A Streetcar Named Desire: Emphasis on the Contrast Between the Masculine and Feminine
Tennessee Williams' play, A Streetcar Named Desire revolves around the male-female dynamic, as most of the other writings of the American playwright. In this sense, the relationships that develop between Stanley Kowalski on the one hand, and the two sisters, Stella Kowalski, his wife and Blanche DuBois are essential for the understanding of the work. To solve the equation made by these three characters, we must first investigate the main characteristics of each of them. The unknown element in the equation is also a common theme of all of Williams' plays: desire and the way in which it structures human life. The three main characters of the play are drafted to suit Williams' specific view of the relationship between women and men: Stanley is the brute-like male, Blanche the embodiment of the feminine delicate and over-imaginative spirit, and Stella, the submissive, weak type of woman, healthy and dedicated to her husband and family. Thus, Stanley is the prototype of absolute manhood, a virile character with animal brutishness and strong instincts. He is almost devoid of any sensitivity and insight. As a typical male figure, he is driven in his relationships with women only by the animal instinct that urges him to conquer and subm
And you - you here - waiting for him! Maybe he'll strike you or maybe grunt and kiss you! That is, if kisses have been discovered yet!" (Williams, 188) At the very opposite pole, Blanche Dubois is an extremely sensitive woman, frail and helpless, living in a dream world of her own creation. You showed me the snapshot of the place with the columns. The act of rape is here symbolic: it is the most outrageous act of violence by males against females. Her need for beauty is an essential ingredient in her life and almost a key to her survival. These two acts, the rape and the fact that he locks her in a hospital are both very significant: Stanley's violence is not directed merely towards Blanche as such, but towards her femaleness. "(Williams, 16) Blanche's opinion about her sister's husband also emphasizes his sub-human features. She especially sees him as brute, an ape-like, primitive creature that is unable to feel or to understand any sensible thing. Stanley is the absolute virile character, while Blanche is the embodiment of the absolute female. Stella is a healthy woman and wife, that has completely taken up her role in society: she is a dedicated and indulgent wife who focuses all her energy on her husband and children. They stand thus at the opposed poles of masculinity and femininity. She herself admits to her habit of telling a lot of fibs and grants that the charm of very woman is "fifty percent illusion": "I know I fib a good deal. Blanche, as her name indicates, seems to live in the transparent world of illusions.
Common topics in this essay:
Blanche Dubois,
James Redmond,
Blanche DuBois,
Stanley Blanche,
Blanche Stella,
Orleans Stanley,
Stanley Kowalski,
Named Desire,
Mitch Stanley,
Stella Blanche,
husband stanley,
williams' play,
virile character,
stanley kowalski,
stanley blanche,
habit telling,
woman guilty,
feels threatened,
blanche embodiment,
blanche dubois,
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Acceptance Essays
