Streetcar Named Desire
Tennessee Williams, an American playwright, has been known as the most prominent American southern dramatist. He won his first Pulitzer Prize with Streetcar Named Desire. In this play, Williams shows the need for belief in human value against the natural realistic world. He uses symbols to develop the characters and theme of illusion verses reality within Streetcar Named Desire. The two main characters are Blanche DuBois, an aristocrat southern belle, and Stanley Kowalski the "gaudy seed-bearer." Blanche lives in the superficial world she has made for herself while Stanley lives in the harsh realistic world. The confrontation between Blanche and Stanley is shown throughout the play and is so severe that one must be destroyed. Williams uses specific names to describe his characters. The name Blanche comes from a French word meaning white and her last name Dubois meaning woods. This corresponds with Blanches character because she uses the French language to charm Mitch and to seem more intelligent. White being the color of purity suggests that she is pure and innocent although it will soon be shown that this is an illusion that she has engrossed in. She has come from Belle Reve, also of French descent meani
"Tennessee Williams." 10 November 2000 .(Williams 15). If one investigates Blanches past one can truly understand what this quotation symbolizes. Blanche left her home to join her sister, because her life was a miserable wreck in her former place of residence. She admits, at one point in the story, that "after the death of Allen (her husband) intimacies with strangers was all I seemed able to fill my empty heart with"(Williams 118). She had sexual relations with anyone who would agree to it. This is the first step in her voyage - "Desire." She said that she was forced into this situation because death was immanent and "The opposite (of death) is desire"(Williams 120). She escaped death in her use of desire. However, she could not escape "death " for long. She was a teacher at a high school, and at one point she had intimacies with a seventeen-year-old student. The issue was not concealed for long. The revilement of this caused her to be fired and destroyed her image. She was basically banned from Laurel and sent on her next journey - "Cemeteries." Her final destination was Elysian Fields. Elysian Fields are the mythical resting-places of the gods. This is the place of the living dead. Blanche came to Elysian Fields to forget her horrible past, searching in her soul to have a fresh start in life. poker, bowling or in the corner pub. He is willing to work hard for what he wants. He is a salesman and has to travel a lot. As with Capricorns, Stanley is very untrusting and often investigative. When he hears of Belle Reve being lost he wants to examine Blanches belongings and the bank papers. His interests are only in the Napoleonic Code (he loses money). He is a domineering person and animalistic in his ways. He wants what is his and has been referred to as the "gaudy seed-bearer." Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Interpretations: Tennessee William's A Streetcar Kazan, Elia. "Notebook for A Streetcar Named Desire." Miller 94-102.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Elysian Fields, Napoleonic Code, Reve French, Blanche Stanley, Belle Reve, Named Desire, Allen Poe, Stanley Kowalski, Williams Stanley, Mitch Stanley, named desire, streetcar named, streetcar named desire, belle reve, elysian fields, william's streetcar named, illusionary world, stanley kowalski, music apparent, light bulb, tennessee william's, william's streetcar, tennessee william's streetcar, reality blanches life, lantern light bulb,
Approximate Word count = 2849
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)
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