Streetcar Named Desire Violence Quotes

QUOTES:

Stella: "He was as good as a lamb when I came back and he's really very, very ashamed of himself" (Williams 72).

In this scene, Stella blindly defends Stanley against Blanche after being beaten up by him in front of the poker crowd. Keeping in mind that Stella was pregnant at that time, the domestic abuse in their marriage not only highlights Stanley’s disrespect towards women but also his lack of remorse in harming an extremely vulnerable mother. In spite of this fact, Stella still defends Stanley and downplays his behavior to a metaphorically tamed lamb. Thus, Stella’s denial of Stanley’s real character exhibits that this may not be the first time Stella experienced brutal force in the duration of their marriage. Hence, the usage

Furthermore, Foster stresses that in literature, violence often has multiple meanings beyond its physicality. Consequently, violence is prevalent in A Streetcar Named Desire as portrayed by Eunice and Stella's abusive husbands and Blanche's downfall. For example, Tennesse Willams depict deeper implications of violence in this play that coincide with male dominance, domestic abuse, suffocating marriages, and how society reacts to such scenarios. Notably, the violence embodied by Stanley contribute in developing the plot. As Stanley's beast-like aggressiveness is gradually revealed, Williams point out that there was no significant change in how the bystanders react. Indeed, it is evident that the characters in A Streetcar Named Desire act indifferently to the violence the male characters evoke upon women. As a result, these characters encourage the act as they fail to recognize that abuse, regardless of victim, should be unacceptable. Moreover, Williams highlights the fact that Blanche is the only character who passionately disagrees with the principle of violence. This was shown when Blanche persistently tries to convince Stella that Stanley is not the "ideal husband" Stella defends him to be. Unlike Eunice who encourages Stella to stay in her abusive marriage while Blanche was being taken away into the asylum and the poker players, besides Mitch, who show no concern to these victimized women. Hence, this contrast with the way characters react to domestic abuse embodies that society in that era are numbed and blind to the violence they witness. Disturbingly, it takes an outsider like Blanche to enlighten them that violence, is unethical. Therefore, the significance of violence in A Streetcar Named Desire, as supported by Foster's analyzations, is to demand a change.