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Streetcar Named Desire Essay Research Paper

Streetcar Named Desire Essay, Research Paper


‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ is a very socially challenging play in the way in


which Tennessee Williams depicts how brutal and deceiving human nature can be.


He takes the point of view that no matter how structured or ‘civilized’ society


is all people will rely on their natural animal instincts, such as dominance and


deception, to get themselves out of trouble at some stage in life, even if they


don’t realize it. William’s has created three main characters of society, they


are, Blanche Dubiou, Stella and Stanley Kowalski. Each of these characters is


equally as civilized as one another, yet their acts of savagery are all on


different levels. Throughout the play Williams symbolically relates these three


characters to animals, ’savages,’ by the use of their attitudes, beliefs,


appearances and desires. The most obvious example of a savage in the play is


Stanley Kowalski. He is a large well-toned, territorial male with simple beliefs


and a short temper. He does not have many manners and does not care what people


think of him. He seems very simple but there I much more to him. He feels


threatened by Blanche because she moves in on his territory and wants Stella to


leave him. At first, Stanley acts physically dominant over both Blanche and


Stella; by rifling through Blanches possessions (act 1 scene 3 pg.124 ), quoting


to Stella and Blanche that ?every man is a king? (act scene 8 pg.197-198 ),


throwing the radio out the window in a drunken frenzy and actually striking his


pregnant wife (Stella) (act 1 scene 3 pg. 152-155). However, towards the end of


the play, Stanley realizes his power over Blanche and he acts a lot wiser, but


still with the same intentions. He dresses smarter, talks to her nicely, but


mockingly, and finally rapes her just to prove his status and to fulfill his


?desire? (act 1, scene 10, pg.215). In the powerful scene where Stanley


looses total control of his actions and strikes the person who he has sworn to


protect, love and to hold. William’s shows Stanley’s lack of control and hatred


to a new threat in his life, Blanche. What makes this scene so important to the


topic is the way that the three characters react once the party has broken up.


Blanche is in her usual state of panic; Stella has retreated to up-stairs while


Stanley stumbles around calling out ‘Steeelllaaa’ in a drunken sweaty animal


like manner. Surprisingly Stella answers to her ‘mate’s’ calls and embraces him,


they then exchange words of compassion and kiss, Stanley then picks her up and


carries her off to his den to make-love, which is Stanley’s way of saying sorry.


Stanley has to be the domineering figure in his relationships we see it not only


with Stella and Blanche, but with his friends as well. He is a leader and does


not like it when someone tries to complicate his role. William’s uses a


different type of savagery in Blanche’s character. Blanche is more deceptive and


exaggerated than Stanley is, he tries to hide her age, from others, by constant


bathing and dim lighting, and from herself, by drinking and lying. Through out


the whole play she is trying to hide here real identity, the actual animal


instincts that are inside her. She hides these with perfume, wearing fancy


clothes, even by putting a lampshade to hide the actual light. She also attempts


to steal Stella away from Stanley by relating him to an animal. This is best


represented when B

lanche says; "He acts like an animal, has animals habits!


Eats like one, moves like one, talks like one! There’s even something -


sub-human – something Not quite to the stage of humanity yet! Yes, something -


ape-like about him, like one of those pictures I’ve seen in ? anthropological


studies! Thousands and thousands of years have passed him right by, and there he


is – Stanley Kowalski ? survivor of the Stone Age! Bearing the raw meat home


from the kill in the jungle!studies! Thousands and thousands of years have


passed him right by, and there he is – Stanley Kowalski – survivor of the Stone


Age! Bearing the raw meat home from the kill in the jungle!? (act 1 scene 9


pg. 119). Despite the fact that there is a lot of truth in Blanche’s words she


deceives herself by her drinking and her need to feel ‘wanted by men’. She


blames society for these ‘cravings’ and states that she only does it to


’survive’. Blanche is not happy with her actual self, so she is always trying to


hide it. Although she appears the opposite of Stanley they both share the same


characteristics. They both are very lustful, they both drink a lot, and they are


both very competitive toward each other. They are both savages raised in


different worlds. William’s character Stella seems to set the standard for the


civilized person, but at a closer look Stella may be just as guilty of savagery


as Stanley and Blanche. The humble Stella has ‘desires’ just like Blanche and


Stanley; she needs Stanley for his security and companionship, she likes to feel


overpowered by a rugged man. Stella’s weakness is present throughout the play,


when she takes Stanley’s word over Stella’s, but more so when she goes back to


Stanley after being struck by him. Stella wakes up in the morning and everything


is back to normal after turning on the ‘colored lights’ with Stanley. Once again


with Stella we see that she enjoys sex. At the end of the play she knows that


her husband, Stanley, raped her sister but still decides to be with him. She


wants sex and she needs it. ?There are some things that happen between a man


and a woman in the dark?(Act 1, scene 8, pg 109) Stella is basically admitting


that her and Stanley?s relationship is based around sex. Which is a very


animal instinct. Stella, although does not say it, enjoys being domineered. She


needs it. There is no doubt that Tennessee Williams believes ‘we are all savages


at heart.’ He seems to indirectly-attack the way in which society makes people


think and act towards the more untamed desire, guilt, spiritual torment, and


repressed sexuality. In the play every one has certain basic animal instincts


and all of our characteristics can be drawn back to that. He seems to base most


relationships on sex, which is the most natural, act that humans and all other


animals can do. All three of these characters have the same personalities in


many ways. Blanche hides her real emotions and her ?savageness?, While


Stanley does the opposite and does not hide it enough. He lets all of the cards


out on the table. And Stella I believe is the most intriguing character of them


all. She grew up with Blanche and knows that life style but Stanley has shown


her his world and she is mixed up in between the two. She is like a ping pong


ball. And ultimately Stanley wins the game, by her love for lust. All of these


characters can be compared to their primate species, and Williams reveals it in


this play.

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