Essay Compare And Contrast Stanley And Blanche Dubois

In A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, Stanley Kowalski and Blanche Dubois are characters who are opposites from their personalities to their ideals but still share traits that make them similar. When Stella Kowalski introduced Stanley and Blanche, they automatically became at odds with each other. They each represent opposing symbols and did not get along because of this. Tennessee Williams shows in A Streetcar Named Desire that opposites can still be similar in some ways by how Stanley and Blanche are both carnal, drink a lot, and have a temperamental personality.
Both Stanley and Blanche have very carnal personalities, and they need love to satisfy their desires for not only physical sex, but also stability and security in a relationship. Stanley is openly sexual with his wife, Stella and does not try to hide it. On page 50, after Stanley whacks his hand on Stella’s thigh in front of his poker friends, Stella said, “That’s not fun, Stanley. It makes me so mad when he does that in front of people.” Blanche’s carnal personality is obvious in the incident of the

newspaper boy. On page 99, Blanche said, “Come here. I want to kiss you, just once, softly and sweetly on your mouth! Now run along, now, quickly! It would be nice to keep you, but I’ve got to be good--and keep my hands off children.” Both also need a relationship that gives them stability and security; Stanley needed Stella to come back after she ran off to Eunice’s house, and Blanche wanted Mitch to give her this sense of safety in a real relationship.
Drinking is an issue for both of these characters, though the handle this problem differently. Stanley has a real problem drinks until he passes out like in the poker game. Blanche drinks in secret, but her problem is to the same severity as Stanley. On page 158, Stanley said to Blanche, “Sitting on your throne and swilling down my liquor!” Again, Blanche said on page 15, “I am going to take just one tiny nip more, sort of to put the stopper on, so to speak….Then put the bottle away so I won’t be tempted.” This pair often becomes excessively drunk--as can be seen in scene three where Stanley beats his wife after having too many drinks, and Blanche becomes overly flirtatious and talkative with Mitch. On page 59, Blanche slurs and stumbles through saying, “Show me a person who hasn’t know any sorrow and I’ll show you a shuperficial--Listen to me! My tongue is a little--thick!”
Each of the these two characters have very unique personalities that are quick tempered and have moments where they seem insane.

Ever since the beginning of the book, Blanche would talk about Shep Huntleigh, an imaginary man that she made into her escape from reality. On page 85, Stella says, “What are you laughing at, honey?” Blanche then replies with, “Myself, myself, for being such a liar! I’m writing a letter to Shep.” Stanley lets his carnal, “animal” side out, and this can be seen when he takes advantage of Blanche. On page 161, Stanley said, “Come to think of it--maybe you wouldn’t be bad to--interfere with...” Another example of both of their tempers is in scene two, where Blanche and Stanley get into a heated discussion about the Belle Reve. Stanley oversteps his boundaries by throwing her possessions around, and Blanches losses her head and breaks down when he touched her love

letters.
The characters Stanley and Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire may seem very contrasting and opposite, but they do have some traits that connect them together. Stanley and Blanche’s carnal and temperamental personalities, combined with a love for alcohol, give these two characters plenty of shared attributes. A Streetcar Named Desire shows how even the most polar of opposites have features to tie them together when examined enough.