Streetcar vs. Trifles
Good drama is built on conflict of some sort-an opposition of forces or desires that must be resolved by the end of the story. Conflict in one's self is exactly what is portrayed in Susan Glaspell's Trifles and Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. Self conflict was inevitable in the times in which these two plays were set, for in those times women were nothing but trifles. Throughout history women have broken off the shorter end of the stick against men. Even when women have been correct and justified in their opinions, they have often been ignored and had their opinions and thoughts vanquished. In the days of Mrs. Wright in Trifles and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire, women were second to their men and found their selves inevitably in the reflection and shadow of the man in their lives. Both women were constantly searching for or desiring something that had been missing from their lives. In the case of Mrs. Wright, she was in search of the freedom she had as a young girl, which was stolen from her when she took on the name Wright. Blanche was hopelessly in search for love, which had been repeatedly taken from her through out her miserable existence.
Williams also wrote things carefully into the story. To understand Blanche's character, one must first understand her reason for moving in with her estranged sister and brother-in-law. The description of Blanche in the first scene describes her appearance to "suggest a moth" (Williams 15). In literature a moth represents the soul, therefore, it is possible to see her entire voyage as the journey of her soul. Later in the same scene Blanche describes her voyage, "They told me to take a street-car named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at-Elysian Fields" (Williams 15). Taken literally this does not seem to add much to the story, however, if one investigates Blanche's past one can truly understand what this quotation symbolizes. As already discussed, Blanche's life in Laurel was shameful. 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). However, she could not escape "death" for long. After the superintendent of the school she worked for, who was conveniently named "Mr. Graves," fired her for having sexual relations with the seventeen-year old boy, he sent her on her next stop of the symbolic journey-"Cemeteries." Mr. Graves totally destroyed her image and she could no longer stay in Laurel. Her final destination was "Elysian Fields." This is the place of the living dead. Blanche came to Elysian Fields to forget her horrible past, and to have a fresh start in life. In fact, Blanch admits in the fourth scene that she intends to "make myself a new life" (Williams 65). By understanding the circumstances that brought Blanche to Elysian Fields, it is easy to understand the motives behind many of Blanche's actions. One such action is that during the play Blanche is constantly bathing. This represents her need to purify herself from her past. As Blanch said, "Such a filthy tub!" (Williams 118) However, it is important to note that Blanche's description of her traveling came before she actually settles into Elysian Fields. The description, therefore, represents the new life Blanche hoped to find, not what she actually did find. gs the authors were trying to get across is the key to discovering the true personalities, feelings, and emotions of the main characters in both plays. Because Mrs. Wright is not directly in the play, understanding the symbolism in the story is the only way to discover the character. In relation to the notion of male gender superiority, it is many times nuances and innuendos, and not facts, which the women in Trifles use to express their thoughts. In this way the women discover the truth quietly, while men think they know the truth loudly. There are many examples of this that lead the women in the play to discover the truth behind the murder of Mr. Wright and the life that Mrs. Wright was subjected to through him. In the beginning of the play Mr. Henderson, the county attorney, remarks upon how dirty the towels in the kitchen are. "Dirty towels!" he exclaimed, "Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?" (Glaspell 9) To him, the towels are just that, towels. They do not indicate to him anything about the way of life in which Mr. and Mrs. Wright lived. He cannot see such indicators because he does not look for them. He does not look for them because he does not know how. He is not sensitive to the goings on in the household. No man at that time was. Proving this, Mr. Henderson said to the sheriff, "You're convinced that there was nothing important here-nothing that would point to any motive? "Nothing here b
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2471
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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