Domestic Violence In A Streetcar Named Desire

Domestic violence, seen frequently throughout the play, A Streetcar Named Desire, had been an unpopular and unspoken topic to be used in screenwrite. Knowing how controversial this topic was for the times, Tennesse Williams gambled with the idea and created A Streetcar Named Desire. With this work, he sheds light on the global issue domestic violence had become to society. Williams emphasizes the normalization of domestic violence through the use of characterization in Stella and Stanley, representation of their relationship and the insight given to the audience about the societal norms that were found in the 1950s.
Williams shows the audiences that domestic violence will be an important factor in the play by capturing our attention on the

There isn’t evidence of physical domestic violence between Stella and Stanley until Blanche, Stella’s sister, comes to visit. We know this when Stella brings up Stanley's violent tendencies. Stanley is portrayed to the audience as a man who is described to be dominant, aggressive and hypermasculine. In scene two, we see Stanely looking through Blanche's belongings while she is away in the bath. Stella, embarrassed and flustered by Stanley's actions yells to him, “You have no idea how stupid and horrid you’re being! Now close that trunk before she comes out of the bathroom!”(Williams 35). This insult comes from Stellas protection of Blanche and shows the dynamic of Stella and Stanely’s conversations. When Stanley looks through Blacnhe’s trunk it triggers something in Stella, causing her to lash out the way she did. Stella uses very strong and insulting words towards Stanley, “stupid” and “horrid”, showing us the audience how

As tension begins to rise between the couple due to Blanche’s unwillingness to comply to Stanely’s dominance, of leaving the radio off, he reaches a breaking point causing his violent manner of throwing the radio out the window. As Stella’s anger arises due to his actions, she insults him by saying, “Drunk- drunk-animal thing, you!”(Williams 62). Here is again where we see Stella’s use of harsh insults she says to Stanely and his actions. This then leads to Stanely charging towards Stella, which is when he then hits her, “She backs out of sight. He advances and disappears. There is a sound of a blow. Stella cries out”(Williams 63). Hitting Stella was a reaction Stanely had to her insult and the anger that consumed him with the radio being turned back on and with Blanche being there. After Stanley hits Stella, Blanche takes her to Eunices, but Stella isn't there for long, because after Stanley realizes what he's done, he goes to Eunice’s and yells out for Stella. “I want my baby down here. Stella, Stella!”(Williams 66). As Stanley yells out to Stella, Eunice is turning him down, trying to get him to go back home. Stella doesn't say anything to Eunice nor Blanche, but she appears and walks out the door to Stanley. “ Stella slips down the rickety stairs in her robe. Her eyes are glistening with tears and her hair loose about her throat and shoulders. They stare at each other.