A street car named desire

Greg Garner
Introduction to Theatre
A Street Car Named Desire
March 13, 2013

A Street Car Named Desire contains many key elements that simultaneously keep a reader entertained and forces them to reflect upon their own reality. The plot to this play can be seen as causal as one event or encounter leads to a dramatic struggle between character relations. The actions each character takes leads to dramatic scenarios leaving the reader unsure about what will take place during the next scene. The language of the play was simple and easy to comprehend. The dialogue between characters was standard, everyday language fairly easy to grasp. The relationship between each character has its own unique circumstances that unfold throughout the duration of the play.
Stanley and Stella have a marriage heavily reliant on lust and compassion. It seems as the strongest component of their relationship is exploited in the bedroom whereas the couple are frequently intimate resulting in Stella’s first pregnancy. At times, Stanley was overly cruel and demanding over his wife Stella. Stella is so blinded by their mutual physical attachment to one another that she fails to realize she is being physically and mentally abused everyday of her life. Stella and Blanche share that unique sister connection between one another as they both have the other’s best intentions in mind. Blanche discretely insults her sister at times only to mask her own personal insecurities. Blanche and Stanley bump heads throughout the entire play. Stanley’s actions and remarks vividly depict his negative feelings towards his sister in law. Blanche’s disapproval of Stanley is also clearly displayed by the harsh, yet true remarks she makes about him. Additionally, she attempts to convince her sister to leave the “animal” she calls a husband. The antagonistic relationship between Blanche and Stanley is a struggle between appearances and reality. It propels the play’s plot and creates a dwelling tension. Stanley and his poker buddy Mitch share a brother to brother bond throughout the play. They are honest with one another and maintain a healthy relationship up until the end of the play where their friendship is destroyed as a result of Stanley’s brutal actions. Blanche and Mitch also shared a unique connection with one another. In a sense they were both infatuated with each other. They shared a mutual longing for support and companionship since both of them had lost someone they held close to their heart.
Readers pick up information about each character in two ways. They learn the personalities of each character based on their actions, and by what other characters say about them. The narrator fails to reveal information on each character and is a simply a guide to help the reader grasp the events and surroundings after each scene. Stanley gets a tip about Blanche and her shadowed lifestyle from a boy who frequently visited her hometown in Laurel. A Street Car Named Desire is definitely a tragedy due to all the dramatic events that take place, the emphasis on death, and the unhappy ending during the last scene when Blanche is taken to an insane asylum after being raped by Stanley. Blanche and Stella lost the bulk of their ancestors at the beginning of the play which was a minor factor as to why Blanche moved in with her sister. Blanche also lost her young husband after he committed suicide because of a remark Blanche made about his newly discovered homosexuality. Throughout the play, Mitch struggles to cope with the fact his mother is chronically ill and will soon pass.
A Street Car Named Desire can be interpreted in numerous ways by several different readers/ audience members. I think it was written to show the dangers of blending a fantasy with reality. Blanche was overly focused on how men viewed her and was willing to do or say whatever she had to in order to upkeep her godly image and reputation. Furthermore, the lies she consistently tells other characters eventually leads to her own self destruction. When a person is incapable of accepting who they are, others will not be capable of accepting them either. One must be honest with them self in order to be honest with others. Instead of accepting her past and moving on with the rest of her life, Blanche buries her experiences and memories praying her true self would never be revealed to the remainder of the characters. Reading this play forces the reader to take a grip upon their own reality and experiences. It also manipulates the mind when trying to separate a fantasy from reality. After reading A Street Car Named Desire, the reader will dwell upon the uncomfortable truths about themselves and have an altered self image.
A Street Car Named Desire centers on the destruction of Blanche by Stanley. Blanche is forced to move in with her sister after virtually being thrown out of her hometown Laurel, Mississippi. Her pregnant sister Stella and her husband Stanley welcome Blanche into their home. After an unsatisfying discussion with Blanche, Stanley yearns to dig deeper in her past to discover unspoken truths. The lingering animosity between the in laws creates deep tension between Stanley, Stella, and Blanche. Blanche enters a fantasy world masking her tragic and promiscuous past in order to escape reality. When Stanley realizes Blanche and his best friend Mitch are growing fond of each other, he sabotages their relationship by revealing her countless affairs with unknown men in her hometown to Mitch. Stella gives birth to her first baby. Afterwards, Stanley completely robs Blanche of the little sanity she still possesses. Stanley rapes Blanche and tricks her into checking into an insane asylum during the last couple scenes.