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A Streetcar Named Desire Gender Roles Essay

516 Words3 Pages

There is no question that gender roles have a significant impact on people and society. This issue arises between Stanley and Stella's relationship in the play “A Streetcar Named Desire”. Through the feminist lens, gender roles have a number of detrimental effects on relationships, including imbalance, the development of stereotypical behaviour, and toxicity. The negative impacts can be clearly seen during the passage that follows the day after Stanley hits Stella which already illustrates their toxic relationship. “No, it isn’t all right for anybody to make such terrible row, but- people do sometimes. Stanley’s always smashed things.” (Williams 72) This quotation emphasizes how some gender norms, such as men being violent and aggressive, have come …show more content…

As a result, there may be a power differential in the relationship, where the woman may feel unable to restrain the man's violent behaviour, which can further lead to toxic relationships.This also correlates to when Stella later tells Blanche that whatever happened happened and not to dwell on it when she states, “He promised me this morning that he was going to quit having these poker parties, but you know how long such a promise is going to keep going. Oh well, it’s his pleasure. People have got to tolerate each other's habits, I guess.” (Williams 74) This quotation illustrates Stella's belief that she must put up with her husband's bad habits in order to be a good wife. This supports the general gender norms which expects women to be accommodating and obedient while males hold positions of power and authority inside a house. In conclusion, these quotes show how traditional gender norms encourage unhealthy relationships by leading women to think that such relationships are normal and giving them an opportunity to justify their partners'

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562 Words | 3 Pages

Let's talk about Stanley he is a rough, dominant type of person you can't see that by the way he treats Stella his wife. He shows no respect toward her treating her like meat. (You could not. Why don’t you women go up and sit with Eunice) scene 3. Stanley just wants to show off that he runs his house in front of his friends and that he had too much to drink.

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1085 Words | 5 Pages

That is why he hates Blanche because she is not the same as the girls he has seen. He sees her as a threat in the sense that she will ruin the marriage between Stella and Stanley. However, he has feelings of self conscious and feels threatened because he feels like she can ruin him. He hates that Stella and Blanche were always wealthy and he feels as if they look down on him for being poor. He does not feeling submissive which is why he reacts harshly most of the time.

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873 Words | 4 Pages

The tension between them is evident in their actions from the beginning, such as in scene 2 when Blanche is bathing, Stanley interrogates Stella about the loss of “Belle Reve”, the

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534 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout history, gender has mostly been a foundation for both power and discrimination. The short story A Rose For Emily and the play A Streetcar Named Desire both highlight this concept of empowerment. In A Streetcar Named Desire, every character follows gender stereotypes. The only exception is Mitch, a traditional man who reacts to situations differently than other men at that period in history. He and Stella share a lot of similarities.

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1919 Words | 8 Pages

This shows that women in “A Streetcar Named Desire” happen to be weak against the opposite sex, or controlled and overpowered by men. To illustrate, in the article by Roth Foley about women being victims in “A Streetcar Named Desire”, the writer mentions that Stanley’s visible aspect provides an intuition on how to control women, and lead them using their weaknesses destroying them. Blanche and Stella were both victims of male dominance, they were Stanley’s toys and he could take advantage with any of them without considering that Stella is

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728 Words | 3 Pages

Stella encompasses the glory of delusion when involved in a dysfunctional marriage. Secrets, lies, and fear form the foundation of Blanche and Mitch’s relationship. First of all, Blanche is particularly interested in Mitch, not only because of his appearance or wealth, but because he is a way for her to escape Stanley and find love. (Pg. 67)

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741 Words | 3 Pages

In the play A Streetcar Named Desire written by Tennessee Williams, the main character, Blanche DuBois, travels to New Orleans to stay with her sister, Stella, and Stella’s husband, Stanley Kowalski. Throughout the play, sexulaity is seen as a strong motivator for many of the characters actions. Early in the play, Stanley is introduced as a particularly sexual character, “ Since earliest manhood the center of his life has been pleasure with women, the giving and taking of it, not with weak indulgence... He sizes women up with a glance, with sexual classifications…” (Williams 25).

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652 Words | 3 Pages

The themes of violence and power in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ hold an important role in the criticism of 1940s American society. Conflicts perpetuated by violence and power, such as abusive relationships and violent oppression are projected through the characters within the play.  Williams uses these conflicts to highlight his criticisms of faltering values and social norms, from the perspective of an individual constrained by the expectations of a strict, Southern society. To begin with, there is an indefinite violence between men and women within ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’. Stanley Kowalski, a focal character, is the epitome of male dominance and primitive aggression.

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698 Words | 3 Pages

The Fight for Dominance In today’s society, gender norms convince men that unless they are able to control women, they are weak. Considered the inferior gender, women must find new ways to prove their own strength, whether it be through manipulation or their sexuality. The battle between the two continues as men strive to remain dominant, often by immoral means, and women attempt to gain the upper hand. In the screenplay, “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams, the sexual tension and struggle for dominion between Blanche and Stanley is evident, and as the play continues, Blanche's promiscuity and Stanley's predatory nature foreshadow an inevitable confrontation.

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959 Words | 4 Pages

A Streetcar named Desire written by American playwright Tennessee Williams is a Marxist play that depicts the socio economic status of the characters and people living during that time. The play was written in 1947, two years after the second world war. The historical time leading up to the Second World War known as the Interwar period from 1918-1939 was an era classified with economical difficulties for a majority of American citizens. After the new economic system based upon capital emerged succeeding the Industrial Revolution, the United States saw a massive prosperity in the early twentieth century only to be demolished by the stock market crash of 1929 also known as Black Tuesday (source). These unsuccessful stock markets were one of the signs that showed that the new system, which depended on an extensive labor force and an open and unregulated market, was not as reliable as previously thought, this period was known as the Depression.

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1311 Words | 6 Pages

The works A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams and The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka depict characters struggling against expectations and societal norms, with Blanche and Gregor as symbols of isolation and social oppression. Through a comparative analysis of their gender roles, literary techniques, and themes, it becomes clear that both works use their respective literary lenses of Feminist, Psychoanalytic, and Marxist theories to expose the damaging effects of norms and societal pressures on individuals, ultimately emphasizing the need for freedom and self-realization from oppressive systems. One of the most notable differences between the original text of A Streetcar Named Desire and the 1951 film adaptation is how the setting

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1371 Words | 6 Pages

William’s play A Streetcar Named Desire presents a variety of perspectives on relationships, especially addressing the idea that bonds which aren’t bound by trust, loyalty and lust in an even balance will inevitably fail. Tennessee Williams uses the interaction between his characters, predominantly Blanche, Mitch, Stella and Stanley; to express a variety of ideas regarding relationships. These connections can be witnessed in scenes 2, 3, 6 and 11, through the use of stage directions, dialogue and expressionism to display different perspectives of character interaction. Trust acts as the foundation to any relationship, establishing a strong link between individuals and without it, the connection will eventually disintegrate.

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1547 Words | 7 Pages

Tennessee Williams wrote “A Streetcar Named Desire” (Williams, 1947) It is based in New Orleans a new cosmopolitan city which is poor but has raffish charm. The past is representing old south in America 1900’s and present is representing new America post world war 2 in 1940’s. Past and present are intertwined throughout the play in the characters Stanley, Blanche, Stella and mitch. Gender roles show that males are the dominant and rule the house which Stanley is prime example as he brings home food and we learn of one time when he got cross and he smashed the light bulbs.

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765 Words | 4 Pages

This overall outcome is caused by a series of events building on each other. Both Stanley and Blanche embody their specific gender roles at the time. In the mid-1900s, masculinity meant control, aggression, physical dominance, and even violence. Complementing these traits is a typical absence of manners, refinement, and sensitivity. One point of view voiced in the play is that this sort of physical masculinity is sub-human and primitive; another is that it is sexually attractive and appealing.

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847 Words | 4 Pages

“A Streetcar Named Desire” is a very elegant film in which the Southern gothic culture is demonstrated profoundly. Tennessee Williams uses the characters in the play to bring about a sense of how corrupt society truly was in the 1940’s in the South. The 1940’s was marked by an immense amount of violence, alcoholism, and poverty. Women at the time were treated as objects rather than people. Throughout the play Tennessee Williams relates the aspects of Southern society to the characters in the play.

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