Blanche Dubois Sexual Abuse Essay

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The world of today sees sexual abuse as only a disturbing and disgusting trait that some humans contain; but, in the realm of writing, sexual abuse can be used even more as a weapon or deadly illness to the characters in the realm. In the play, A Streetcar Named Desire the author, Tennessee Williams, portrays sexual abuse not only as a theme, but as well as both a character flaw and foil within the play. However, without the character Blanche DuBois, sexual abuse may have never taken as such an important role within the play. Blanche’s incitement of sexual abuse plays a signature role for many of the relationships and interactions that Blanche is a part of to fulfill drama needs and character development in the play. First and foremost, the …show more content…

“Our supply-man...she is not respected by any party!”(Williams 119), the people that have been to Laurel are only telling the truth to Stanley and the rest of the people in New Orleans. From this spreading rumor, drama is added quickly by Blanche’s attempts to hide the horrible truth giving way to her second character flaw of lying. However, this fails as Stanley only investigates more into the matter and tells Stella of her sister’s actions, “They kicked her out of that high school...A seventeen-year-old boy she’d gotten mixed up with!” (Williams 122). Blanche then asks who was responsible for spreading the rumor of her, all of the rumor spreaders being men. Williams’s choice of only having men such as the supply man, Stan, Mitch, a male Merchant and then even the boy whom she sexual abused earlier was a choice to provide drama. By the male community’s awareness of Blanche’s actions before any member of the female community within the play, provides drama by making Blanche to be portrayed as a serious threat of sexual abuse with the males in the play. Once hearing of her sister’s actions and realizing that Blanche has been lying to her about a number of things from steaming off her sexually abusive ways, making Stella’s trust towards Blanche diminishes completely. Stella is put into a state of denial after Blanche tells her of Stanley raping her. This denial turns into Blanche’s downfall in the play. Stella realizing her sister ways states, “I couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley” (Williams 165), and finds that the only solution is to call a mental institution to take Blanche away. This brilliant effect of drama created by Williams by slowly making all the characters turn against Blanche to eventually send her to the mental institution is all lead back

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