The Raw Power of A Streetcar Named Desire

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The Raw Power of A Streetcar Named Desire

Tennessee Williams's play A Streetcar Named Desire contains more

within it's characters, situations, and story than appears on its surface.

As in many of Williams's plays, there is much use of symbolism and

interesting characters in order to draw in and involve the audience. The

plot of A Streetcar Named Desire alone does not captivate the audience. It

is Williams's brilliant and intriguing characters that make the reader

truly understand the play's meaning. He also presents a continuous flow of

raw, realistic moods and events in the play which keeps the reader

fascinated in the realistic fantasy Williams has created in A Streetcar

Named Desire. The symbolism, characters, mood, and events of this play

collectively form a captivating, thought-provoking piece of literature.

A Streetcar Named Desire produces a very strong reaction. Even at

the beginning of the play, the reader is confronted with extremely obvious

symbolism in order to express the idea of the play. Blanche states that

she was told "to take a streetcar named Desire, and then to transfer to one

called Cemeteries". One can not simply read over this statement without

assuming Williams is trying to say more than is written. Later in the play,

the reader realizes that statement most likely refers to Blanche's arriving

at the place and situation she is now in because of her servitude to her

own desires and urges. What really makes A Streetcar Named Desire such an

exceptional literary work is the development of interesting, involving

characters. As the play develops, the audience sees that Blanche is less

proper and refined than she ...

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...st into a reality which is not his own, yet somehow seems familiar.

This realistic fantasy Williams creates with his brilliant use of symbolism,

intriguing characters, and involving action in the play causes the reader

to connect fully with the setting, characters, conflicts, and emotions

within.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adler, Thomas P. A Streetcar Named Desire: The Moth and the Lantern.

Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1990

Kernan, Alvin B. "Truth and Dramatic Mode in A Streetcar Named Desire, In

Modern Critical Views: Tennessee Williams." Ed. Harold Bloom. New York:

Chealsea House Publishers, 1987

Quirino, Leonard. "The Cards Indicate a Voyage on A Streetcar Named Desire,

In Modern Critical Interpretations: Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named

Desire." Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988

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