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Sexual Harassment In Streetcar Named Desire

1742 Words7 Pages

In Tennessee Williams’s play, Streetcar Named Desire, it portrays sexual but yet, violent harassment. The play shows the role that both characteristics are portrayed and provides a way that it affects the characters. The characters in the play are apart of the sexual harassment and spacial violence. Women are mostly affected and show how what it does to them. The men are usually the ones playing a part in the violence towards the women. Streetcar Named Desire makes a clear judgement about spacial violence and sexual harassment.
Realism is also shown in the play and uses it’s way to show the effects of sexual harassment. Realism is the drama of sexual life and often represents social life. It shows the hidden behavior of people and some often …show more content…

Blanche’s antagonist, Stanley Kawalski, is just coming home from the war and is known as the lord of his domain. Stanley is an example of how gender roles change in the play. Stanley becomes interested in Blanche and it turns into an abusive situation with her. He knows her as a person with sexual experience. He becomes abusive towards his wife and she is affected by what he does to her around witnesses. Camille- Yvette Welsh states, “She (Blanche) never imagined for Stella a marriage predicated on desire, nor did she imagine the violence that accompanies it.” According to Camille- Yvette Welsh, she makes a statement about how Blanche did not know about her sister, Stella, getting married and about the abuse she goes through. With the violence going on in the play, the audience is paying more attention to Blanche. The rise of her stardom in the play coincided with the fascination with the sex lives of …show more content…

The play provides examples of what it does to the victims and why. Blanche’s character becomes appealing based on her need for male desire. The sexual harassment had become an object in the play. Stanley’s sexuality is mistaken and masculinity are not connected and becomes a reason for his physical abusive side. All throughout the play the sexual desire is followed by destruction. The loving relations are appealing to the audience, but is also followed by violence. Sexual harassment and spacial violence plays a role in the play and comes with the effects of destruction.

Works Cited
Fleche, Anne. “A Streetcar Named Desire: Spatial Violation and Sexual Violence.” “Critical Insights: A Streetcar Named Desire. Ed. Brenda C. Murphy. Hackensack: Salem, 2009. N. pag. Salem Online. Web. 08 May. 2017. .
Welsh, Camille-Yvette. “World War II, Sex, and Displacement In A Streetcar Named Desire.” Critical Insights: A Streetcar Named Desire. Ed. Brenda C. Murphy. Hackensack: Salem, 2009. N. pag. Salem Online. Web. 10 May. 2017. .
Welss, Marcia J. “Sexual harassment: Psychological causes and effects. “Psychological and Mental Health. Ed. Nancy A. Plotrowski. Hackensack: Salem, 2009. n. Pag. Salem Online. Web. 12 May. 2017.

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