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The streetcar named desire character analysis
The streetcar named desire character analysis
Most distinctive traits of the main characters in A Streetcar Named Desire
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Stanley is a blunt, practical, and animalistic man who has no patience for subtleties and refinement. His animalistic character shows the moment he meets Blanche, when he, moving with “animalistic joy” (24), “sizes” Blanche up with “sexual classifications” and “crude image” in his mind (25). Under his stare, Blanche draws “involuntarily back” (25), a movement that foreshadows their later conflict and her subsequent demise. His practical and straightforward side shows when he interrogates Blanche about the sale of Belle Reve to make sure that his wife is not swindled. His straightforward, practical nature makes him “boom” out of impatience (46) and demands Blanche to cut straight to the point when she tries to talk in an indirect, subtle manner as befit a Southern gentlewoman.
In Williams’ play The Streetcar Named Desire, the character Blanche have done things and saw things in the past that she is not proud of. These things could not be overlooked no matter where she went her past haunted her. It was like a burden on her shoulders and always holding her back prohibiting her from doing the things she desires. These past actions along with the views made Blanche into the lying lost minded person she was upon the entrance of her sister’s home, and it also influenced the behavior of her surroundings, such as the loss of Bella Reve, the loss of her loved one, and the reason of the loss of her job.
During the course of A Streetcar Named Desire, DuBois presents herself as an innocent woman who is simply looking for companionship. However, it is eventually revealing that DuBois has had many intimate interactions with many other men after her late husband died. It is this desire for companionship that is always changing. While DuBois seems to wish for someone to simply spend her life with her she seems incredibly fickle when it comes to her attention. Although she appears to be serious about Mitch, she kisses a young boy who comes to Stanley Kowalski and Stella Kowalski’s house.
Throughout Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche DuBois threatens Stanley Kowalski’s proud Polish-American status. Stanley’s American dream of living in Elysian Fields with his wife, Stella, is threatened by Blanche’s constant criticism about Stanley being a "Polack” (22). Stanley frequently tries to express his dominance over Blanche, culminating in rape. Only wanting to let his brutish desires rule him in peace, like before Blanche’s arrival, Stanley begins to see his Elysium slip away as his wife reverts to the southern elegance she and Blanche were raised in. By the end of Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar
Blanche’s fantasy is the only thing that allows her to get past her traumatizing experience with her husband. In order to get rid of her harsh past, Blanche relies on taking hot showers in order to feel pure. As she goes on to say, “Oh, I feel so good after my long hot bath, I feel so good and cool and- rested”(). Through this symbol of showering for long periods of times, we can tell how Blanche wishes to be in control of her present life. Taking long showers signify an escape mechanism for many people who are struggling, and as we know it Blanche is struggling mentally
In many works of literature there have been instances where a character’s present attitudes, activities or values are negatively affected by their past events, such as in the case of Blanche DuBois, a character in the play, A Streetcar named Desire. Blanche DuBois’s relation to the past causes her to have pedophiliac behavior as well as flirtatious and insecure attitudes. Blanche DuBois arrives in the household of Stanley and Stella Kowalski dressed in white, the symbol of purity and innocence. She is sensitive, refined and intelligent. Blanche prefers imagination over realism, which makes her character too fragile to face the harsh realities of a brutal world.
In Scene I, when Tennessee Williams portrays Stanley as the powerful partner in his marriage, Stanley is viewed to be tough, and possessing the normal manlike characteristics of any stereotypical male of the time period. For example, in Scene
Nevertheless, in the viewpoint of feminists, Blanche places her fortune on men and takes it for granted that men can bring her the absolute security. In the milieu of Alan’s death, she can not make herself out of the haze and subsequently is stranded in the Flamingo hotel. Under Williams’ pen, Blanche is in a way portrayed as a damsel in distress that is not merely a synonym for weakness, it works by ripping away the sensible voice from the character in A Streetcar Named Desire. On one hand, this trope is being used in a real world context where backward, sexist attitudes are already rampant. On the other hand, the trope is shown as incapable of escaping the predicament on her own, and then must wait for a savior to come and save her.
[insert quote of Stanley talking about glamorous type]. With the constant presence of Dubois, Kowalski finds himself inexorably compelled to out her true colors, similar to how Dubois
The Destruction of the Belle Reve Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire is a wonderfully tragic story of the delusional Blanche DuBois, whose lies are unfolded and destroyed by the misogynist Stanley Kowalski. Throughout the play, Blanche frequently lies about her past, who she is, and what she’s done. Each lie she tells slowly unravels the next until she is caught, drowning in her own pathetic lies, forced to surrender to the malicious consequences dealt by Stanley. Similar to James Gatz, Blanche is obsessed with covering up her past actions, and creating a thin cloak of lies; however, James’ past is merely one of social degradation, Blanche carries the weight of her own horrible decisions.
For my representational project, I decided to make two plushies- one of Mr. Stanley Kowalski, and the other of Mrs. Stella Kowalski- and how they were affected by the arrival of Blanche DuBuois. Stella is represented as a star not only because Blanche refers to Stella as "Stella for star", but also because since Stella left their home in Belle Reve she has been unreachable just like the stars themselves. As the sister of Blanche, Stella is inclined to believe whatever Blanche says, because they have been through plenty of experiences together as kids. The fabric over the eyes represents that the wool has been pulled over her eyes for believing in the lies that her sister concocted. Another way to interpret the covering of the eyes
Blanche DuBois in Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire appears as a normal woman at the beginning of the play. However, as the play progresses, Blanche becomes what seems to be delusional. She refuses to accept the reality of things instead, choosing to make up a new persona of herself completely hiding her past from her family and even Mitch. Blanche hates the light, takes long baths and even drinks.
Blanche Dubois is a complex character, as like her first name Blanche seems pure and innocent in the beginning, but as the play continues it is shown that Blanche is not the pure, innocent girl she portrays herself to be. In fact, Blanche has a dark past that conflicts with who she truly wants to be and be seen as. Blanche creates a façade of an angelic woman who is of high esteem, is independent and has never known indignity, however, her true self is the complete opposite of who she wants to be. Throughout the play Blanche is seen taking baths to “calm her nerves”, these baths could symbolize Blanche attempting to “purify” herself, and she wants to cleanse herself physically, emotionally and spiritually. Similar to baptisms, when an older person is baptised it is usually for them to be cleansed of their sins, Blanche who is old and is considered dirty is trying to purify and cleanse herself free of her sins.
While talking to Stella about her abusive relationship with Stanley, Blanche states,”the only way to live with such a man is to-go to bed with him!” which shows his strong sexual desires(79). Just like an animal, Stanley has very powerful sexual desires. Also hitting Stella, Williams writes,”He throws back his head like a baying hound and bellows his wife’s name,”(Williams, 66). In the last statement, Williams directly compares Stanely to a dog.
Blanche tells Stella that Stanley is common. “He acts like a animal, has an animal’s habits—There’s even something—subhuman about him”(Williams 100). Blanche
