In life, not everybody gets what he/she want. In the book; "A Streetcar Named Desire" the characters, Blanche and Stanley, strive to attain something important in their lives while also being antithetical to other characters. In the book, Blanche Dubois is shown to have a terrible past which drove her to a world of lust and constant lies. But her main need is for her to be desired by other men rather than the other way around. The main cause for this is shown in "I don't mind you being older...But all the rest of it Christ!" and "you lied to me, Blanche" which reveals that Blanche's lies are the only thing that keeps her from being desired by other men which, in this case once Mitch found out about Blanche's past he was no longer interested …show more content…
What Stanley wants the most is to impose more power and be controlling of others. But things such as "That's how I'll clear the table! Don't ever talk that way to me!" and "you lay your hands on me and I'll..." which reveal that Stanley tries to assert his dominance by way of threats and physical violence, even if it means to abuse of his pregnant wife, but it backfires against him and instead leaves him to make up for the damage. The reason Stanley acts this way may be because of the time in which the characters live, being the forties, where domestic abuse is widely accepted as the norm. This is more supported when Stella does nothing about Stanley's abusive impulses because she accepts it as being the way it's supposed to be. If Stanley were to be more respectful, kind, and reasonable he would earn the respect of his friends and, more importantly, his wife. The character whom Stanley is antithetical is Mitch. This is evident in "I called him a liar at first. And then I checked on the story" and "Stanley crosses to block him" which shows that not only Stanley convinced Mitch to distrust Blanche to his own benefit but also Stanley won't allow for Mitch to help Blanche when she's being taken away, demonstrating that both characters want something opposite from the other. For Stanley to get rid of Blanche and for Mitch to have someone to fill the emptiness in his heart. This maintains the constant theme of a need in each character in the book, but in this case making a connection with two more
Stanley oftenly abuses Stella whenever he is drunk. One night, Stanley brings his friends over for a poker night. Mitch leaves the table in order to talk to Blanche. Stanley begins to get furious since Mitch is no longer playing. As more and more interruptions keep occurring, Stanley is furious and breaks the radio Blanche and Mitch were using. Stella then calls Stanley an animal. “He advances and disappears. There is a sound of a blow. Stella cries out.”(57) Stanley is usually abusive when he's either drunk or frustrated. After Stanley strikes her, Stella leaves the house and goes to her neighbors house. Blanche follows her sister upstairs to support Stella so she does not feel alone. Stanley then calms down and calls for Stella to come back. She returns and falls into Stanley's arms. Stella is very loyal to Stanley, she stays with him because he is her husband and does not want to change that. This is why she ignores her sister's pleas. Stanleys actions prove to the reader that he is an abusive husband to Stella and that Stella tolerates
When Stanley beats Stella in Scene 3, the abusive side becomes noticed and readers come to the conclusion that it was not the first time that this act of violence has occurred. (Williams 40). But Stella ends up coming back to him after he cries out to her, and their relationship resumes as it did in the times prior. He is also the one who investigates the protagonists’ (Blanche’s) past; as he knows there are things she is hiding. This need to know about Blanche’s history is driven by his hatred for her aristocratic ways. Furthermore, Stanley makes his dominance apparent through the expression of his sexuality. At the end of the play, he rapes Blanche as a way to regain his dominance in the household. Throughout the play, Blanche slowly gains some control over Stella, and causes disruption to Stanley’s
The loss of her beloved husband kept Blanche’s mental state in the past, back when she was 16, when she only cared about her appearance. That is why at the age of 30 she avoids bright lights that reveal her wrinkles. Blanche does not want to remember the troubles of her past and therefore she attempts to remain at a time when life was simpler. This is reinforced by the light metaphor which illustrates how her life has darkened since Allan’s suicide and how the light of love will never shine as brightly for Blanche ever again. Although, throughout the play Blanche sparks an interest in Mitch, a friend of Stanley’s, who reveals in Scene three that he also lost a lover once, although his lover was taken by an illness, not suicide, and therefore he still searches for the possibility of love, when Blanche aims to find stability and security.
Stanley’s demanding that Mitch return to the poker game when he is first speaking to Blanche could suggest that Stanley doesn’t want the two to interact, and would perhaps go to any lengths to sabotage them. Additionally, Stanley also begins to pry into Blanche’s past, specifically when he brings up a man named Shaw who claims he met Blanche “…at a hotel called the Flamingo” (Williams 89). Though this speculation is denied by Blanche, a further investigation into her past could result in the discovery of incriminating information, thus resulting in sabotage from Stanley.
Another emotional factor that Blanche was a victim of was the betrayal. Blanche fell in love with Mitch and wanted to marry him, however Mitch betrayed Blanche by rejecting her “You’re not clean enough to bring in the house with my mother” (Williams 121). Blanche was a victim of betrayal as she was hurt by Mitch’s words and actions. It is clear that Blanche was hurt from her reaction to Mitch’s words, “Get out of here quick before I start screaming fire” (Williams 121). Blanche was also hurt as Mitch asked for sex after he rejected her, this to Blanche came across as selfish and harsh and victimized Blanche even further as it left her feeling more betrayed. From this, it is obvious that the emotional feeling of betrayal leads to the victimization
Neither Stanley nor Mitch was intelligent enough to comprehend that not everything is black and white. They perceived her as a deceitful whore. Stella chose her husband over her sister. Also, Mitch could not overlook her mistakes. Mitch focused on her flaws, which blinded him from seeing the beauty and love Blanche had to offer.
She struggles with Stanley’s ideals and shields her past. The essential conflict of the story is between Blanche, and her brother-in-law Stanley. Stanley investigates Blanche’s life to find the truth of her promiscuity, ruining her relationships with Stella, and her possible future husband Mitch, which successfully obtain his goal of getting Blanche out of his house. Blanche attempts to convince Stella that she should leave Stanley because she witnessed a fight between the two. Despite these instances, there is an essence of sexual tension between the two, leading to a suspected rape scene in which one of their arguments ends with Stanley leading Blanche to the bed.
Stanley (Stella's husband) represents a theme of realism in the play; he is shown as a primitive, masculine character that is irresistible to Stella and on some levels even to his "opponent" Stella's sister Blanche.
The competition between Blanche and Stanley is maintained to the penultimate scene of the play, in which Blanche’s past and how she views it comes is combated directly by Stanley’s view of her past. Depending on the path that the reader has taken throughout the play, Blanche can be seen as a woman who has reached out in many means to fill her empty heart and satisfy the loneliness that she feels in the arms of likewise lonely men. She is a sympathetic character in her own eyes, emotionally broken by the suicide of her homosexual husband and haunted by the numerous family deaths. Stanley, however, sees no sympathy to be had for her late husband or the tragedy that struck Belle Reve and has only taken away the context of her promiscuity to expose
In scene three Stanley is having his poker party (pg. 57). At this point he is very drunk. Blanche distracting Stanley by listening to the radio instigates him to grab it off the table and toss it out the window. Stella in a state of panic tells everyone to go home which angers Stanley so he chases after her and hits her. This type of behavior is not normal of any human being involved in any relationship. Stanley repeatedly gets what he wants by use of any means possible. In addition the person whoever threatens the existence of his poker game receives a beating, in this case his wife. This scene demonstrates Stanley’s viscous animal like traits with such violence. If what happened here was repeated in today’s society he would find himself in a jail cell with a pending divorce.
Since Blanche’s arrival, Stanley has questioned Blanche’s lifestyle, accused her of theft and engaged in other verbal confrontation. As Mitch’s friend, Stanley deems it necessary to share what he has uncovered about Blanche’s deception and misbehavior with Mitch. After not attending Blanche’s birthday dinner, Mitch visits Blanche late in the evening. In this passage, Mitch reveals to Blanche what he now knows about her and tears off the paper lantern so that he can expose Blanche for who she is. This passage suggests that Mitch embodies the same masculinity already established in Stanley. Utilizing dialogue, characterization, and stage directions, Williams reveals the likeness between the two men.
Firstly, the reader may initially feel Blanche is completely responsible or at least somewhat to blame, for what becomes of her. She is very deceitful and behaves in this way throughout the play, particularly to Mitch, saying, ‘Stella is my precious little sister’ and continuously attempting to deceive Stanley, saying she ‘received a telegram from an old admirer of mine’. These are just two examples of Blanches’ trickery and lying ways. In some ways though, the reader will sense that Blanche rather than knowingly being deceitful, actually begins to believe what she says is true, and that she lives in her own dream reality, telling people ‘what ought to be the truth’ probably due to the unforgiving nature of her true life. This will make the reader begin to pity Blanche and consider whether these lies and deceits are just what she uses to comfort and protect herself. Blanche has many romantic delusions which have been plaguing her mind since the death of her husband. Though his death was not entirely her fault, her flirtatious manner is a major contributor to her downfall. She came to New Orleans as she was fired from...
Blanche is the main character of the play, she is Stella’s older sister, and comes to stay with Stella while Stella is pregnant. Blanche, after being reunited with Stella, meets Stanley and Mitch. Stella is torn between her sister and Stanley because of Stanley’s dislike of Blanche. Stanley is a lower class citizen who is devoted to his friends and adores his wife, but he is cruel to Blanche. Mitch is Stanley’s friend and poker buddy.
A very important moral lesson that I gained from A Streetcar Named Desire is to always tell the truth. Telling lies ultimately got Blanche Dubois nowhere. She was lonelier than ever at the end of the play. She starts off lying intentionally. For example, she tells Stella at the beginning that the school superintendent, “suggested I take a leave of absence” from her job as a teacher (Williams 14). In reality, the principal fired her for having an affair with a student. It is suspected that she is lying and later our suspicions are confirmed. Even though a reason isn’t mentioned as to why she lies, it is probably to save herself grief from her sister or to possibly keep up her appearance. Towards the end, Blanche says she received a telegram from “an old admirer of mine... An old beau” who invited her to “A cruise of the Caribbean on a yacht” (Williams 152, 153). At this point, she even begins to believe her own lies. She has lied for so long to others and even to herself that she ultimately ends up believing them. When Tennessee Williams shows us through the sound of the polka music and the shadows on the wall what is going on in Blanche’s head, we are left to wonder if something is truly wrong. She even told Mitch that she didn’t lie in her ...
Blanche is driven by her sexual desire but also wishes for stability and a fresh start instead. Blanche states “It was the other little familiarity that I felt obliged to discourage, I didn’t resent it!.. I was somewhat flattered that you desired me” (Williams 87). For the first time she doesn’t succumb to her body’s physical needs for her wish to be able to settle down with Mitch. If Blanche answered her body’s need for sex she would have killed her act of being a Southern belle looking for a suitor. This again brings out the close line between death and