he questioned her mysterious background, such as an accusation made when rooting through Blanche’s trunk, “ Here’s our plantation, or what was left of it, here!” but as the plot moved

In this play, the women are portrayed as very sexual beings who like getting the attention from men and whose self esteem comes from the male characters. Stanley and Stella's’ relationship demonstrates a female's need for male approval. Although Stanley is physically abusive to Stella, Stella still stays in the marriage. Men can be different with being Sexual like Stanley is. Stanley is the most powerful figure in the story and he uses sex to show how he is the dominant sex. Stanley is married to Blanche's sister Stella Kowalski and they are having a baby. However Stanley did take advantage of Blanche when she was drunk, and raped her. “My clothes are stickin’ to me. Do you mind if I make myself comfortable?” [He starts to remove his shirt.]

In Tennessee Williams play a Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche and Stanley's relationship is one of conflict due to their contrasting upbringings; which further highlights the divide among classes and creates social barriers. Their contradicting personalities and morals stem from their opposing class ranks, thus causing the lack of mutual respect and understanding. Blanche’s Old South ideals differs from Stanley’s rough New Orleans perspectives create the characters' inability to respect each others contrasting upbringings.

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

Sisterly conflict between Blanche and Stella is an integral part of A Streetcar Named Desire. The early reunion in the opening scene is joyful, and Williams’ stage directions convey genuine affection, however the palpable hostility between Stanley and Blanche forces Stella to choose between her sister and her husband. Exploring contrasting themes of betrayal and love, Williams uses the sisterly conflict to highlight the wider themes of class divides and social inequality. The extract from Scene Four follows the traumatic events of ‘The Poker Night’, where Stanley brutally assaults Stella. A hysterical Blanche rushes to Stella the next morning to check on her. Having left her in a terrible state, Blanche is shocked to find her lazing contentedly on her and Stanley’s bed, alluding to their sexual reunion after Stanley apologised for his violent actions.

A streetcar named desire takes place in 1947 in the French Quarter of New Orleans

The passion between Stanley and Stella is palpable. That kind of passion that burns hot and intense, makes people weak with desire. These emotions generate the friction that the couple uses to repeat their bad behavior throughout the play. Stanley over indulges and becomes drunk, whereas Stella becomes angry and loud. Stanley then punishes Stella violently, with his fists. Stella retreats to the neighbor's apartment, only to return to Stanley, and thus, the cycle continues. Blanche is Stella's sister who is visiting from Mississippi. Blanche has a mental condition that she is trying to hide from Stanley and Stella. As the story unfolds, Stanley learns several hard truths about Blanche. After investigating, Stanley tells Stella the truth of

Stanley has this strive of dominance over women, especially over blanche which clearly portrays physiological realism. Stanley has a very stereotypical perception of women, he sees himself as the head of the family, he is very dominant over his wife the phrase “Stella, Baby! "conveys this and shows that he is hollering at her; he feels that a women's role is only for cooking, making the house and caring for the husband.