Blanche In Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Named Desire

“A Streetcar Named Desire” gives its audience an in-depth glimpse into the arduous rebirth of the United States following the Second World War, from the perspectives of Stanley, a man who is desperately and unsuccessfully trying to hold on to the societal norms of the pre-war world, Blanche, a woman scarred and tormented by a series of consecutive tragedies, who demands more than a lifetime of inferiority, and her sister, Stella, Stanley's wife, who knows that life has so much more to offer, but has become addicted to the danger and thrill of her abusive relationship with her husband. After Blanche loses her family’s plantation, Belle Reve, she is forced to move away from her hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, and leave behind her life of ease and and upper class gentry, to live with Stella and Stanley Kowalski, in the heart of New Orleans, and by doing so, Blanche unknowingly unleashed a beast in Stanley, and herself. The two of them were essentially polar opposites, as Blanche was born into a world of comfort and old Mississippi money, and Stanley was born into poverty, forced to work as a manual laborer in the French Quarter of New Orleans, thus forming a looming, inevitable quarrel between them. Stella,

however, is caught in the middle, between her husband, whom she loves wholeheartedly despite the verbal and physical abuse that she endures daily from him, and her sister, whom she has spent most of her life with as a child and young adult, but is mentally broken, and quite possibly unstable. The trio, forced into close proximity for weeks upon weeks, epitomize the United States’ struggle to rebuild, and virtually recreate its society.
Blanche DuBois arrived in New Orleans aboard a streetcar, named Desire, leaving behind not only her past, but her present as well. Unbenounced to Stella, Blanche had lost her family’s longstanding plantation, Belle Reve, and was forced into a life of suffering and desperation. Her husband, whom she loved more than anything, revealed to her that he was homosexual, and eventually committed suicide, due to the intense and debilitating stigmas and discrimination that he would have experienced at the time. His death, which followed the deaths of she and Stella's parents, sparked a downward spiral for Blanche. Her career as a schoolteacher, which she was very proud of, shrunk into the background of her life, and she ended up losing her position. Unable to support herself financially, she turned to a life of prostitution, at the Flamingo hotel, where, as she described it lightly, she, “depended on the kindness of strangers” (Williams, Scene 11). Although Blanche was slowly falling apart in own her life, she was a symbol of strength and resilience in an era in which those qualities were rare in women, who had been beaten down and limited continuously throughout history. She could have chosen to break down and commit suicide like her husband, or live a life on the streets, but she decided to pick herself up, become a schoolteacher, and work for herself, which was something that women seldom did, or were even able to do in the 1940’s. Much of her strength however, was built on a foundation of lies. Her past was not an open book, and when she did choose to reveal a portion of it, Blanche did so in a manner that painted her history as glamorous imperfection. Blanche saw Stanley for what he was, an abusive and misogynistic husband, who viewed Stella as a mere object, rather than an equal human being, and hoped that Stella would realize that she deserved so much better, but Stella was broken too, in her own way.
Stella, a woman who was born into wealth, and stability, married Stanley Kowalski, a laborer in the heart of New Orleans, and literally traded her riches for rags, as her life with him below the poverty line was not only financially challenging, but truly dysfunctional. Stanley and Stella’s screaming matches could be heard throughout their apartment building, and in her neighborhood. Her own sister, Blanche recognized the danger she was in, and tried her hardest to convince her to leave, but Stella was addicted to it, addicted to the danger itself. She loved the way Stanley screamed at her, and retold a dispute where he ripped off her shoe, and shattered each lightbulb in their home, to Blanche, who was stunned that anyone would stay with such a violent and unstable man. In response to Blanche’s plea, Stella said it was incredibly exciting. This had become her normal. Stanley’s abuse translated to Stella as Stanley’s love… a theme that was too common at the time of their story. Domestic abuse was acceptable, even praised by some, and women were stuck in these relationships. Stella symbolizes the quintessential working class wife of the 1940’s; she cooked, cleaned, and followed her husband’s lead, without hesitation. Blanche, contrasted this servitude and abuse greatly, and was perceived by Stella and Stanley as crazy, and out of touch with reality, when in truth, she was the strongest of all, and represented the future strength of women in some facets of her story.
Stanley, a white man living in an urban neighborhood of the South, began realizing that times were changing in his country, and was determined to stop them from doing so. Post-war society in America gave women new opportunities to work, and the ability to support themselves on their own, which was something that this country had never seen before. His advantage in society was slipping away, and his insane and inhumane abuse of Stella is a result of his fear. He represented the men of the time, afraid of change, and willing to hurt the ones they love to feel better, and more secure about themselves. Blanche saw through his machismo facades, but Stella was infatuated with them, which caused much strife in the apartment over time.
A Streetcar Named Desire is an in depth piece, that gives us as readers in the twenty-first century the ability to experience the all of the fear, excitement, and opportunity of the post-World War II world, from the lenses of a staunch character, Blanche, a broken housewife, Stella, and an abusive white male, about to lose his sexist and racist privileges, Stanley.

The combination of the three blended together in a small, three room apartment, allows the reader to decide which view of the future do they identify with. We as a society have to decide how we feel about change, and how to embrace it. Whether it is a fearful view, a hopeful one, or a unsure one, their stories give vivid and valuable insight to us, and will continue to do so for future

generations.