...Censorship in A Streetcar Named Desire Author of A Streetcar Named Desire - Tennessee Williams - stated that his plays are “Pleas for the understanding of delicate people”. A Streetcar Named Desire explores dysfunctional relationships and conflicts that arise in the breakdown. The 1930’s production code forced Kazan - director of A Streetcar Named Desire - to change the original text. The censors of the Breen Office forced Kazan to omit the film’s raw and candid portrayal of human behavior and relationships. Because the Breen Office controlled of the film industry, it definitely took away the audience’s understanding of the characters and their relationships especially in Stella’s descending of the staircase, dialogue between Blanche and Stella,...
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...blind to the things around you. The play, A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams creates a situation where A Streetcar Named Desire is driven by the fantasy of Blanche, Stanley, Stella and Mitch. In the play the characters hide from their reality by acting as if the events they went through didn’t happen or were not important. The idea of reality vs. illusion seems to bring on the idea that these characters want to escape their world or they want to act blind they don’t have to face reality. One of the main characters that brings the idea of reality vs. illusion and escapism is Blanche. Blanche came from a wealthy background and lived in city named Laurel. When Blanche’s husband died and her family members began to die, she spent her money on their funerals and she ended up losing her home. Blanche losing her home can be compared to a princess losing her castle and money but in this story she didn’t have a handsome prince rescue her. She gained a bad yet truthful reputation for sleeping around with different men. She wanted to escape this so she went to visit her sister Stella. When she came to Stella’s house she acted as if everything in Laurel didn’t actually happen. This is when her fantasy began, in Stella’s town she acted as an old-fashioned woman who was proper and modest, this was not true. Her past revealed that she is not what she claimed to be. While in Stella’s town Blanche met a man named Mitch who is a friend of Stella’s husband. Blanche and Mitch’s relationship...
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...Janet Ng Professor Faunce WRT 102 7 March 2012 Textual Analysis of A Streetcar Named Desire Based on Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire, Elia Kazan creates an award winning movie that helps readers visualize Stanley’s primal masculinity, the inner torments of the Kowalski women and the clash of the other characters’ problems which create a chaotic mess. Using stage directions in the play, William hints that Blanche is not who she appears to be while the movie subtly sheds light on Blanche’s strange little habits that suggests a bigger issue. The movie also censors many of the main themes in Williams’ play but makes up for it by having its actors flawlessly portray the characters’ emotions, allowing the readers to see the conflict at its full magnitude. Both the movie and the play sympathize with the powerless women by underlining the important theme of women’s dependence on men. Blanche is an insecure, miserable older woman who masks herself as a rich, upper class lady. She continues to shy from reality and seduce men as she cannot comprehend that her reliance on men will ultimately lead to her downfall. “Now run along, now, quickly! It would be nice to keep you, but I’ve got to be good-and keep my hands off children.” (Williams, pg 99) This isn’t the first time that Blanche has put moves on a kid as made evident when she states “I’ve got to be good and keep my hands off children.” She clearly hasn’t learned her lesson after losing her job. The scene is even more...
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...Mélanie Urvoy English 102-005 13 February 2012 Research paper A Conflict as a Poker Game In the early twentieth century, women were still dependent on men. It was difficult for a woman to have a job and be financially independent. In addition, at this time, women had to keep their virginity to have a chance to get married. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams is placed in the picturesque French Quarter in New Orleans. The play starts when Blanche DuBois comes in New Orleans to visit her sister Stella after she lost the family plantation Belle-Reve because of money problems. She then meets her brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski, a World War II veteran. As soon as they meet each other, a mistrustful rivalry starts between them. A Streetcar Named Desire depicts the conflict between two opposing views as a poker game between Blanche and Stanley for control. From the beginning of the play, Williams starts distinguishing Stanley and Blanche by their mentalities. In fact, Blanche has the Old South mentality. She grew up in a plantation where she learnt how to behave as an aristocrat whereas her brother-in-law is an industrial and a Polish immigrant representing the New South. Blanche is described as delicate and fragile whereas Stanley is rude and violent. Blanche lives in a world of illusion. She acts as a queen and wants the men to treat her like it. Unlike Blanche, Stanley lives in a rude world, a world where if a person are strong enough physically and mentally, he...
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...Many plays and books have been adapted into a movie. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, is one of the plays who have been made into a movie. It takes place in the 1940s in New Orleans. The main character in the movie is Blanche DuBois, a women with a questionable behavior. In A streetcar Named Desire, Blanche DuBois is described in detail through symbolism by drunkenness, light, and music. Drunkenness is one of the most obvious symbolisms in the movie. It represents escape for Blanche when things go wrong or she feels uncomfortable. When she firsts arrives to New Orleans, she finds herself at a bowling alley, and orders drinks so she can explain where she believes she has been. The same thing occurred when Mitch confronts Blanche...
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...Characters Blanche DeBois: * Around the age of 30 * from Mississippi, an aging southern belle(panics about her fading beauty) * lost Belle Reve(DeBpis family home) and her young husband(gay, she announced her disgust at his homosexuality suicide marks the end of Blanche’s sexual innocence) * drinking problem * Stella’s older sister * moves into the Kowalski home in New Orleans * destitute * has had many lovers (strong sexual urges) self-esteem depends on many for happiness * avoids reality(snobbery hide her poverty and indignity) * throughout the play her self-image and sanity crumble End: Stanley rapes her(destroys rest of mental and sexual esteem) and commits her to an asylum Stella Kowalski: * Around the age of 25 * Blanche’s younger sister * Mild character * Married to Stanley Kowalski (robust sexual relationship violent and renewing) and pregnant * Torn between her sister and her husband (stands by Stanley in the end) Stanley Kowalski: * Stella’s husband * Working-class * Example of vital force * Loyal to friends (Steve, Pablo, Mitch), passionate to Stella, cruel to Blanche * Polish ancestry( represents new heterogeneous America Blanche doesn’t belong to them, she is from an old social hierachy) * Fought in WW2 * Wishes to destroy Blanche’s social life * Beats his wife and rapes Blanche (BUT no remorse and still the proud family man) * Doesn’t like Blanche because...
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...Shakespeare are two writers of different times who experienced vastly different events in their lives. Tennessee Williams was born in 1911 and while he was in University, his sister, Rose, had begun suffering from a mental illness. She later underwent a prefrontal lobotomy. We can see that his play ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ reflects this experience, perhaps through the character of Blanche who is very frantic and hysterical. William Shakespeare lived through the time of change - England was a proud nation and full of power. This reflects through the male, dominating characters and the way women are submissive such as Hero and Claudio. Beatrice and Benedick, however, contrasts the typical relationship of that time as Beatrice doesn’t necessarily conform to the way a woman should behave, signifying a time of change. In both of these plays, we can see that men dominate and females are usually submissive to them. However, there are exceptions which are clearly shown through Beatrice in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ who has little regard for what is considered proper and is very outspoken and witty and rarely conforms to what is expected of her. This is also shown in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ through Blanche, who holds herself very high and thinks of herself above men. Both Blanche and Beatrice insult the men around them. It suggests that this is considered normal of both of these different times and as a result, men appear to hold higher power and importance over women, leaving them as...
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...How does Tennessee Williams present the character of Blanche in Scene 1 of the play? In scene 1 of the play ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, Tennessee Williams presents Blanche as a dependent character who relies on the company of others but attempts to keep this insecurity hidden. Although Blanche may appear to be dominant and outspoken, she secretly fears to be alone. The command ‘You hear me? I said stand up!’ establishes Blanche’s authority and gives the impression of dominance however this highly contrasts with Blanche’s statement ‘I want to be near you, got to be with somebody, I can’t be alone!’ The contrast of these two statements highlights the dynamics of their relationship as it suggests Blanche is more reliant on Stella than she makes out to be. Williams has done this in order to reveal Blanche’s true character to the audience by illustrating her fears of being ‘alone’ which clearly establishes how dependant she is on her sister. Tennessee Williams depicts Blanche’s jealousy of her sister’s marriage and appearance which illustrates her as an envious and insecure character. This is evident after Blanche confesses the loss of Belle Reve and how she was forced t o deal with the unfortunate situation alone. Blanche questions Stella ‘Where were you! In bed with your – Polack!’ to defend herself and place blame on Stella. This illustrates Blanche’s jealousy over how Stella was able to escape and start off a new life in New Orleans and find security in a marriage while she has...
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...compete in the same spheres as men, resulting in a blurring of the once distinct boundaries between the male and female worlds. This intersection of the sexes had two effects: first, because women were no longer confined to domestic work, they had less incentives to remain in dominantly female circles; second, because women could operate in the male world as individuals, they had to learn to mirror male patterns of dominance or portray the traditional role of women. These combined effects resulted in the breakdown of sisterhood as women distanced themselves from female bonds in order to gain power in the male world. This fall of sisterhood is evident in literature, which I will convey through an analysis of three selections: A Streetcar Named Desire, a play by Tennessee Williams; “Recitatif,” a short story by Toni Morrison; and “Everyday Use,” a short story by Alice Walker. First, I will...
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...[Insert hook] In the Pulitzer Prize - winning play, A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, the author uses many literary criticisms, such as feminism, marxism, and psychoanalytical, to enhance the importance of each character's actions in order to create a masterpiece that consumes you instantly. Feminism is the most prominent literary criticism within A Streetcar Named Desire. Patriarchy is seen repeatedly in almost all of the interactions Stanley has with his wife Stella and her sister Blanche. In scene two of the play Stella doesn’t want Blanche around when Stanley has his poker night so she tells Stanley, “I'm taking Blanche to Galatoire's for supper and then to a show, because it's your pok'r night.” (Williams 32) and he replies, “How about my supper, huh? I'm not going to no Galatoire's for supper!” (Williams 32) to her. This portrays feminism because Stella knows that Blanche would call...
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...The development of fictional characters can occur in brief moments – sometimes, critical events are inconspicuously disguised. When Stanley Kowalski, in A Streetcar Named Desire, is first introducing himself to Blanche DuBois, a screeching cat interrupts their conversation. This cat doesn’t seem out of place – the neighborhood that the Kowalski’s live in is not exactly the most pristine, and besides, the cats act to set the atmosphere of the apartment and the surrounding area. However, a closer look at the scene reveals that these cats are synonymous with Stanley’s violent, animalistic and volatile characteristics. When Stanley is first introduced at the end of Scene I, he is viewed mostly positively, with relatively few hints of his true potential (shown in Scene X). Although Stanley first plays a minor role – as simply Stella’s husband – his significance quickly grows as he advances the plot. In the first...
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...Blue Jasmine, movie by Woody Allen is a successful adaptation of the play “Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams. Blue Jasmine presents Jasmine, main character, living in an entitled world who falls into nothingness due to the affair and the investment scheme of her husband. She, therefore, moves into her adopted sister, Ginger’s apartment situated in the downscale San Francisco. In hopes of starting a fresh life, Jasmine enters a job in a Dentist Office; however, she encounters frustration from the patients and harassment from her boss, Dr. Flickr. Jasmine finally quits the job, and instead seeks to find a man for a peace in her life. Although she finds a man, Dwight, she loses him due to her false reality and lies just like Blanche,...
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...and brutal forces of society.” Compare and contrast how masculinity is explored in two texts you have studied in light of this comment. In A Streetcar Named Desire, the men are seen as cruel and bitter due to their harsh use of force to achieve what they want. Whereas in All New People, the men are perceived as the victims of society rather than its actual driving force. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Stanley fulfils the duty of carrying the traditional patriarchal role of the breadwinner in the society of the 1950’s era. He is represented as masculine through the use of his dominance in the household, control over Stella and being the prime influence in his social group of friends, as they see him as someone they want to be. However, this is contrasted in the modern day text of All New People, as Charlie conforms to the image of the ‘new man’ by emphasising the different types of masculine forms in society and how they are widely accepted. He expresses this through the use of showing emotion and being more considerate of other people’s feelings, while being aware of his own. Tennessee Williams makes it prominent that in 1950’s post war America, men and women each had specific gender roles that they had to attain and carry out. Stanley’s physical sovereignty is embedded throughout the play due to way he behaves and his innermost desire to control everyone around him. “Well, you can hear me and I said to hush up!” “[yelling]: Sit down!” Stanley demonstrates his supremacy in the...
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...In A Streetcar Named Desire, the men are seen as cruel and bitter due to their harsh use of force to achieve what they want. Whereas in All New People, the men are perceived as the victims of society rather than its actual driving force. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Stanley fulfils the duty of carrying the traditional patriarchal role of the breadwinner in the society of the 1950’s era. He is represented as masculine through the use of his dominance in the household, control over Stella and being the prime influence in his social group of friends, as they see him as someone they want to be. However, this is contrasted in the modern day text of All New People, as Charlie conforms to the image of the ‘new man’ by emphasising the different types of masculine forms in society and how they are widely accepted. He expresses this through the use of showing emotion and being more considerate of other people’s feelings, while being aware of his own. Tennessee Williams makes it prominent that in 1950’s post war America, men and women each had specific gender roles that they had to attain and carry out. Stanley’s physical sovereignty is embedded throughout the play due to way he behaves and his innermost desire to control everyone around him. “Well, you can hear me and I said to hush up!” “[yelling]: Sit down!” Stanley demonstrates his supremacy in the household through his aggressive tone when speaking to others, due to being the only way he can govern them as a way of illustrating his...
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...masterpiece A Streetcar Named Desire. As a result, Blanche, the heroine in the play, had been the focus point of the critics. This thesis tries to analyze profoundly the cause of the tragedy of Blanche from several aspects .As Williams T concluded, ‘The heroine Blanche was struggling between reality and fantasy, finally, her spirit was broken drastically under the beat of ruthless reality. She was the typical weak woman and victim in the patriarchal society. Her tragedy shows that the woman can’t escape the control of the typical patriarchal society in any case of resistances.’(Williams, 2).Some of William’s points will be elaborated in this paper which includes four parts. Chapter one serves as an “introduction”, which gives a general review of main characters in the novel. Chapter two, “Character of Blanche” ,Blanche’s being trapped by the conventionality; Blanche’s illusion about men; Blanche’s illusion about herself; her husband’s suicide; Stanley’s rude behavior and sense of dominance; Stella’s betrayal; Mitch’s desertion and the cold realistic world. In conclusion, it is the Blanche’s illusion about men ,herself and cruelty of Stanley that mainly causes her tragedy. Keywords: tragedy conventionality illusion 1．Introduction 1.1 Review of the protagonist In Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire," each character represents something different. The play centers around two characters, Blanche and Stanley, and the conflict between them. These characters represent...
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