Character Analysis: A Streetcar Named Desire By Tennessee Williams

A Streetcar Named Desire, written by Tennessee Williams, is a book revolving around the lives and relationships of various characters. The story follows the lives of Stanley and Stella Kowalski, a young married couple who share a dysfunctional relationship. Although Stanley is abusive towards his wife, the love between the two is strong. The bond between Stella and Stanley is interrupted by the sudden visit of Stella’s older sister, Blanche.

Thesis: Tennessee Williams purposely creates Stanley, Stella, and Blanche to have flaws. He does this in order to signify three defective characteristics of Human Nature.

Stanley’s main flaw is his aggressive nature. He lacks self control, and is someone who is very hostile and violent. Stanley uses

violence to assert his dominance as a man in his relationship with his wife, Stella. Stanley demonstrates his aggressive attributes when he throws a radio out the window of his apartment and hits Stella (who is pregnant) because he is frustrated because during a poker game with his friends. While playing poker, Stanley is intoxicated and upset because he isn’t doing well in the game. “Stanley stalks fiercely through the portieres into the bedroom. He crosses to the small white radio and snatches it off the table. With a shouted oath, he tosses the instrument out the window… He advances and disappears. There is the sound of a blow. Stella cries out” (62-63). In this scene, Stanley decides to release his rage and take all of his frustrations out on those around him. His harsh personality partially stems from his inability to control himself under the influence of alcohol. During this rage, he strikes his own wife, the woman that he claims to have deep affection for. Even though Stella is pregnant with his child, Stanley still hits her, demonstrating his lack of self control and his violent nature. Although intoxicated, Stanley’s actions in the scene easily depict his true self. Stanley further demonstrates his harsh personality during dinner with Blanche and Stella. “[He hurls a plate to the floor.] That’s how I’ll clear the table! [He seizes her arm] Don’t ever talk that way to me! … I am the king around here, so don’t forget it! [He hurls a cup and saucer to the floor] My place is cleared! You want me to clear your places?” (131). Stanley believes that he should be treated as a “king” in his household, and uses violence as a way to express his feelings. He feels as if he should be treated with respect, and asserts his dominance by using violence. Throwing the objects onto the floor and grabbing Stella’s arm are ways he uses violence in order to assert dominance.
Stella’s main defective attribute is her timidness and fear. Her lack of courage prevents her from taking action against Stanley’s violent actions towards her. When Blanche and Stella have a discussion about the poker night where Stella was beat by Stanley, Stella says “…I’m awful sorry it had to happen, but it wasn’t as serious as you seem to take it…I am not in anything that I have a desire to get out of… People have to tolerate each other’s bad habits, I guess” (72-74). Stella knows that the relationship between her and Stanley is an unhealthy one. Despite knowing this, she is denial of the fact, and doesn’t believe that anything is wrong. She tries to defend Stanley not only because she loves him, but because she is apprehensive and afraid to stand up for stanley. The combination of her affection for Stanley and her timidness is why she doesn’t want to stand up for herself. Blanche is able to recognize that Stanley is a violent man, and that Stella’s relationship with him is undermined, and tries to convey her Sister to leave him. But Stella is simply afraid of Stanley. Although she admits that his violent nature is one aspect of their relationship that excites her, she is too scared to admit her fear of her husband, and is therefore trapped in the relationship
The defective character trait that Blanche possesses is her inability to grasp reality.

She is someone who dwells in her own imagination, and tries to escape the real world because she is troubled. While with Mitch, Blanche says “I don’t want realism. I want magic!…Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don’t tell the truth, I tell what ought to be the truth. And if that is sinful, let me be damned for it!” (145). Stella just simply can’t handle the truth. Reality is something that she isn’t able to come to terms with. The decisions that she has made in her life haunt her, and in order to deal with the dire consequences of these decisions, she tells lies. Blanche is a blatant liar to those around her because she believes that the lies she tells should be real. She isn’t able to accept the life that she lives, so she creates a fantasies to fill the place of her real life.

When writing a streetcar named desire, Tennessee Williams purposely creates the characters Stanley, Stella, and Blanche with flawed characteristics. The reason that these characters purposely have flaws is to remind the reader that these flaws are within all people. It is to remind us all that we aren’t perfect, and that human nature is about imperfection. Tennessee Williams wants the reader to be able to recognize the flaws within, and wants people to learn from the mistakes that they make due to these

flaws.