Self-Delusions in A Streetcar Named Desire
Self-Delusions: A Streetcar Named Desire
In this close reading analysis I will be focusing on the characters Stella and Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. I am going to analyze the self-delusions of these two sisters and how their delusions help or harm other characters. By doing so, I will be able to show how their behavior in some specific instances shapes our judgment on them as a reader.
The character Stella has some delusions about her marriage. She believes that it is acceptable for her husband Stanley to abuse her. This occurs toward the end of scene three after Stella insults her drunk husband; “Drunk – drunk – animal thing, you! [She rushes through to the poker table] All of you – please go home! If any of you have one spark of decency in you” (62). Stanley then charges her in a drunk rage and abuses his pregnant wife. In the time of this play, it would have been more acceptable for a man to put his hands on his wife. But as a reader today, it is very hard to understand why Stella thinks this shouldn’t be made “too much fuss about” and “it wasn’t anything serious”(72). Being a victim of abuse would put any person in a very emotional state and likely lead to a feeling of entrapment because of fear that they will be hurt if they try to leave the person. Not only does this delusion hurt Stella herself, but it also hurts her sister. Blanche feels as though Stella does not understand how terrible it is that she’s being treated this way. When Stella goes on about how it’s normal for Stanley to act this way and how she is “sort of – thrilled by it…I’m not in anything I want to get out of” (73) Blanche wants her to “Pull [herself] together and face the facts… [she’s] married to a mad man!” (73). Blanche even believes that Stella’s situation at home may be worse than her own. She goes on to say “your fix is worse than mine is…you’re not being sensible about it. I’m going to do something. Get hold of myself and make myself a new life!”
In this close reading analysis I will be focusing on the characters Stella and Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. I am going to analyze the self-delusions of these two sisters and how their delusions help or harm other characters. By doing so, I will be able to show how their behavior in some specific instances shapes our judgment on them as a reader.
The character Stella has some delusions about her marriage. She believes that it is acceptable for her husband Stanley to abuse her. This occurs toward the end of scene three after Stella insults her drunk husband; “Drunk – drunk – animal thing, you! [She rushes through to the poker table] All of you – please go home! If any of you have one spark of decency in you” (62). Stanley then charges her in a drunk rage and abuses his pregnant wife. In the time of this play, it would have been more acceptable for a man to put his hands on his wife. But as a reader today, it is very hard to understand why Stella thinks this shouldn’t be made “too much fuss about” and “it wasn’t anything serious”(72). Being a victim of abuse would put any person in a very emotional state and likely lead to a feeling of entrapment because of fear that they will be hurt if they try to leave the person. Not only does this delusion hurt Stella herself, but it also hurts her sister. Blanche feels as though Stella does not understand how terrible it is that she’s being treated this way. When Stella goes on about how it’s normal for Stanley to act this way and how she is “sort of – thrilled by it…I’m not in anything I want to get out of” (73) Blanche wants her to “Pull [herself] together and face the facts… [she’s] married to a mad man!” (73). Blanche even believes that Stella’s situation at home may be worse than her own. She goes on to say “your fix is worse than mine is…you’re not being sensible about it. I’m going to do something. Get hold of myself and make myself a new life!”