Essay On A Streetcar Named Desire: Struggle Between Men And Women

In Tennessee William’s writing of A street car named he is able to create a battle between the powerful and the powerless. This conflict takes form as a struggle between men and women. It illuminates a situation in which the privileges of the powerful and the powerless are clearly seen and defined. Due to the play taking place in the 50s, the dynamic between men and women in relationships was quite different than our current decades. Women could be perceived as the powerless group being manipulated by the powerful. The men in the play, especially Stanley, project the attitude that society held and how unbalanced it was compared to standards we might abide by in today’s society. Much of the dialog condescends the women in the play who themselves

In Scene One the first interaction we see between Stanley and Stella embodies the mentality held in that time. Stanley returns home from work with a package of meat, walks through the door, and immediately throws it at Stella wanting it to be prepared. Stella herself does not see anything wrong with this entrance as it is viewed as the status quo. More examples come to follow very soon after, next being during poker night. Stella and Blanche return home from a night at out a 2 a.m. and the men are still playing poker. Poker is seen as a competitive sport which Williams used to give a masculine energy to the room. The presence of a women dampens that masculine energy, causing Stanley to become irritated wanting them to leave. Blanche turns on the radio consequently causing Stanley to become extremely upset at her presence. Mitch, who appears to be the most benign of the group of men, can be quoted saying “Poker shouldn’t be played in the house with women”(pg.59). As the events escalate and Stanley eventually strikes Stella we can see where the power rests. Stanley’s friends restrain him but do not blame him for the events the transpired. As he was the one who shows initial aggression over what should have been only a minor annoyance, one would assume he would be held accountable for