Why Stella Should Stay With Stanley Essay

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Why Stella Should Stay with Stanley By the end of the play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennesse Williams, most people criticize Stella for staying with Stanley after his abuse, but I believe Stella should stay with Stanley since she is emotionally attached to Stanley and after seeing what happened to Blanche from the societal norms in the 1940s. Throughout the play, no matter what Stanley does, Stella always goes back. She is emotionally attached to him, which makes the possibility of leaving nearly impossible. Stella can not see herself in a world without Stanley. The first time that we see Stanley become abusive is during poker night. After Stanley hits Stella, she runs to her neighbor's house. This is when the famous scene of Stanley begging …show more content…

Revealing that all Stanley has to do to get Stella back is get down on his knees and scream out to her. Stella easily forgives Stanley after he hits her, showing how she’s the powerless one in the relationship. She is blinded by her love, passion, and desire and looks past the abuse. If Stella were to leave Stanley, she would become so depressed that she wouldn’t know what to do. Stella is so emotionally dependent on Stanley that she is unable to leave him. Even if Stella isn’t emotionally attached to Stanley, it is more complicated than it seems. Societal norms in the 1940s were very different from how they are today. For example, most women did not work and relied on their husbands for financial support. Even if women did work, they were barely paid enough, which made it difficult to live by themselves. Blanche is an example of how societal norms in the 1940s ruined her. After her husband died, she started working as an English teacher. She was barely paid and could not support herself or Belle Reve anymore. Blanche tells Stella, “I was so exhausted by all I’d been through my nerves broke. I was on the verge of lunacy, almost!” (Williams

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