Literacy Criticisms of A Streetcar Named Desire - Research Paper Example

?Introduction Different pieces of literature are not only able to represent basic concepts about society and thematic material that is appropriate tothe time frame. A personal relationship between the author and the literature is also present, specifically which creates a reflection of the main actions which have taken place in the author’s life. In “A Streetcar Name Desire,” each of the characters becomes a representation of the traits of Tennessee Williams as well as the philosophies which he held about life. The actions, thoughts and dialogue that are seen with the characters each work to create an explanation not only of the themes throughout the play but also relate directly to the life of Williams and the controversies which he faced as well as the characteristics which developed from this. Meaning of Streetcar Named Desire The play “Streetcar Named Desire” was written after William’s first success of “The Glass Menagerie” and was known to develop with his own cliche statement which he called a ‘streetcar named success.’ This was based on his early achievements as a playwright and with the inability to move in the correct direction with his next plays. The confusion which came from this success was one which was based on the ability to indulge in life while not carrying a sense of direction about future prospects. The result was William’s moving into a controversial lifestyle where he was able to indulge in drinking, fine dining and gambling (Torres, 162). The conflicts which were faced then combined with the understanding that William’s had of himself which led from fame to a self – destructive attitude. The overall plot line and the different actions which take place, as well as the main theme of the play, all show this specific attitude and the way in which William’s is reflecting about his life at this particular time (Bloom, 11). The writing of this specific book was also based on the philosophies and interpretations which William’s had during this time. He created a looking glass of his own life and how he had struggled then instantly broken through into success. This left him with the need to re-examine relationships, morality and the conflicts which occurred either in his own life or in general. The idea which he began to move around was to find the ideal of what was good. “Then what is good? The obsessive interest in human affairs, plus a certain amount of compassion and moral conviction, that first made the experience of living something that must be translated into pigment or music or bodily movement” (Williams, 22). The philosophy which William’s fell back on at this time then led him to delve into his personal relationships, specifically with his sister, and to re-examine the interest of his personal affairs and the way in which he believed he had interacted with them. It was this specific component that led to the questioning of his character and the reflection of this in his next play (Thompson, 47). Direct Relationships to Characters The different characters used throughout “A Streetcar Named Desire” are recorded as having a direct association with William’s life. The characters in the play are known to be representative of the family that William’s had, specifically in reference to Blanche, who is found to go through several brutal relationships and end up in a mental hospital. Blanche is known to be directly linked to William’s sister, Rose, who struggled with mental health for several years and later became incapacitated after a lobotomy. The problem and crisis which William’s associates with is reflective of watching his sister go through the victimization and with the concept of explaining the complexities, emotional conflicts and the deeply rooted problems of the mental health which he sees through his sister. Each of these become associated with Blanche and the struggles noted throughout the play with her mental health and relationships with others (Vlasopolos, 322). The character of Blanche is the main focus which William’s took when writing the play, specifically because of the conflicts which he associated with his sister. However, he is also reflective of his own attitudes toward Blanche and the controversies which arise because of this (Wilmer, 72). The character of Stanley becomes representative of this with the way in which he is seen throughout the play. The amount of self – confidence of the character, the need to be self – contained are the attributes which William’s was known for at the time, specifically because of his fast rise to success and his ability to move higher into the field he was in without complexities. Stanley represents this as a member of the working class who is optimistic about his life and interested in the benefits associated with his success (Popkin, 45). Actions and Conflicts of Characters The main attributes of the characters are furthered with William’s representations by the dialogue and actions which are taken. This furthers the attributes as well as the beliefs which William’s had and creates some of the philosophies and reflections of this time, specifically with his questions of success. The first ways in which these roles are seen are from the Southern status which each of the individuals have. This leads to racial divisions as well as status divisions in terms of the marginal individuals in the play. The role which William’s creates between these characters, specifically with Stanley, shows the division that is raised racially as well as in terms of the actions which others can or can’t take. This is significant not only in showing the attitudes of William’s, but also creates an understanding of the accepted culture of the South, the boundaries which were immediately placed into society and the controversies which arose because of this. William’s, while representing this characteristic, also questions its significance by creating friction with other characters from the same definitions and expectations of division from Southern society (Crandell, 101). There are several areas where the Southern attitudes of William’s are presented among the characters, specifically with associations of Stanley being the parallel character of the author. The attitude toward Blanche is one of the main ways in which this is represented. Stanley doesn’t agree with his sister’s friendship with Blanche and believes at first that she is one who shouldn’t be accepted in society. He creates divisions and boundaries based on her reputation as well as the social conflicts that are throughout the play. The divisions come from stories which Stanley hears to create the conflict and which lead to the continuous downfall of Blanche. This is followed with judgments, stories and experiences that are not heard through Blanche, but instead create further divisions. For instance, Stanley tries at one point to kick Blanche out of his house after Stella has brought her in. However, Stella begins to recall facts about Blanche to change his mind (Williams, 83). The conflicts which come from the stereotype of Blanche’s character reveal the same Southern divisions and attitudes that William’s may have carried or been aware of while writing this play. The conflicts which were created by William’s, specifically through the stereotypes of Blanche and the divisions of other minor characters, such as the black maid, all create the same understanding of William’s and the attitudes which he carried. The representation of his character as Stanley is one which alludes to the philosophies which William’s had at that time. This referred to his idea of success and the need to find and confront the good that was a part of his life. This was followed by the analysis of what his character was in given situations. The personality and identity which William’s created with Stanley was based on showing a new type of conflict which came from the inherent ideals which he carried and which were now questioned because of the philosophies which he began to examine. William’s takes the idea of Stanley and immediately creates him into a controversial character so he can re-examine success and look into the features that created the central conflicts. The inability to find the good in Blanche, the boundaries he creates on others and the interest in rising professionally as the objective then become directly related to the author’s personal conflicts (Roth, Gent, Huber, 92). The central conflicts between characters that William’s creates, while having reflections of his personal life, are also exaggerated because of the psychological emphasis that were a part of this time period. The abusive nature which Stanley has and the amount of conflict which he shows with the other characters also may be exaggerated, such as the way he approaches Blanche (Williams, 20). This is one which William’s may have created as reflective of his own life; however, there is also an understanding that this was exaggerated specifically for the idea of examination of conflicts and to show the emotional and psychological responses associated with this. By doing this, there was the ability to create an understanding of the extremities of virtue and the lack of the main ideals needed to live a virtuous life with William’s showing Stanley as the lack of virtue and as a reflection of his worst times, all which were exaggerated to create the central conflict (Bedient, 36). Conclusion The concepts associated with “A Streetcar Named Desire” are ones which are exaggerated and fictional from the viewpoint of the actions taken. However, the central controversies, characteristics of each of the individuals and the relationships to each other are reflective of William’s traits as well as the exemplification of those in his family, specifically with his sister Rose. This particular play worked as a way for William’s to identify concepts of virtue, conflict and the interactions which occurred in various households and which led to the downfall of those within the story. By creating this concept, William’s is able to work through the reflections on his own life, all which were specific to the time frame in which this play was written in William’s life and the philosophies which he was beginning to create after his success as a playwright. Works Cited Bedient, Harold. “There are Lives that Desire Does Not Sustain: A Streeetcar Named Desire.” Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire, Harold Bloom (ed), Haights Cross Communications: Illinois, 2005. Bloom, Harold. Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire. Haights Cross Communications: Illinois, 2005. Crandell, George. “Misrepresentation and Miscegenation: Reading the Racialized Discourse of Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire.” Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire, Harold Bloom (ed), Haights Cross Communications: Illinois, 2005. Popkin, Henry. “The Plays of Tennessee Williams.” The Tulane Drama Review 4 (3), 1960. Roth, Barbara, Robert van Gent, Daniel Hubber. “Acting in Character.” Creating Personalities for Synthetic Characters (1195), 1997. Thompson, JJ. “Tennessee William’s and Plays.” Psychological Works 15 (47), 2002. Torres, ER. “A Perversion Named Desire.” International Journal of Psycho – Analysis 14 (2), 1991. Vlasopolos, Anca. “Authorizing History: Victimization in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire.’” Theatre Journal 38 (3), 1986. Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. Heinemann: London, 1989. Williams, Tennessee. Where I Live: Selected Essays. New Directions Publishing: New York, 1978. Wilmer, HA. “Psychiatrist on Broadway.” American Imago 15 (2), 1955. Read More