Conflict In A Streetcar Named Desire

Any dramatic work is written with the main purpose of being represented on stage. Therefore, the action is woven around a catchy conflict, which becomes the pillar of the play. Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire gained its immorality as a result of the multi-angled conflict that brings alive such a broad construction. Naturally enough, the play caught the attention of many critics, among which Thomas P. Adler who praised “Williams’ ability to capture something of the complexity of the novel within the dramatic form” (9). With its carefully organized structure, the contrasts and dichotomies seem to dominate the plot. By means of the dramatic conflict, William Tennessee depicts human life at its full representation, taking into consideration

A Streetcar Named Desire looks at the issue of reintegration into a new world, as Thomas P. Adler very well pointed out (3). The old values were blown off by the cold breeze of a new era, leaving people with no alternative but to renegotiate their status. Thus, it follows naturally that the characters themselves encapsulate antagonistic perspectives upon the world. “Stanley and Blanche’s clash is not human against human but rather species against species” (Bak 2). Blanche DuBois stands for everything that the Old South represented: old-fashioned values, the decaying aristocratic class, the imagistic pastoral sensitiveness (Prince 3). Blanche clings to the past in her struggle for reaccommodation. Right from the beginning she is an unusual presence, even hilarious. She enters the scene dressed in a very sophisticated manner which contrasts sharply with the world around: “Her appearance is incongruous to this setting. She is daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat…” (scene 1; stage directions). Although she senses her incongruence with the overall picture, she continues ‘playing’ a role. She ridiculously expects everyone else to act in the same false manner [“BLANCHE: Please don 't get up. STANLEY: Nobody 's going to get up, so don 't be worried.” (scene 3)]. Everything about Blanche has a touch of self-restraint and