Gender Roles In Tennessee Williams 'A Streetcar Named Desire'

Question: How has victim blaming changed from the 1940s until today?

Society has many internal issues, but the focus on gender roles is primarily concerning, and continues to be an issue in modern times. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams portrays an imbalance of power between the male and female characters which is present in his misogynistic writing throughout the play. While Williams himself is not misogynistic, his writing reveals the sexist characteristics of society.
It is important to note that Williams is not misogynistic, and he strives to detach himself from the narrator. Born on March 26, 1911, Williams and his siblings suffered from a strained marriage between their parents. According to the “Tennessee Williams Biography,”

Throughout the play, Stanley appears to be boisterous and aggressive. For instance, when Stella asks what he is carrying as he comes home, he merely answers with “catch!” and proceeds to hurl a package of meat at her (Williams 2; scene 1). This meat symbolizes the connection between him and Stella; they are drawn to each other mostly out of their sexual, carnal desire for one another. Stella is aware of Stanley’s abusive and hostile behavior towards her and others, but she stays with him, regardless. This highlights Stanley’s power. As a male, he relishes himself in the luxuries that women at the time could not have: status and property. This is a contrast to Blanche; since the play took place in the 1940s, the pinnacle of the Great Depression, her family was unable to maintain the family manor. Although she attempted to sustain it, she lost the possession over it. To cover up this weakness, Blanche lies to others, saying that “it slipped through [her] fingers” (Williams 19; scene 1). This, in comparison, makes Stanley look better than her. The fact that Blanche was unable to maintain her own home makes her appear weak and pathetic. This is why she is desperate to look for a man, and why she follows her desires by means of the streetcar. Craving closeness with a man, she mistakes sex for intimacy. This leads to her getting fired from being a teacher and it is the catalyst for her wanton actions. Additionally, Stanley is portrayed as manipulative. He manipulates Stella into thinking that everything will be fine once Blanche leaves, and they can finally “make noise” at night (Williams 117; scene 8). Clearly, he only loves Stella due to his carnal, sexual attraction towards her. On the other hand, Blanche is more refined and more ladylike compared to the women in New Orleans. For example, after their date, Mitch notices that Blanche seems indifferent about him. Blanche assures him that she is fine, but she wasn’t able