Who Is Blanche's Masculinity In A Streetcar Named Desire

Blanche believes inner peace and fulfilment through companionship can cover her sins and cleanse her reputation. Blanche experienced tragedy in her youth with the loss of her marriage. This has now led her to seek emotional fulfilment through relationships with men. But she does not realise that putting her dependence in men will lead to her downfall. Her fate is in the hands of others, including Stanley Kowalski. Nina Hefner (Ouachita Baptist University) identifies the beginning of the influence Stanley’s masculinity has on the demise of Blanche. “When she calls him a Polack it infuriates Stanley because Blanche suggests that he is less than they are merely because he was not born in America… Finally, comparing Stanley to an animal deprives him not only of his masculinity, but also of his humanity”.3 Stanley’s aggressive behaviour is triggered by emasculation and his anger towards Blanche begins to build up.

My belief is that Hefner is correct is assuming this as Stanley’s anger is produced by his inability to deflect Blanche’s comments degrading his masculinity. Liang Zhang examines the balance of power in the play, likening Blanche and Stanley to competitors in the arena. “Williams intended a balance of power between Blanche and Stanley, and the action proceeded through clashes of these two-opposites.”4 Zhang is suggesting that Blanche has as much power over Stanley, as Stanley does over Blanche. I agree with this statement to an extent, but I also believe that Stanley has an overarching goal to destroy and remove whatever or whoever degrades his masculinity, on this occasion, being Blanche. Stanley is proud of everything he possesses. Yet, Blanche defies this, he lives in her house, drinks his liquor and eats his food, but is not his