Gender Roles In A Streetcar Named Desire

The Desire for Equality Between the Sexes

Men have long been afforded more rights and privileges than women both enforced by legislation but also societal norms and expectations. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams tracks the life of a troubled Blanche Dubois as she lives with her sister Stella Dubois and her sister's husband Stanley Kowalski. Stanley and Stella have, from an outsider's perspective, a peculiar relationship. Stanley on numerous occasions is portrayed as a physical brute who lashes out angrily. Despite this, Stella remains with him and seems perfectly content with her situation much to the dismay of Blanche Dubois. Through this relationship, Tennessee Williams underscores the imbalance of power between men and women

The use of Allusion throughout the play underscores the reality of relationships between men and women even if the play dramatizes them at times. The first example of allusion is found when Stanley mentions the Napoleonic Code. The Napoleonic Code was established in 1804 in France. The Napoleonic code is summarized by Stanley when he says, "according to which whatever belongs to my wife is also mine-- and vice versa"(Williams 41). The Napoleonic Code gave men increased authority over their wives and removed women's individual rights once they were married and instead afforded those rights to the man. However, the Napoleonic Code is not the only allusion Williams makes to drive home the power imbalance between men and women. The next allusion comes from Stanley once again when he says, "Remember what Huey Long said--"Every Man is a King!" And I am the king around here, so don't forget it!"(Williams 131). Huey Long was the 40th senator of Louisiana from 1928-1932. He says this after he scolds Blanche and Stella for calling him names and dismisses the notion they could be queens before calling himself a king. Stanley lays out how he views himself compared to his wife and Blanche by calling himself a king. He considers himself superior and better than the women specifically because he is a

Anacoluthon is syntactical inconsistency or incoherence within a sentence usually present in the shift in an unfinished sentence from one syntactic construction to another. This is often used to show the emotions of the characters during moments of heightened action. During the first poker scene, Stanley becomes drunk and begins to get aggressive and unpredictable. To this, the men tell him, "Take it easy, Stanley. Easy, fellow. --Let's all--," to calm him down (Williams 63). This, however, does not work, immediately after this dialogue, Stanley is heard dealing a blow to Stella. This anacoluthon makes the reader suddenly snap to the action and focus on the physical abuse perpetrated by Stanley which becomes a recurring issue in Stanley and Stella's relationship. After the abuse, Stella temporarily goes to live with Eunice but Stanley begs her to come back. The next day Blanche frantically voices her concerns about their relationship to Stella when she says, "Why! I've been half crazy, Stella! When I found out you'd been insane enough to come back in here after what happened-- I started to rush in after you!"(Williams 71). The anacoluthon used here demonstrates Blanche's frantic and distraught attitude toward Stella's relationship. She cannot fathom how Stella could remain with