Streetcar conclusions

In my first post on A Streetcar Named Desire, written when I had only read the first half of the play, I wrestled with Tennessee William’s feelings on domestic violence. I was uncertain as to whether he was against it, as he had Blanche vocalizing opposition to the violence, or whether he saw the romanticism to it and accepted it as a part of life typical of Streetcar’s setting and time period, since he portrayed Blanche as such an eccentric character throughout the play. Perhaps her hysteric reaction to Stanley’s violence towards Stella was supposed to be regarded as another example of her not understanding the modern, industrialized society of New Orleans and of her being a flighty character.

Now after completing the play, I have at least solidified my interpretation of William’s feelings regarding the subject, although I would like to hear other people’s interpretations. I think that for the most part Williams is showing how destructive violence can be. Stanley represents masculine power and animalistic desire, and, as we discussed in class, much of the play shows the competition between his ideals and those of Blanche’s. She cherishes illusion, romance, and culture. There are some victories for Blanche, such as the simple act of Stella allowing Blanche to remain in her home though it displeases Stanley, and some for Stanley, such as Stella returning to him after their domestic dispute following the poker game, and tensions build between Stanley and Blanche. As in any war, there needs to be a final showdown. This occurs when Stanley rapes Blanche the night Stella gives birth. I think that, as the final battle ends a war, this final monumental encounter between the two opponents reveals Williams’ line of thinking.

Stanley’s violent act crushes Blanche. She is clearly afraid of him after the incident. When she is exiting the bathroom, she asks, “Is the coast clear?” (686), peering around, because she does not want to have to walk by Stanley ever again. Blanche is also being taken to a mental institution. This outcome could be seen as Williams representing Stanley’s way of life dominating over Blanche’s, particularly because Stella deems Stanley the winner of their competition by choosing to stay with him and not believe Blanche’s story. However, I think that Blanche is supposed to be a sympathetic character, which I had overlooked in reading the first half of this play, rendering her destruction by Stanley a cruel and vicious act.

Though Blanche is flawed, as I pointed out in my first post, she is very desperate. She explains the trauma she went through to Mitch, watching each of her family members die. “Death—I used to sit here and she used to sit over there and death was as close as you are…” (680). She was driven to her sexual indecency by her experiences with death, including Allan’s, because Blanche views “desire” as the opposite of death (680). Readers can thus sense her desperation and need to feel alive. We can also see her emotional turmoil regarding Allan’s suicide through Williams’ use of expressionism through the polka music that runs through her head. This music signals that she is being haunted by remembrances of Allan since the same music played at the scene of his death.

Besides being desperate, Blanche is also a well-intentioned person. Though she lies about her past, she explains to Mitch that she “didn’t lie in [her] heart” (679). Readers can infer that the reason she did not explain her sexual past was because she feared being ostracized and not because she wanted to deceive him. Mitch’s declaration that she’s “not clean enough to bring in the house with [his] mother” upon finding out the truth shows that Blanche’s worries were justified. Blanche’s predicament is similar to Calixta’s in Kate Chopin’s At the ‘Cadian Ball in that both are the source of town gossip for their sexual affairs. Although Blanche is of a higher class, both are not accepted by mainstream society because their being sexually active out of wedlock went against codes of conduct for women.

Since Blanche is a sympathetic character, Stanley’s act is supposed to be viewed as horribly wrong. Stella, during Blanche’s departure, cries out, “What have I done to my sister?” (689), which I think indicates that deep down she knows Blanche was right about Stanley. This is why Stella is now plagued by a guilty conscience. Not only did Blanche not manifest the rape, but she, not Stella, had the right idea about violence. It is wrong in all cases because left unchecked it can escalate, as Stanley’s slapping around Stella turned into his rape of Blanche. Though Williams presents violence as having some romantic elements, particularly shown by Stella and Stanley’s sensual make-up scene after the poker game, I think the final scenes express his view that sexual violence is predominantly wrong and can easily escalate to completely unacceptable acts.