A Streetcar Named Desire Literary Analysis Essay

A Literary Analysis of Desire and Destruction The famous and intellectual work of Tennessee Williams, “A Streetcar Named Desire” has been admired by scholars for its theme of desire. The reader is clued in from the start about the central idea, after all the title contains the word “desire” itself. Like many works of literature, the title of this play identifies the events that will take place with the main characters; Blanche, Stella, and Stanley. Stella’s sister, Blanche, rides into New Orleans on two streetcars, the first named “Desire” and the second named “Cemeteries”. These two names expand upon the prelusion and suggest their possible relationship to the main characters further in the play. That relationship being how earthly desires

To elaborate, Blanche’s only desire in New Orleans is to leave her past in Laurel behind her. Unfortunately, this causes Blanche to create an aura of illusion as a sort of protective bubble. Although, Stanley sees right through Blanche’s ruse and takes it upon himself to ruin her; showcasing his desires as well. Stanley’s desire to destroy Blanche and be Stella’s “number one” again was so powerful that he rapes Blanche. Williams states, “We’ve had this date with each other from the beginning” (130). This line itself helps the reader understand Stanley’s desire to destroy Blanche, as rape is a cruel and humiliating crime, so humiliating that it breaks Blanche’s safety net woven from illusions, rupturing her way of life. Not only does Stanley aid in Blanche’s demise, but so does Stella. Blanche’s sister desires Stanley more than anything; without Stanley her own life would be unhappy, as well as her child’s. Henceforth, Stella decides to ignore her sister’s claim of rape, she says “‘I couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley.’ ‘Don’t ever believe it. Life has got to go on.’” (williams 133). Perhaps if Blanche had not cried wolf too many times before, her sister would have believed her and the play would have ended differently. Unfortunately, Blanche’s attempt to use desire as a form of protection eventually does not work in her favor, for she lost her sanity in the process. In the ending scene, this insanity is demonstrated through the echoing voices, strange sounds, and the same song that played on the night of her husband’s death, that resonate within Blanche’s mind. The text reads, “Lurid reflections appear on the walls in odd, sinuous shapes. The ‘Varsouviana’ is filtered into a weird distortion, accompanied by the cries and noises of the jungle” (139). The things Blanche is hearing and seeing in