A Streetcar Named Desire Theme

A Streetcar Named Desire Theme
QUESTIONS 1. Did Stella ever know that Stanley raped Blanche? If so, why didn't she care? 2. Why was there no apparent difference between blacks
and whites in the play, given the time period? 3. Does Blanche ever heal and go on to live a normal life on her own?
CRITISISM
From a feminist perspective, A Streetcar Named Desire is a work ready to be analyzed. The differences between men and women are especially
prominent in the relationship between Stanley and Stella. The language and actions that Stanley uses to address his wife are quite vulgar. He swears at
her regularly, and in many instances hits her. Stella's response is that of a loyal dog, following Stanley around and excusing his maltreatment of her
without a second...show more content...
Our first scene with Stella is her in complete submission to her husband, with him throwing a package of meat at her, when Stanley "heaves the
package at her. She cries out in protest but manages to catch it: then she laughs breathlessly. Her husband and his companion have already started
back around the corner" (4). Stella happily does whatever her beloved Stanley asks. She also has an air of being proud of her house, when in reality it
is nothing special and could even be called shabby, when Blanche asks why Stella did not tell her that
BLANCHE: ...[Stella] had to live in these conditions!
STELLA: Aren't you being a little intense about it? It's not that bad at all! New Orleans isn't like other cities (12).
Stella sees no problem with sleeping three people in a one–room apartment. Beyond this, Stella has a hard time accepting her sister's mental instability.
Stella spends the majority of the play waiting on Blanche and making excuses for her sister's behavior, evident when Stella tries to qualify her sister's
behavior to Stanley
STELLA: You needn't have been so cruel to someone as alone as she is.
STANLEY: Delicate piece she is.
STELLA: She is. She was. You didn't know Blanche as a girl. Nobody, nobody was tender and trusting as she was. But people like you abused her, and
forced her to change (136). Stella is clearly over–fantasizing things to make the situation seem
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Characterization in A Streetcar named Desire
A Street Car Named Desire is a profound play. The play sparks thought and emotion within its audience and is intensely character driven. There are
many characters present throughout the play both dynamic and static. In this essay I intend to analyze the main character Blanche DuBois and Stanley
Kowalski, how their personalities differ, discuss which of them is the dynamic character and the static character and how the two character personalities
clash over who holds status in the household and of the other characters in the play. How the struggle for status between them affects their relationship
and brings about the crumbling of Blanche DuBois sanity.
At the beginning of the play, Blanche is already a damaged woman in the eyes of society. She is socially looked down upon due to her indiscrete
sexual behavior, she has lost her husband to suicide years earlier to which she blames herself and her family estate and money are gone. Blanche is
very insecure and seems to live in a state of constant panic about her fading beauty. Her insecurities show often through her behavior, displayed
through her actions of never wanting to be in full light, "and put a paper lantern over the light...it isn't enough to be soft. You have to be soft and
attractive" (Williams 113). Blanch steadily brings attention to superficial things such as how she looks, she often puts down her sister Stella to
compensate for her insecurities, for example she

Essay On A Streetcar Named Desire
Alesha Jeter
Build–a–Blanch Essay
12.29.16
The play A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, is a play about a woman named Blanche Dubois who goes to live with her sister after
she loses her home in Mississippi. Between the hardships of her previous life and the way she is treated now, she is not in a good way by the time
the play ends. She basically has a mental breakdown. There are three stages of Blanche's mental state. She lives in a fantasy, Mitch rejecting her, and
Stanley raping her, Blanche is mentally unstable by the end of this ply. It is clear from the beginning that Blanche is not a very honest character. She
lives in a fantasy world of her own design. One of the very first things she does when she enters Stella's...show more content...
Stanley takes all of that away in one fell swoop by exposing her past to him.
The second stage is when Blanche really starts to slip. When Blanche and Mitch meet for the first time, they hit it off quite well. Blanche knows that he
could be good for her by the way he talks about his mother. The one thing that Blanche wants the most is someone who will be loyal to her and always
stand by her. She thinks that that person is mitch. This is all taken away from her though. Stanley can't stand the thought of Mitch and Blanche
together, so he uses the knowledge about her questionable past to end their relationship. This is the tipping point for Blanche's mental state.
She had invited Mitch to her birthday dinner, but Stanley had already told him all the bad things about her past. This is when she starts to slip. She
tries to make conversation and tell jokes with Stanley, but obviously, he isn't having it. The point where it is evident that she is really slipping is
when Stanley says he has a gift for her. "Oh, have you [a gift for me], Stanley? I wasn't expecting any, I–I wasn't expecting any. I–I don't know why
Stella wants to observe my birthday! I'd much rather forget it–when you–reach twenty–seven! Well–age is a subject that you'd prefer to–ignore!"
(Williams 135). Blanche is thirty years old. This goes back into the fantasy idea. She uses it as a coping mechanism. Finally, there is something going
good in her life, and that is roughly

Stella and Blanche in Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire
The two important female characters in the "poetic tragedy"(Adler 12), A Streetcar Named Desire, are Stella and Blanche. The most obvious
comparison between Stella and Blanche is that they are sisters, but this blood relationship suggests other similarities between the two women. They are
both part of the final generation of a once aristocratic but now moribund family. Both manifest a great deal of culture and sensitivity, and because of
this, both seem out of place in Elysian Fields. "Beauty is shipwrecked on the rock of the world's vulgarity" (Miller 45). Blanche, of course, is much
more of an anachronism than Stella, who has for the most part adapted to the...show more content...
Stella's marriage to Stanley, on the other hand, seems to have given her the happiness and fulfillment, which Blanche has attempted to find in a
guilt–ridden life of loneliness with promiscuity. As a result Blanche has become neurotic and alcoholic, slipping increasingly into insanity. Stella,
meanwhile, appears to have been thriving in a profane, coarse, but wholly satisfying sexual relationship with Stanley. Thus, superficially, the main
contrast between Stella and Blanche seems to be one between sickness and health, perversity and normality, particularly in the sexual relationship.
Stella is thriving; Blanche is disintegrating. But a closer examination of these sisters begins to show more complex differences in their characters and
situations. Blanche is disintegrating for reasons other than sexual perversity, and Stella is paying a rather steep price for her so–called "normal" life
with Stanley.
Blanche is committed to a tradition and a way of life that have become anachronistic in the world of Stanley Kowalski. She is committed to a code of
civilization that died with her ancestral home, Belle Reve. Stella recognizes this tradition and her sister's commitment to it, but she has chosen to
relinquish it and to come to terms with a world that has no place for it. In a sense, Blanche is frantic in her refusal to relinquish her concept

Streetcar Named Desire Essay
Curiosity Killed the Cat, not Equality
When you go to work, do you love what you do? Equality knows that his invention will be a boon to all mankind, but that isn't what fills him with pride
and joy while experimenting. His primary motivation for administering his experiments is pure curiosity. When Equality was at the Home of Students
he always learned much faster than the others. His brain works fast, and his intelligence is superior to that of his brothers. It is to the point that his
intelligence often caused him to commit transgressions at the Home of Students. This specific one is called the Transgression of Preference. Equality
commits this crime because before he was assigned to street sweeping, he would dream of the job he wanted....show more content...
He lets his curiosity take over, and help him benefit all of mankind. He lives in a society full of "We", and his thought process is the only thing he
has to himself. When Equality thinks about his dreams, and experiments no one else has to know. It is his own individual thought, and he doesn't
have to share it with anyone. In today's society we are encouraged to share our thoughts on certain topics, but not even being allowed to have
individual thoughts is unimaginable. It's okay for him to be curious, and want to broaden his mental capacity. He does it for pure enjoyment, and to
help better his society. The thing is, the Scholars don't quite agree. They expect you to feel happiness because you have helped your brothers, and
that's what Equality has done. He created a cleaner and brighter light to share with his society, but they shut down the idea all because it was done
individually. If all the brothers can't prove it works, then it must not work. It's terrible to think that Equality can't share his thoughts confidently
because he was smart enough to come up with it on his own. Thus, the way Equality thinks should always be accepted. People's curiosities should be
allowed to be expressed freely and wholeheartedly. If people had the same motivation to do things as Equality, the world would be much

Streetcar Named Desire Reality
Question #1 In class Essay
In Tennessee William's play A Streetcar Named Desire, there are many instances where Blanche, one of the main protagonists, uses illusions in an
attempt to escape reality; her relationship with Allan, her relationship within herself and her relationship with Mitch. The idea of illusion and reality
seems to bring on the idea that Blanche wants to escape her own world and be someone else, we see her do this by lying any chance she get's if it
makes her look good. Blanche Dubois is a troubled woman who throughout the play lives in a different reality, which she calls "Barnum and Bailey
world". She begins by going to New Orleans to stay with her sister Stella, and her husband Stanley for some time. At this time is

Streetcar Named Desire Thesis
Larissa Garcia
Mrs. Jarrell
AP English III
25 April 2016
A Streetcar Named Desire For decades, high school students have been reading great works of literature ranging from William Shakespeare to John
Steinbeck. Usually these works are read under pressure which frustrates students and teachers. This leads to detachment from reading. Unfortunately,
people don't realize that these works are modern outside of school and still have literary excellence. Although Williams'A Streetcar Named Desire is not
a part of the typical canon of high school literature, it is still a worthwhile book to read. For a book to appeal to its readers, it needs to have a strong,
universal theme. Although many people may have not specifically experienced Blanche's

A Street Car Named Desire Analysis
In Tennessee Williams "A Street Car Named Desire" the illusions of fantasy inability to overcome reality have allowed an individual to cope with
doubtful experiences in need to escape is evident through the character Blanche. Blanche conflict leads her to act upon promiscuous activities in need
to fulfil her desire to cure her loneliness but instead, she neglected her morals and became a social outcast. I have chosen to illustrate images in my
comic based on Scene 5 to present the internal conflict in Blanche character. The tension between fantasy and reality centres on Blanche's relationship
with other characters and the world around her. In addition, this scene further conveys Blanche ideal of creating a better impression through her
delusional self–created "temporary magic", which is, undermine through Blanche turn to alcohol to escape from distressing situations.
The idea of fantasy inability to overcome reality is depicted through the visual techniques salience and contrast in the comic. A clear example of the
technique of contrasts used is depicted through Blanche and Stella laughing about fabricated stories written in the letter by Blanche to Shep in frame 1.
This is evident as Blanche mentions in the letter that "there has been a continued round of entertainments, teas, cocktails and luncheons". In addition,
the recurrence of the idea of female dependence on a male for security is prevalent as Shep is another male figure that Blanche is appealed to. The use of

Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar named Desire is a play written by Tennessee Williams in which there are many symbols that point the reader towards a character's true
nature. The play is about Blanche DuBois, who is an individual trapped between the world of the past and the world of the present. She cannot face
the realities of her life and eventually her desire drives her to insanity. In this play Williams shows where desire can drive a person and explains that
desire fills a person's emptiness when no one is affectionate towards them. In the beginning of the play, Blanche is seen speaking to Eunice and a
Negro woman as she arrives to Elysian Fields. She took a streetcar and states "They told me to take a street–car named Desire, and transfer to one
called Cemeteries,...show more content...
Blanche tries to explain to Stella that after all the violence she has suffered from Stanley she should not be with him. Blanche would always find
negative aspects in Stella's life because she was in denial of her own life. By finding negative aspects in others lives, she believed that the life she
wanted was better. Stella was happy in her relationship with Stanly and says to Blanche "I am not in anything that I have a desire to get out of"
(65). Throughout the play Stanley has been seen as an abusive man towards Stella, but Stella acts as if he is the perfect man. Their relationship is
mainly based on sexual desire instead of love. Stella is drawn to Stanley's brute sexuality and he is drawn to her traditional sexuality. Even though
Stanley is violent towards Stella, their sexual relationship keeps them together which happens when there is no love in the heart. Many relationships
during that time period were based on physical desire and Williams shows that sexual fulfillment was the center of life. While describing their
relationship, Williams uses different language choices; for example he uses discourse when Stanley speaks to Stella to show that he is always in
control. Williams also uses dramatic techniques to explain their relationship and he uses specific adjectives to show the characters state of mind. The
relationship depicted by Tennessee Williams is showing a male dominating over the female, which was common in society back then. Stella's
submission and obedience to Stanley explains the treatment of woman back then in the South. Back then when a husband abused their wife, they
would get back together, have sex, and act as if nothing had happened. With Stanley's and Stella's relationship, Williams shows that sex is the answer to
all

Humans are greater than insects as are moths. If you choose whatever you wish to be, you are the owner of curses and praise. This play's notion is
"Man is King". "A streetcar named desire" is trying to tell that man is the proprietor in this play and the women were abused by him. The author
Tennessee William tells us the winner is The Man. Blanche is Stanley's an old–fashion sister– in–law who was trapped in to the situation and became a
sexual abused victim. There are reasons for this tragedy; there is a possibility to escape from the trap. Something went wrong and someone is
responsible for it.Blanche is responsible for her tragedy because she criticizes other people, she lies to others to hide her past, and she engages in
affairs with

Themes in A Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar Named Desire is a pessimistic work that is the "culmination of a view of life in which evil, or at least undiminished insensitivity, conquers
throughout no matter what the protagonistic forces do"(Szeliski 69). In other words, sensitive individuals all meet a similar fate–crushed under the heels
of those who lack sensitivity.
This play is about Blanche DuBois; therefore, the main themes of the drama concern her directly. In Blanche is seen the tragedy of an individual
caught between two worlds–the past world of the Southern gentlewoman and the present world of crudeness and decay–unwilling to let go of the past
and unable, because of her character, to come to any sort of terms with...show more content...
She knows she is an anachronism in an alien world and yet she will not compromise. She cannot and will not surrender the dream she has of herself,
and even though she wants desperately not to be lonely, it is precisely the clinging to this dream, the airs, mannerisms and sense of herself, which
alienate her further. She is trapped in a terrifying contradiction. Her need to be special, to adhere to codes and a tradition no longer valid, creates an
intense isolation, while simultaneously her desire to not be alone, to be loved, threatens to break through this isolation. It not only threatens, but does
break through. Betrayed by love once in her life, she nevertheless seeks it in the effort to fill the lonely void; thus, her promiscuity. But to adhere to
her tradition and her sense of herself as a lady, she cannot face this sensual part of herself. She associates it with the animalism of Stanley's
love–making and terms it "brutal desire". She feels guilt and a sense of sinfulness when she does surrender to it, and yet she does, out of intense
loneliness. By viewing sensuality as brutal desire she is able to disassociate it from what she feels is her true self, but only at the price of an intense
inner conflict. Since she cannot integrate these conflicting elements of desire and gentility, she tries to reject the one, desire, and live solely by the
other. Desperately seeking a haven she looks increasingly to fantasy. Taking refuge in tinsel, fine

Sexual Desire In A Streetcar Named Desire
Sexual Desire in A Streetcar Named Desire From the time that the streetcar first rattles through town, it is clear that the theme of desire is a
prominent feature in A Streetcar Named Desire. The themes of lust and sexuality are present mainly in three major characters: Stanley, Stella, and
Blanche. Blanche's interactions with men and her views of herself revolve around her value as a sexual object; while Stella allows Stanley's
violence and animalistic nature because of their sex life. Early on, Blanche's obsession with her looks is revealed when she commands Stella to look
at her, but only after she's bathed and rested, and to turn the light off so she "won't be looked at in this merciless glare" (1821). Blanche is always
dressed extremely

A Streetcar Named Desire Analysis Essay
An outcome in the life of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire that is most obvious to the audience is her psychological downfall and her
subsequent admittance into a mental asylum; however, the chain reaction of events that occur for her arrive at this outcome are very important to
Blanche's behavior in the story and must be examined in great detail. To begin with, Blanche grows up as one of two daughters of a French settler
living in the southern state of Louisiana, and happens to be a wealthy plantation owner. Therefore, she was bought up in an aristocraticfamily and was
taught how to live with upper class manners, and as discussed previously, was expected to live according to the Southern Belle figure. By the time she
had reached 16 years of age, Blanche had already fulfilled the main goal of a Southern Belle by marrying her young love, Allan Grey. However, this
marriage did not last long as through some unfortunate circumstances, she came to find out that he was a homosexual man. Blanche did not take this
news well and condemned his behavior and sexual orientation, leading to Allan committing suicide, and leaving a psychological wound in her mind.
Following the suicide of Allan, Blanche had to deal with many more unfortunate events such as the many deaths of relatives, including her parents,
abandonment by her sister, and poor decisions by her distant family which eventually caused her to lose ownership of the family plantation in the town
of Laurel. After all

The Voice In A Streetcar Named Desire
Voices: The voices heard at the beginning of the scene are very calm. The actors are enjoying themselves, but are unaware of the shocking events
that are about to take place. As soon as the car lands in their path, there is a sudden change in the actors' voices. The voices go from being calm and
relaxed, to panicked and terrified. This is amplified even more when one of the girls get shot by the motorcyclist.

The Use of Language in A Streetcar Named Desire
Analyse how Tennessee Williams uses language and dramatic techniques to explore attitudes to identity in 'A Streetcar Named Desire'. Make close
reference Analyse how Tennessee Williams uses language and dramatic techniques to explore attitudes toidentity in 'A Streetcar Named Desire'. Make
close reference to an extract in the play. Go on to show your understanding of the significance of attitudes to identity in the play as a whole.
Williams' play 'A Streetcar Named Desire' has a full variety of attitudes to identity which are demonstrated through the various characters. Attitudes to
identity are important in the play as it gives us a background to the character's lives...show more content...
Ideas around the identity of Stanley's character are explored in scene eight. The lexis used in this scene explores how he sees himself and how he is
seen by the other characters. The vocative used by Blanche and Stella to address Stanley conveys their, especially Blanche's feelings towards him,
'Mr. Kowalski' they say. This vocative seems quite formal spoken in such an informal setting as their house, and quite out of place, this could show
that the women maybe see Stanley as superior, in the way that he is a man and they feel that they should look up to him. As well as presenting
attitudes to identity, this could also show attitudes to gender and the differences between the roles of males and females. In this scene, some of
Stanley's utterances contain many exclamatories and interrogatives which seem to make firm statements of what he is saying. For example he says
'that's how I'll clear the table! Don't ever talk that way to me!', it seems as though he is shouting these words and this could show his dominating and
intimidating character perhaps. Phonology used in
Stanley's utterances could also show his dominating male authority that he feels he has over others, he seems to shout at Blanche; 'QUIET
IN THERE!', this is intonation of his voice is shown by the use of capital letters.
Stella uses a metaphor to describe Stanley's undesirable behaviour and says that he is 'too busy making a pig of himself'; this could show that he is not a

A Streetcar Named Desire Compare And Contrast
A Streetcar Named Desire 's original drafts were started in the early 1940s by playwright Tennessee Williams, who prepared and tested numerous
titles for the work. Eventually, the completed play opened on December 3, 1947 in New York City staring Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski and
directed by Elia Kazan. This run of Streetcar lasted 855 performances until 1949 and won Williams a Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics '
Circle Award. Later, in 1951, the film version was adapted and stared Brando along sideVivien Leigh as Blanche with Kazan holding the seat as
director once again. Both the play and film adaptations of A Streetcar Named Desire have received critical acclaim and much success, so much so that
Williams work is both...show more content...
She spends most of the first scene talking down to Stella, mentioning that she looks as if she 's put on weight while praising herself for remaining the
same size since they last saw each other. She dresses in rhinestone crowns, "fluffy bodices" and pearl necklaces and earrings. Her wardrobe appears to
be filled with clothing that 's either white or and pastels, colors that one easily associates with purity.
Yet, she is capable of manipulation and adept at spinning lies as clearly evidenced by her constant lies about a Mr. Shep Huntleigh, who does not
really exist, or her lies about being on a leave of absence. This is also clear based on her manipulation of Mitch, played by Karl Malden, into
making him fall for her or her emotional manipulation of Stella. Beneath this faГ§ade, Blanche seems to be terrified of losing control and terrified
of reality. She spends a lot of the play and film sneaking drinks so that she can "calm her nerves" and one could even argue that her manipulation is
simply her creating a reality that she doesn 't have to be so afraid of.
Blanche struggles to maintain her glamorous faГ§ade and here in lies her greatest conflict; keeping up with her lies and not mixing reality and fantasy
– Blanche fails to discern between reality and fantasy and gets caught in her lies. She can never quite get her story straight – Blanche struggles to
maintain some semblance of control in her life after she seems to have lost so much of it in the

Why Do We Won T Stop It?
The question at the end of the article is quite confusing, and I don't understand the exact question the thing is asking. I believe it's asking if the beast
is more terrifying or the fact that we will do nothing to stop it. I believe that the fact that we won't stop it is more terrifying because we are considered
compassionate human beings while we won't help a city that is being destroyed. the beats applies to this one scenario, but our unwillingness to do
anything applies to everything throughout life, and truly has an affect on how people feel, and what happens in their

For my final paper, I am going to rewrite a paper that I wrote for my AP Literature and Composition class about the role of light and dark in the play
A Streetcar Named Desire. I have already procured another copy of the primary text. I bought the play off of Amazon last week and received it in the
mail. For this assignment, I will read the play and take notes of when the use of light or dark occurs. Although I am not entirely certain what my
thesis will be, as I have not reread the primary text yet, I think it would be interesting to build off of my thesis from high school. This thesis would
revolve around how the use of light and dark highlights how there is a gray area (or an area between light and dark) for Blanche when it comes to
differentiating between fantasy and reality and truth and fiction. In my paper, I would compare and contrast how the use of light and dark
differentiates for Blanche and another character or multiple other characters in the play to explore if this a misogynist text that insinuates that women
are inherently manipulative or a text that comments on how society forces women to act in a delusional, manipulative manner. However, this is not set
in stone. I like your...show more content...
My English classes were easy for me all throughout high school both because of my love for reading and writing and because it was not difficult to
meet the expectations of my teachers. My writing skills were reaffirmed as opposed to challenged; I was told what I was doing right, and the only
improvements I was told to make were about grammar and syntax. In college, my writing skills have been thoroughly challenged and, as a result, my
ability to analyze texts and write essays with strong arguments and supporting evidence has improved

A Streetcar Named Desire Theme

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