An outcome in the life of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire that is most obvious to the audience is her psychological downfall and her subsequent admittance into a mental asylum; however, the chain reaction of events that occur for her arrive at this outcome are very important to Blanche's behavior in the story and must be examined in great detail. To begin with, Blanche grows up as one of two daughters of a French settler living in the southern state of Louisiana, and happens to be a wealthy plantation owner. Therefore, she was bought up in an aristocratic family and was taught how to live with upper class manners, and as discussed previously, was expected to live according to the Southern Belle figure. By the time she had reached 16 years of age, Blanche had already fulfilled the main goal of a Southern Belle by marrying her young love, Allan Grey. However, this marriage did not last long as through some unfortunate circumstances, she came to find out that he was a homosexual man. Blanche did not take this news well and condemned his behavior and sexual orientation, leading to Allan committingsuicide, and leaving a psychological wound in her mind. Following the suicide of Allan, Blanche had to deal with many more unfortunate events such as the many deaths of relatives, including her parents, abandonment by her sister, and poor decisions by her distant family which eventually caused her to lose ownership of the family plantation in the town of Laurel. After all
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The passion between Stanley and Stella is palpable. That kind of passion that burns hot and intense, makes people weak with desire. These emotions generate the friction that the couple uses to repeat their bad behavior throughout the play. Stanley over indulges and becomes drunk, whereas Stella becomes angry and loud. Stanley then punishes Stella violently, with his fists. Stella retreats to the neighbor's apartment, only to return to Stanley, and thus, the cycle continues. Blanche is Stella's sister who is visiting from Mississippi. Blanche has a mental condition that she is trying to hide from Stanley and Stella. As the story unfolds, Stanley learns several hard truths about Blanche. After investigating, Stanley tells Stella the truth of
The play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams examines the theme of both death and desire. Williams presents the only options of life as being one of these two options. Either you choose to figuratively die or you succumb to your desires. You must make to choice and life and battle death and go towards desire. These themes are antitheses of one another and are often times intertwined together. Williams uses the characters actions and thoughts as well as contrasts between them to develop this central theme. The theme of death vs desire can clearly be seen in several quotes throughout the play. Early on in scene one is where the theme of death and desire is first presented. When Blanche first arrives she says that she took, "a street–car named Desire,...show more content...
1). The meaning of this quote is that the streetcar which is named desire led her to Elysian Fields which is the heaven after death. We can see that this quote is explaining that desire led brought her to death. It represents Blanche following her desires sexually to this point in life and was then exiled from her hometown because of it which will now cause her to live in a pagan heaven with Stanley and Stella where she must reflect on her life and view the repercussions of her actions back in Laurel. Another example of desire leading to death in this play is when Blanche is explaining what happened to Belle Reve. She explains that, "improvident grandfathers and father and uncles and brothers exchanged the land for their epic fornications," which eventually led to the loss of the plantation (44; sc. 2). Again we can see the sexual desires of her ancestors was the cause of the loss or death of their plantation. A large driving force for Blanche's actions was the death of her husband which can also be related back to this theme. When Blanche found her husband with another man, her husband, "stuck the revolver into his mouth, and fired–so that the back of his head had been–blown away!" (115; sc.
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Streetcar and Students A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams is an appropriate study for grade 12 students as it highlights one's need to face reality. In addition, the play shows that the need to face reality inherently affects one's relationship with the world. It also exemplifies how the past has a way of coming back with more fight and fury. For instance, and perhaps most powerfully, this play addresses heavy topics such as abuse and trauma, though most interestingly how the characters cope with such issues. As already alluded to, one's view of the world inherently affects one's relationship with it. The character Stella has seen the world for what it is, she is no longer a sheltered southern belle. Hence, she is aware of what
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The play A Streetcar Named Desire revolves around Blanche DuBois; therefore, the main theme of the drama concerns her directly. In Blanche is seen the tragedy of an individual caught between two worlds–the world of the past and the world of the present–unwilling to let go of the past and unable, because of her character, to come to any sort of terms with the present. The final result is her destruction. This process began long before her clash with Stanley Kowalski. It started with the death of her young husband, a weak and perverted boy who committed suicide when she taunted him with her disgust at the discovery of his perversion. In retrospect, she knows that he was the only man she had ever loved, and from this early catastrophe...show more content...
It not only threatens, but also breaks through. Betrayed by love once in her life, she nevertheless seeks it in the effort to fill the lonely void; thus, her promiscuity. But to adhere to her tradition and her sense of herself as a lady, she cannot face this sensual part of herself. She associates it with the animalism of Stanley's lovemaking and terms it "brutal desire". She feels guilt and a sense of sin when she does surrender to it, and yet she does, out of intense loneliness. By viewing sensuality as brutal desire she is able to disassociate it from what she feels is her true self, but only at the price of an intense inner conflict. Since she cannot integrate these conflicting elements of desire and gentility, she tries to reject the one, desire, and live solely by the other. Desperately seeking a haven she looks increasingly to fantasy. Taking refuge in tinsel, fine clothes, and rhinestones, and the illusion that a beau is available whenever she wants him, she seeks tenderness and beauty in a world of her own making.
Blanche is not really lost in illusions; rather she uses them as camouflage. She wears them as she wears her clothes and her glass necklaces, as protection from a reality that she finds horrifying. One must not think of Blanche as just a fragile, delicate blossom. There is a fierce desire in her for life at any cost. Her masquerade may
A Streetcar Named Desire In many modern day relationships between a man and a woman, there is usually a controlling figure that is dominant over the other. It may be women over man, man over women, or in what the true definition of a marriage is an equal partnership. In the play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams Stanley is clearly the more dominant figure over Stella. Throughout the play there are numerous examples of the power he possesses of her. Williams portrays Stella as a little girl who lives around in Stanley’s world. She does what he wants, takes his abuse yet still loves him. Situations likes these may have occurred in the 1950’s and lasted, but in today’s time this would only end up in a...show more content...
During the last scene of the play (pg. 142) Blanche is being taken away by a doctor. This is an extremely emotional time for Stella. She really needs someone to comfort her. Stanley being insensitive toward her kneels down beside her and reaches under her blouse. He makes no effort to hug or hold her close to him. This demonstrates his lack of sensitivity. The idea of him reaching under blouse cries out I am the one who needs you now focus your intentions on me she is gone. Even in Stella’s time of need Stanley is there only for himself and doesn’t extend himself to his wife. The relationship portrayed by Tennessee Williams is clearly a male dominating over the female. Here Stella is the follower to her husband Stanley. She acts in relation to him and is the one in need at all times. His desires come first and shall not be disrupted by his wife. The idea of both parties giving to each other though the sacrament of marriage is non existent. The barbaric and animal like actions of Stanley would never be tolerated in our society today. Actions like his would be treated with a divorce. But Stella’s never ending love for Stanley kept them together thought the
Scene One of A Streetcar Named Desire
What is the dramatic significance of scene one of the play A Streetcar named Desire?
Scene 1 of this play has great dramatic significance. In this essay, I will be looking at key points throughout the scene that reveal the key features of the plot, characters, theme and imagery plus how it is used to give the audience a taster for what is to come.
Scene one is set in New Orleans, I feel this is used because in peoples mind beforehand it has a strong emotional presence and is often associated with many types of genres such as music. Sight and smell are often used in plays to help people get a sense of atmosphere and this is no exception. Cleverly as always to make something stand out...show more content...
Stanley does not fall for her intimidating and self – pitying ways from the death of her husband and the lies of her wealth, the use of polka is premeditated to knowingly be brought to the audience that only they and Blanche hear it due to her change in mood and actions. The contrast between Stanley and Blanche is immediate, due to their opposition of childhood backgrounds, Blanche coming from an aristocratic background to the less well off Stanley who is a relaxed man with strong beliefs and up until the arrival of Blanche he knew the true meaning of living(loving and caring for those you love) which when Blanche arrived made him take out his stress on Stella.
There is already a lot of things to take in for the audience, even though it can be broken down quite simply, they soon realise the contrasting opposites of Blanche and Stanley and the current and future rifts it is likely to cause between Stanley and Stella. We see that Stella is becoming the middle–link between these two characters.
On top of the contrast between Stanley and Stella there is now an extra aspect of Blanche's true deception. This is first shown when Blanche, who is offered whiskey from Stanley, comments that she does not like to touch a glass, even though the audience have clearly seen her
drink a glass alone while Stanley is not in the room. They realise her misleading self – I say this
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In the play, A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, gender roles were reflected on gender roles in the American Society in the 50's. The male gender was predominant while the female gender was considered less powerful. Williams really emphasizes this stereotype, yet he focuses on the females in the play the whole time. Stanley is a good example of the stereotypical male. He is portrayed as the dominant husband of Stella. He is always trying to prove he is in charge. As well as being very simple, and wanting very few things. "Nothing belongs on a poker table but cards, chips and whiskey" (42). All he wants to do is play poker and drink with his friends. Stanley is an aggressive character, his dominance is shown through his...show more content... Stella falls under the gender role of women. She does not have much of a say at all, "You come out with me while Blanche is getting dressed"(31). Stella says to Stanley. Stanley responds back to her saying, "Since when do you give me orders?(31). Stanley does not let Stella have a voice in the house, and Stella accepts it. She rarely fights back and the few times she does it ends in either her getting hit or Stanley's yelling at her and throwing her plate at the wall. Stella also falls under this stereotypical household because she is quiet, when arguments occur she usually makes sure to not involve herself and say as little as possible. Whenever Stanley and Blanche argue, Blanche complains to Stella but Stella does not do anything to help Blanche. Except for one time when Blanche and Stanley have one of many arguments. "There's no excuse for it, Stella. I don't have to put up with insults. I won't be taken for granted"(134). Blanche complains to Stella about Stanley's cruel behavior, and Stella for once stands up to Stanley. Stella asked Stanley why he even treats Blanche so poorly. Stanley only responds blaming Blanche for everything instead of taking some of the blame himself. He doesn't even consider what Stella has told him. This exemplifies how Stanley is oblivious to everyone's voice but his, and how Stella relates to the stereotypical women of the house. Blanche however appears to challenge this stereotypical gender role throughout the Get more content
Curiosity Killed the Cat, not Equality
When you go to work, do you love what you do? Equality knows that his invention will be a boon to all mankind, but that isn't what fills him with pride and joy while experimenting. His primary motivation for administering his experiments is pure curiosity. When Equality was at the Home of Students he always learned much faster than the others. His brain works fast, and his intelligence is superior to that of his brothers. It is to the point that his intelligence often caused him to commit transgressions at the Home of Students. This specific one is called the Transgression of Preference. Equality commits this crime because before he was assigned to street sweeping, he would dream of the job he wanted....show more content...
He lets his curiosity take over, and help him benefit all of mankind. He lives in a society full of "We", and his thought process is the only thing he has to himself. When Equality thinks about his dreams, and experiments no one else has to know. It is his own individual thought, and he doesn't have to share it with anyone. In today's society we are encouraged to share our thoughts on certain topics, but not even being allowed to have individual thoughts is unimaginable. It's okay for him to be curious, and want to broaden his mental capacity. He does it for pure enjoyment, and to help better his society. The thing is, the Scholars don't quite agree. They expect you to feel happiness because you have helped your brothers, and that's what Equality has done. He created a cleaner and brighter light to share with his society, but they shut down the idea all because it was done individually. If all the brothers can't prove it works, then it must not work. It's terrible to think that Equality can't share his thoughts confidently because he was smart enough to come up with it on his own. Thus, the way Equality thinks should always be accepted. People's curiosities should be allowed to be expressed freely and wholeheartedly. If people had the same motivation to do things as Equality, the world would be much
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The Use of Language in A Streetcar Named Desire
Analyse how Tennessee Williams uses language and dramatic techniques to explore attitudes to identity in 'A Streetcar Named Desire'. Make close reference Analyse how Tennessee Williams uses language and dramatic techniques to explore attitudes toidentity in 'A Streetcar Named Desire'. Make close reference to an extract in the play. Go on to show your understanding of the significance of attitudes to identity in the play as a whole.
Williams' play 'A Streetcar Named Desire' has a full variety of attitudes to identity which are demonstrated through the various characters. Attitudes to identity are important in the play as it gives us a background to the character's lives...show more content... Ideas around the identity of Stanley's character are explored in scene eight. The lexis used in this scene explores how he sees himself and how he is seen by the other characters. The vocative used by Blanche and Stella to address Stanley conveys their, especially Blanche's feelings towards him, 'Mr. Kowalski' they say. This vocative seems quite formal spoken in such an informal setting as their house, and quite out of place, this could show that the women maybe see Stanley as superior, in the way that he is a man and they feel that they should look up to him. As well as presenting attitudes to identity, this could also show attitudes to gender and the differences between the roles of males and females. In this scene, some of Stanley's utterances contain many exclamatories and interrogatives which seem to make firm statements of what he is saying. For example he says 'that's how I'll clear the table! Don't ever talk that way to me!', it seems as though he is shouting these words and this could show his dominating and intimidating character perhaps. Phonology used in Stanley's utterances could also show his dominating male authority that he feels he has over others, he seems to shout at Blanche; 'QUIET IN THERE!', this is intonation of his voice is shown by the use of capital letters.
Stella uses a metaphor to describe Stanley's undesirable behaviour and says that he is 'too busy making a pig of himself'; this could show that he is not a Get more content
Voices: The voices heard at the beginning of the scene are very calm. The actors are enjoying themselves, but are unaware of the shocking events that are about to take place. As soon as the car lands in their path, there is a sudden change in the actors' voices. The voices go from being calm and relaxed, to panicked and terrified. This is amplified even more when one of the girls get shot by the motorcyclist.
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Alesha Jeter
12.29.16
The play A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, is a play about a woman named Blanche Dubois who goes to live with her sister after she loses her home in Mississippi. Between the hardships of her previous life and the way she is treated now, she is not in a good way by the time the play ends. She basically has a mental breakdown. There are three stages of Blanche's mental state. She lives in a fantasy, Mitch rejecting her, and Stanley raping her, Blanche is mentally unstable by the end of this ply. It is clear from the beginning that Blanche is not a very honest character. She lives in a fantasy world of her own design. One of the very first things she does when she enters Stella's...show more content...
Stanley takes all of that away in one fell swoop by exposing her past to him. The second stage is when Blanche really starts to slip. When Blanche and Mitch meet for the first time, they hit it off quite well. Blanche knows that he could be good for her by the way he talks about his mother. The one thing that Blanche wants the most is someone who will be loyal to her and always stand by her. She thinks that that person is mitch. This is all taken away from her though. Stanley can't stand the thought of Mitch and Blanche together, so he uses the knowledge about her questionable past to end their relationship. This is the tipping point for Blanche's mental state.
She had invited Mitch to her birthday dinner, but Stanley had already told him all the bad things about her past. This is when she starts to slip. She tries to make conversation and tell jokes with Stanley, but obviously, he isn't having it. The point where it is evident that she is really slipping is when Stanley says he has a gift for her. "Oh, have you [a gift for me], Stanley? I wasn't expecting any, I–I wasn't expecting any. I–I don't know why Stella wants to observe my birthday! I'd much rather forget it–when you–reach twenty–seven! Well–age is a subject that you'd prefer to–ignore!" (Williams 135). Blanche is thirty years old. This goes back into the fantasy idea. She uses it as a coping mechanism. Finally, there is something going good in her life, and that is roughly
Lovedeep Ghotra
ENG4U
Mrs. Valdez
Monday January 5th, 2014
Desire, Death, and the Afterlife The 1951 play A Streetcar Named Desire explores the fate of the principle characters to which desire leads, as indicated in the title. Desire, in reference to sex is displayed as a destructive force by the author Tennessee Williams, which leads to a series of tragic events in the life of Blanche Dubois, the protagonist. She is the character of focus in this play and has an interesting personality as she uses sex as a means to get away from her haunting past and keep her sane in terms of suppressing her guilt about her late husband. In addition to the tragic events that occur in Blanche 's life as a result of her sexual relations, Stanley and Stella Kowalski is a married couple that share a very sexual relationship and is displayed as the root of success in maintaining their healthy relationship. Tennessee Williams uses the sexual relationship of Stanley and Stella Kowalski in comparison to Blanche Dubois to show the duality of sex in the characters lives. Blanche, a character whose personality is driven by desire is a victim of destruction through her own sanity and sexual relations; however, Stanley and Stella's relationship explores the likeness and pleasures of engaging in sex. Their sexual relationship comes into conflict when Blanche, Stella's sister goes to visit her, ultimately disrupting their relationship in terms of their sex life. Early on in the play sex is portrayed
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The streetcar Named Desire is a very complex and engaging book with 3 different themes, desire and fate,death and madness. I chose to be Blanche DuBois in scene 8 and scene 10 as it sets the theme,madness.Like the other major themes of the play – desire and fate, and death –madness too was Tennessee 'Williams's obsession. His sister Rose's strange behaviour which had long been a source of anxiety to her parents, later took the form of violent sexual fantasies and accusations against her father.Not only did Tennessee Williamsfeel guilty for not having saved Rose from all this, but he now feared for his own sanity because the mental illness that afflicted Rose might be hereditary. He certainly did have a breakdown of sorts in his early twenties....show more content... Her illusions, the very establishment of her life, are pulverised and this reflects the rot in her energy, status, and mental limit. Toward the begin of the play, she is obviously indicated to be somebody who is clutching the picture of an advanced and "dainty" character that originates from a distinguished society however by Scene 10, she has ended up completely mindful that this is a daydream which is the reason she "hammers the mirror face down" at the very begin of the scene as she has understood that she is not able to trick herself any longer. At the point when Stanley shows up, she is compelled to envision that she has gotten a telegram from Shep Huntleigh with a specific end goal to escape the truth that she is being constrained out by Stanley and that Mitch generally won't needs her. At the point when Stanley poses a question about the telegram, and Blanche answers "What telegram?", it gets to be very apparent to the group of onlookers that this was all affectation; Stanley pulverises Blanche's fancies and makes her face reality. Also, Blanche's craziness gets to be more obvious through the "shocking reflections" and "peculiar" shadow that encompass her. Her assault symbolises her last annihilation to the values that Stanley's general public speaks to and the termination of the ethics and estimations of the Get more content
Characterization in A Streetcar named Desire
A Street Car Named Desire is a profound play. The play sparks thought and emotion within its audience and is intensely character driven. There are many characters present throughout the play both dynamic and static. In this essay I intend to analyze the main character Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski, how their personalities differ, discuss which of them is the dynamic character and the static character and how the two character personalities clash over who holds status in the household and of the other characters in the play. How the struggle for status between them affects their relationship and brings about the crumbling of Blanche DuBois sanity.
At the beginning of the play, Blanche is already a damaged woman in the eyes of society. She is socially looked down upon due to her indiscrete sexual behavior, she has lost her husband to suicide years earlier to which she blames herself and her family estate and money are gone. Blanche is very insecure and seems to live in a state of constant panic about her fading beauty. Her insecurities show often through her behavior, displayed through her actions of never wanting to be in full light, "and put a paper lantern over the light...it isn't enough to be soft. You have to be soft and attractive" (Williams 113). Blanch steadily brings attention to superficial things such as how she looks, she often puts down her sister Stella to compensate for her insecurities, for example she
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With words explaining the articles that surround him, a man erects and relates his reveries and this world which he imagines. The time and this constant movement feed his quest for the truth with proofs and doubt. And, the tawny girl cruises the Amazons, ravelling her way through her interlacing fronds. And, her lilies navigate her coffee face, and she bites my sniffing nose. Thus, the writer builds a vegetarian kitchen which the hospital invades with tentacles and leaves. And, the false friends sip his morning drink while the farmer toils in the guile of his impossible amity. Therefore, each word acts as a messenger of the sacred dreams. When the malevolent invaders breach this expressive circuit with their explicit weapons, nonetheless,
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A Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams was born as Thomas Lanier Williams on March 26, 1911, in Columbus, Mississippi. He is the son of Cornelius Coffin Williams and Edwina Dakin Williams. As he grew up, he heard stories about the volunteer work of his father as well as the forty–five men his mother dated before she finally decided to settle down (Forman 1). His parents separated in 1909 before his older sister Rose was born. The separation was caused by Cornelius' problems with womanizing, drinking, and gambling (Forman 3). His mother went to live at her father's rectory in Columbus. He grew very fond of his grandparents, Reverend Walter Dakin and Rose Otte Dakin. Soon, Williams started to dread the days that his father would...show more content...
The play is set in the 1940s during World War II and takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana (Henthorne 1). After the war, many soldiers came home with issues such as "battle fatigue," and "shell shock, known today as post–traumatic stress syndrome (Welsch 26)." Most soldiers sought out doctors who could help them with the symptoms they were experiencing while others had more physical injuries and had to stay at home while their wives worked. "The social order skewed, and gender roles were no longer rigid and fixed as they once were. People were fighting hard to find domestic status quo (Welsh pp. 26–27)." Finding a domestic status quo is a struggle that A Streetcar Named Desirereflects heavily. Displacement is one of the central themes in A Streetcar Named Desire. The play takes place during World War II. "American women went to work in the industrial sector, serving in factories and shipyards, aiding the war effort and supporting their troops, families, and country. Their work was no longer primarily in the domestic sphere with which so many were familiar (Welsch 26)." The women who worked in the industry learned quickly and were soon just as skilled as men. If they weren't doing manual labor, women were knitting sweaters and socks for the Salvation Army to give the soldiers during the harsh winter months. During the war, people were united together as one nation with a common goal. Once the war ended, Get more content