Insanity In A Streetcar Named Desire

In A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, themes of insanity and fanciful realities are shown. Three main characters portray the quality of insanity, but only Blanche is aware of her self-delusion. Stella and Stanley are more out of touch with reality than Blanche because Stella does not realize the extremes of her abusive relationship, she also would rather retreat into a world of fantasy in order to avoid reality, and Stanley is only himself when he is intoxicated. Stella is more mentally unstable than Blanche because she is unable to realize how serious her abusive relationship is. Time and time again, Stanley oversteps his boundaries into abusive territory. When he becomes angry, he throws and smashes things, and yells at

She states that Stella and Stanley are not the only couple that deals with domestic abuse. She addresses the fact that their neighbors Eunice and Steve Hubbell’s relationship also has this element of violence, stating that, “there is an unnerving suggestion that violence is more common and more willingly accepted by the female partner in a marriage than one would like to believe” (Woolway, 1). Back in the 19th century, gender roles were prominent, and men were considered the “kings of the castle.” Women were considered to be subordinate to men, and in some cases would have to suffer in order to keep the man of the house happy. In the play, however, gender roles were not as prominent, because the story takes place in the 20th century, however, they still existed. However, this does not contribute to Stella’s delusion. During this time, women were allowed to divorce their husbands, if they so pleased. Stella, who is well aware of Stanley’s abuse, does not leave her husband, and continues to live and have a child with him. However, Stella is not the only woman who suffers from domestic abuse, which can only call into question if violence was more accepted in the 20th century than it is