The primary noticeable difference between Stanley and Blanche are the worlds that they both come from. Blanche believes in an illusionary world of which the upper and lower class people are separated, education is valued, races are separated and purity is preserved. In contrast, Stanley comes from a patriarchal society, which is morally corrupt, sinful and amoral. In the opening scene, the stage directions “her expression is one of shocked disbelief. Her appearance is incongruous to this setting” conveys her difference in class and how Blanche already does not fit into this new world foreshadowing the end of the play when Blanche is pushed out of the new world. The dialogue “ they mustn’t have- understood- what number I wanted” highlights Blanche’s confusion as she arrives at Elysian Fields, which suggests that Blanche is entering into a world that she does not belong in. The use of the derogatory terms “negro”, “brown” and “one white and one coloured” all suggest that unlike in Blanche’s illusionary world, Stanley’s world, New Orleans does not separate races instead they intermingle. Throughout the play there are many references to animalistic qualities. Blanche is represented, as a “moth” of which is fragile and attracted to light, which leads to danger and death. Stanley is compared to a lion, a predator of power and strong…
Streetcar named desire was a play set in the 20th century, 1951 written by Teneesse Williams. This extrct from scene 10 is significant section of the play as it depicts the most important part of the play with the implied rape on Blanche by Stanley. Williams uses dramatic techniques and symbols which illustrate Stanley's violent and aggressive behavoiurs, displaying him in negative light and as a villian and through the use of violence and animal imagery. Also allowing us to see Stanley as an angonist to the actions he persued on Blanche. Teneesse Williams also uses the settings and motifs such as insanity to protray Blanche as a victim.…
Stanley's harsh, realistic world is often seen throughout the play this shows how different Blanches is. An example of this is Stanley's main interests: gambling, drinking, fighting, sex and bowling. All of these are very realistic things to do, very down to earth. Also throughout the play he shows no remorse for what he's done,…
The two characters, Blanche DuBois from A Streetcar Named Desire and Tom Wingfield of The Glass Menagerie, both share an intense struggle between fantasy and reality in their lives causing dependency upon alcohol. Blanch DuBois approaches as a high class Southern Belle who depends upon others to care for her, but in reality she thrives on her self-proclaimed royalty. Meanwhile, Tom Wingfield is a pessimistic character who deprives his life working at a shoe factory for his mother and sister while living in the shadows of his father. Both these characters also develop a dependency upon alcohol to overcome conflicts they are faced with.…
-Whereas Blanche comes from an old Southern family and was raised to see herself as socially elite, Stanley comes from an immigrant family and is a proud member of the working class. They meet one another in the socially turbulent postwar period in New Orleans, one of America's most diverse cities. Blanche and Stanley are polar opposites in several respects. Blanche repeatedly refers to Stanley and his world as brutish, primitive, apelike, rough, and uncivilized. Stanley finds this sort of superiority offensive and says so, but there is something primal and brutish about Stanley. By contrast, Blanche represents civilization on the decline. She speaks vaguely of art, music, and poetry as proof of progress, but reveals little true knowledge.…
Tennessee Williams’s Blanche is the epitome of the bygone era of a southern belle; she embodies the classical social inequalities. As her social and cultural stances deeply diminish she develops a fear of fleeting beauty and old age. Williams conveys this idea of vanity, fear of death and old age throughout the play. In scene 5 the use of the Young man is in essence part of Williams’s exposition, he uses the Young Man to foreshadow Blanche’s fatal flaw and expose the importance of age in A Streetcar Named Desire. Elia Kazan’s adaptation of Williams’s play reflects this quintessential theme as he adopts Williams’s dialogue in Scene 5 accurately. Kazan’s film adaptation of Scene 5 is more or less true to Williams’s play as he encompasses the main themes evoked that of beauty, vanity and old age through the precise dialogue and the sequence of events. Nevertheless the similarities found in the adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire remain superficial, Kazan’s interpretation of Williams’s stage directions in regard to the Young man are poles apart. Although the original and its film adaptation aim to foreshadow Blanche’s denouement and portray the fear of vanishing beauty…
There are many prevalent themes throughout the play, Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams. One major theme of the play is femininity vs. masculinity. The main characters, Blanche DuBois, and Stella and Stanley Kowalski reflect the stereotypical gender roles. Stella and Stanley’s dysfunctional relationship faces even more complications when Stella’s sister, Blanche moves in temporarily. Throughout the course of this play, the Kowalski relationship is proven to be very unhealthy, due to Stella’s dependence on Stanley and Stanley’s brutality and masculinity.…
A Streetcar Named Desire written by Tennessee Williams is a play about a southern lady named Blanche from Mississippi visiting her sister Stella, who is married to Stanley and currently living in Elysian Fields, New Orleans. Blanche arrives in Elysian Fields, and throughout her entire stay with Stella and Stanley, there is tension and conflict occurring in Stella’s house. Even though Blanche and Stella were brought up in the South under wealthy conditions, the conflict is mainly caused by Blanche’s dislike of Stanley because, as a blue-collar worker, Stanley's status is lower than the DuBois’. In another aspect, Stanley’s conflict is caused by him being suspicious of Blanche since her arrival. Blanche explains to Stella that…
Stanley and Stella are married and live in Elysian Fields. Stella was born into a wealthy family from Belle Reve and married Stanley, who is from the middle class. Stella depends on Stanley for love and to make her feel better. In reality, Stanley is a powerful man and can get any woman he wants. Stella “couldn’t believe her story and [she continues] on living with Stanley” (133). Blanche tries to inform her sister how Stanley is not the man she thinks he is, and how she is living in a fantasy. Stella chooses to believe Stanley, which demonstrates how she is living a lie. Stella does not agree with the accusations that were made. Stanley is abusive to Stella, yet she proceeds to say “I am not in anything that I have a desire to get out of” (65). Stella admits she does not want to leave Stanley even though she is continually…
Thesis: In the play A Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams ultimately portrays the struggles of a woman in the 1920s. Through the demonstration of the main character, Blanche, we depict the struggles between alcoholism, the conflicts in social classes and the indifferences in sexuality.…
Stanley’s aggression and Blanche’s inability to express her emotions, “she clutches her throat and then runs into the bathroom. Coughing, gagging sounds are heard” (Williams 136). She was unable to hold in her emotions in her environment which affected her outcome in the story. Blanche came to the Kowalski’s household in order to fulfill her desire of a new start in her life. However, Stanley’s aggressive characteristics does not allow any threat of dominance over him.…
Stanley looks past the fake front that people put on and focuses on what is real and ignores the “Hollywood glamour” and lies that surround them (39). Stanley does not want any deviation from what is known to be true and wants “no ifs, ands, or buts” (43). Deep down Stanley needs to unearth any falsehoods when anyone feeds him a “pack of lies” no matter how dark they are (118). Regardless of the awful truths of Blanche’s life, Stanley states the truth in the simplest sense, and he finally reveals Blanche is not “such a refined and particular girl” as he gives out her dark truths. He pushes away Blanche’s pleasant dream and posters the harsh truth of Blanche’s problems in plain sight so no one, not Mitch, Stella, or even Blanche can not miss it. Ultimately, Stanley feels no empathy for anyone, and digs up the lies and falsehoods that surround…
Blanche dwells in illusion; fantasy is her primary means of self-defense, both against outside threats and against her own demons. But her deceits carry no trace of malice, but rather they come from her weakness and inability to confront the truth head-on. She is a quixotic figure, seeing the world not as it is but as it ought to be. Fantasy has a liberating magic that protects her from the tragedies she has had to endure. Throughout the play, Blanche's dependence on illusion is contrasted with Stanley's steadfast realism, and in the end it is Stanley and his worldview that win. To survive, Stella must also resort to a kind of illusion, forcing herself to believe that Blanche's accusations against Stanley are false so that she can continue living with her husband.…
In the play, A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, Blanche and Stanley are well-known, as opposite characters with symbols of conflicting deals, but these two characters also have many similarities with each other. For example, Stanley and Blanche both have a well-built desire for love. Stanley, has no need to seek for love because he yearns, his marriage life with his wife Stella. Blanche, on the other hand, is seeking for respect and love for a new husband, since she lost her last husband. Also, Stanley and Stella are a couple that appears to be loving and compassionate with each other, until Blanche comes for a visit to New Orleans to live with the couple. With conflicting issues dealing with Blanche and Stanley, it causes an unhealthy, abusive problems with Stella and Stanley’s marriage.…
Blanche and Stanley come from two very different upbringings. Blanche comes from a very wealthy upbringing, being raised in a giant Southern plantation. Stanley grew up with the poor, immigrant family who had to work for everything they had. Blanche often uses the derogatory term ‘Pollack’ for describing Stanley to refer to him as common or inferior. She then contradicts herself when she says “We are French by extraction. Our first American ancestors were French Huguenots” (Williams 31). Blanche seems to think her ethnic origins make her better than others, and uses it as a point of pride. She often during the play is seen showing her self-proclaimed superiority towards all of the other characters. In the film, Blanche is attracted to Mitch because…