Character Analysis: A Streetcar Named Desire

the play Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, is about a dominant man named Stanley who has a wife named Stella. In American society, the female’s path to success is not through man. The American Dream for a women does not require that she becomes the submissive wife of a dominant man. Stanley’s character throughout this book is about drinking, gambling, bowling, and sex. Stella throughout the book had choices whether she wanted to leave Stanley, but decides to stay because of the baby they had. In scene two while Stanley was looking over Blanche’s trunk filled with luxuries, Stella asked Stanley to leave the room with her. Stanley then replies, “Since when do you give me orders?” Stanley didn’t appreciate that Stella told him what to do because he is the man of the house. He believes that he should be the only one giving orders to his wife and not the other way around. The problem was that Stella only wanted Stanley

Stanley is drunk at the time while Stella and Blanche were in another room letting the men play their game. Stanley calls the women “hens” for having a conversation and not letting him concentrate on his game of poker. Blanche then turns on music which annoys Stanley causing him to abruptly turn off the music player. With Stanley’s uncontrollable rage and being drunk, the other men had to hold back Stanley from beating Stella. Stella’s life in in fear because she has to deal with an abusive husband worrying about if she is going to get beaten up by Stanley. The American Dream is suppose to be a good thing for those who want a better life, but this doesn’t require a woman to be submissive to a dominant man. Stella is living the opposite of the American Dream because she has no power to anything and living a sad life. Stella then decides to leave running upstairs in fear, but never makes the decision to leave Stanley because she needs a man to help raise her