Character of Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar

The Character of Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire

Animals are, by nature, passionately instinctive; that is, when reacting to a situation, they do so forcefully and spontaneously. Therefore, we can think of passionate instinct as an intense, innate reaction to a particular situation. Animals also lack what we call ‘inhibition’ -- the suppression of a natural drive, instinct or feeling. For instance, when a skunk senses danger, it will not restrain its natural, defensive reaction and will not hesitate to spray a foul-smelling substance in the direction of the danger for self-protection. When cattle sense a threat to their environment, they do not try to rationalize their way to safety -- they stampede. If a bull’s passions are aroused, it will either charge or mate with the nearest cow.

Passionate instinct drives us, as well. Although we often try to reason our way through situations as civilized, rational beings should, there is sometimes a point where we can no longer be controlled by reason. This point often comes when we feel some strong emotion, and our rational halves become shadowed by our darker, instinctive sides. We often conceal this darker half because the instinct, which is so much a part of it, may lead to violence when released. It appears that the very idea of being ruled by instinct has become distasteful; people who use their instincts to get through a situation are often labeled as being ‘unpredictable’, ‘maverick’, and ‘dangerous’. Although we consider ourselves to be civilized, we were once a race ruled by instinct -- and still are, to some extent.

A man’s instinct can also reach the point where it nearly drowns his ‘civilized’ side, as in the case of Stanley Kowalski. In A St...

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...that cannot be prevented. However, if mankind does manage to squelch all inhibitions and allow his actions to be ruled by instinct alone, then humanity’s tenuous hold on civility will be loosened and the results could be catastrophic.

Works Cited

Adler, Thomas P. A Streetcar Named Desire: The Moth and the Lantern. New York: Twayne, 1990.

Brownmiller, Susan. Against Our Will. New York: Bantam Books, 1975.

Dworkin, Andrea. Intercourse. New York: The Free Press, 1087

Lant, Kathleen Margaret. "A Streetcar Named Misogyny." pp. 225-238 in REDMOND.

Miller, Jordan. Twentieth Century Interpretations of a Streetcar Named Desire: a collection of critical essays. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1971.

Redmond, James (Editor). Violence in Drama. Cambridge University Press; 1991.

Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. Signet: New York, 1947.