...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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...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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...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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...Lying. Deception. Deceit. These words sum up what everyone experiences on a daily basis, as people lie in order to protect their relationships and get through the day. While this sin is commonly committed by everyone, it can be detrimental when committed by those who are idolized in society and have influence over others. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams, the author, incorporates symbols and imagery to demonstrate Blanche's and Stanley's inability to always tell the unadulterated truth. However, he exemplifies that deception is dangerous when committed by those who influence and have control of other people's lives, such as Stanley. In Scene 4, Stella flashes back to her "wedding night" when Stanley "snatched off one of [her] slippers and rushed about the place smashing the light-bulbs with it." (Williams, 97) Here, Williams utilized the "light-bulbs" as a symbol for truth, challenging the reader to assume that Stanley's desire for darkness was, in fact, a hint at his complacency for deception. Williams furthers this insinuation when Stanley reminded Stella of the "colored...
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...It has been said that any movement is a rebellion against the norms of the previous movement. The violence of the first world war paved the way for Modernism to emerge as a new way of expression, a way that was untraditional in every aspect. Customary literary structure was not suited for this new era of violence; hence modern art surfaced. The globalization of war created anxiety and uncertainty, which permeated this new age with questions such as “what is our place in this world?” This manifested itself into the modern creation of works that unveil basic psychological truths by bringing up these questions and exploring their answers. By employing unresolved endings and depicting emotionally extreme characters, modern works convey the unsettling...
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...A Streetcar Named Desire I strongly agree with Brown’s assertion that Williams’ text A Streetcar Named Desire is relevant to study in 2013. In this essay I will explore some important issues that are seen in the text and today in 2013 in order to prove my stand. To begin, I will address the issue of domestic violence, which permeates all the relationships in the play. Secondly I will discuss the issue of loneliness and a need for love. I will also analyse the life of illusion that Blanche leads and the issue of alcohol as it pertains to Blanche and the men. A major issue in the play is that of domestic violence, a fact that makes the play relevant to modern audiences. There are a number of incidents involving domestic violence throughout the play. It is Stanley who states that “every man is a king and I am the king around here.” It is his need for dominance that makes him believe that he can throw the radio out of the window because Blanche refuses to switch it off. Williams takes great pains to describe Stanley’s sense of dominance as seen in the words “richly feathered male bird among hens.” Stanley represents the violence of the real world. He is physical and is often associated with animalistic imagery. He is described, “Baying like a hound, bellows his wife’s name.” Blanche also associates Stanley with the brutes, “don’t hang with the brutes.” But violence is not limited to the Kowalski’s alone. Eunice threatens Steve saying, “You hit me! I’m gonna call the police.” Stanley...
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...Sisterhood vs. the Male World What is sisterhood? Women have to ask themselves this question. Sisterhood once promised to women a social haven separate from male culture - a domain, which was the result of the ongoing pressures of society’s strict gender codes, served as a common ground for feminist discourse. Through sisterhood, women were empowered and capable of enacting change in their lives and improving the experiences of women in this country. However, over time this unity has broken down. Waves of feminism claimed that the strife of women was a battle for gender equality in the grip of a male-dominated world; but an effect of this targeted attack was inevitably a loss of attention to the treatment of women by their own sisters in feminism. By the 1940s, women had made social, economic and political strides by gaining access to higher education, working in predominantly male sectors, and by voting and lobbying for gender equality legislation. This allowed women to 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...
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...(Houston par. 1).Tennessee Williams was a man who had many stories to share of his experiences and all of the different influences he has had throughout his life. In both Tennessee Williams’s Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, he bases his characters off of his own mother, sister, and homosexuality. Tennessee Williams grew up with his mother and grandparents being his biggest influences of people to look toward because his father was a traveling businessman and not around much. His...
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...The intense desire for power is a feeling that many human beings may have. In Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, the theme of power is very evident throughout the play. Stanley Kowalski’s hunger for power has led him to violence. He is a man who takes pride in what he does and his role as the head of his household. His brutal and abusive attitude is one that readers are made aware of the moment he comes into the scene. In the first seen he is seen hurling raw meat to his wife showing his animalistic approach to life. All of his authority is put into question when Stella’s sister Blanche comes over for a stay. Always Stanley’s power upon others is served with a side of violence. In scene three we witness what happens when he feels that he is losing power. Stanley has been losing money from the poker playing and needs to save face with his buddies. He complains that that the women are talking too loudly, and then complains again when Blanche turns on the radio. He gets up and switches it off himself. Blanche, who obviously doesn’t see Stanley as a threat, turns it back on and begins to waltz with Mitch. Then Stanley who has been drinking takes the radio and hurls it out the window as a sign of superiority and putting his foot down. When Stella tells his friends to leave he chases her and beats her. Stanley has been losing money from the poker playing and needs to save face with his buddies....
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...A theme that stretches through a large variety of stories is self-preservation. Self-preservation is the protection of oneself from harm, death or any force that seeks out one's downfall, especially regarded as a basic instinct in human beings and animals. Three stories that the theme touches on is Streetcar named Desire, Hamlet, Night and The Metamorphosis. In these stories are characters who are put up against despicable enemies who seek to take away or destroy all that they have been building towards. These characters try to protect the things that they hold dear to them by any means necessary. In the Streetcar named Desire, Stanley enjoys his life with his wife and friends but all of that is threatened when his wife's sister,...
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...or others. Internal conflict is related to the questions you ask yourself about right compared to wrong, or good compared to bad. These conflicts are usually a result of a two-headed issue happening in your life and can be something exceptionally straightforward or extremely complex in nature. Everyone is experiencing internal conflict now and again....
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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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...Death of a Salesman and A Streetcar named Desire how far they tragic in a classical sense? Both “Death of a Salesman” and “A Streetcar named Desire” have tragic elements to them. Yet many critics say that both plays deviate too far from Aristotle’s foundations of what a tragedy should be. For example neither character is in an “elevated position”, which Aristotle says is vital for a tragic hero as it gives the character a “height” to fall from. Willy and Blanche aren’t royal or particularly high class, although Blanche believes herself to be a Southern Belle and portrays that image publically there is evidence that she isn’t a Southern Belle, Willy is a working class salesman who would be consider a “common man”. Both characters are relativity common people, however in Miller’s “Tragedy and a Common man” he says that he believes “a common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were.” Miller goes on to say that the “tragic feeling is evoke in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down their life… to secure… their sense of personal dignity”. For Willy this is to be known as a salesman, He bases his goals for the American Dream, which is flawed as it forever leaves him wanting more as a person. He bases his end goal on Dave Singleman who has people from all America come to his funeral; Willy believes that he is the embodiment of the American dream. Aristotle says in his Poetics, that tragedy represents men as better...
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...In Tennessee Williams’ play, A Streetcar Named Desire, the main antagonist, Stanley Kowalski, can only be described as down-to-earth and brutish. This is unquestionable, and is evident numerous times throughout the play. Stanley serves as the antithesis to Blanche who, in turn, is quiet, fragile, and deceitful. The conflict in the play arises from Blanche’s arrival to the Kowalski’s residence and is a direct result from the meeting of these two contrasting characters. As such, it is perhaps not difficult to see that the motivations for most of Stanley’s defining actions in the play stem from Blanche who, from his point of view, is just a disruptive presence that doesn’t belong and only serves to annoy him. Blanche’s occupancy, coupled with Stanley’s dominant personality, is the basis for his multiple signs of aggression and assertion in the play. Stanley, as is so often claimed by Blanche, is simple. His motivations throughout the play aren’t very complex: he wants to be able to do what he wants, and to maintain control while he’s at it. Stanley is evidently an alpha male; if someone is doing something that he doesn’t approve of, whether it makes sense or not, he’s going to disagree. This makes it very easy to understand his actions. Blanche came uninvited into his home – the place where Stanley dominates. This already puts their relationship off to a bad start. Throughout the play Blanche made changes to his home as well as ripples in his relationship with Stella. Stanley...
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...As one of the main characters, and arguably the antagonist of A Streetcar Named Desire, Stanley stands as a representation for more than just a disgruntled husband who is bothered by his sister-in-law. For example, Stanley’s character embodies the shift away from the “Old South” and traditional Southern values, both of which are embodied by Blanche, to a new more “common” era. This can be seen when Stanley states, “I was common as dirt…I pulled you down off them columns and how you loved it” (Williams 137), showing the dismantlement of the pompous South by the ever-growing “common man” population. Additionally, Stanley’s character represents a new America by embodying the emerging “working man” or blue collar stereotype, while also exemplifying...
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