I recently finished the play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. To be fair with you, diving into this play -- I had no idea what the context would be about. I have only ever heard references to this play throughout media; I think the most popular example may be this scene from The Simpsons. Does anyone remember this episode?! Marge is cast as Blanche DuBois and Flanders played Stanley Kowalski.
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Anyway, I happened to find a copy of A Streetcar Named Desire at one of our neighbourhood Little Libraries a few months back. I finally came around to reading it, so here is my synopsis and review of the play!
⚠️ Warning: this post will obviously contain spoilers, as well as deal with some sensitive topics. Please proceed at your own risk! ⚠️
The play begins with one of the main characters, Blanche DuBois, making her appearance. She has come to stay with her sister, Stella, who lives in an apartment with her brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski.
"They told me to take a streetcar named Desire."
Blanche immediately confides in her sister that she is in a rough spot; she has recently lost their family home to creditors. What's more, death came knocking on their door, for Blanche goes on to explain the loss of numerous loved ones as well! As a result of all this, Blanche tells Stella that she has taken a break from her teaching job as an English teacher.
The play progresses, with Stanley and Blanche meeting for the first time, and the two have less than satisfactory opinions of the other. Stanley accuses Blanche of being a liar, asking her to provide proof of the fate of the family estate. He asks her what had been the outcome of her first marriage, to which Blanche reveals her husband had committed suicide, but could not continue her story.
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Meanwhile, Blanche confides to Stella, once again, that she finds Stanley to be a brute of a man. After witnessing a domestic altercation between the couple, Blanche worries for her sister's well-being.
"There's something downright -- bestial -- about him!"
In fact, the play even goes on to describe Stanley as such:
"Since earliest manhood the center of his life has been pleasure with women, the giving and taking of it."
While Blanche begins to take an interest to one of Stanley's friends, Stanley slowly starts to piece more of Blanche's puzzle together. He learns that up until coming to stay with them, Blanche had been staying at a seedy hotel known for prostitution. He learns of the horrid ending of Blanche's first marriage: her husband was secretly gay, and when Blanche had confronted him on it, called him "disgusting," he had shot himself right then and there. Stanley also learns that Blanche is not "taking a break" from teaching -- she was fired for having a relationship with an underage student!
"She didn't resign temporarily from the high school because of her nerves! ... They kicked her out of that high school ... and I hate to tell you the reason that step was taken! A 17-year-old boy -- she'd gotten mixed up with!"
On the day of her birthday, Blanche is stood up by her love interest, after discovering the truth about her from Stanley. That same night, Stella leaves for the hospital to give birth. While Stanley and Blanche are alone in the apartment, he finally confronts Blanche on all of her lies. She attempts to defend herself from him but is unsuccessful, and Stanley goes on to rape Blanche...
It is a few weeks later, and Stella is packing up Blanche's belongings. Having suffered a mental breakdown after the incident, and Stella having refused to believe the incident occurred in the first place, Stella concluded it was best for Blanche to go to a mental institution.
"I couldn't believe her story and go on living with Stanley."
The play ends with a doctor coming to retrieve Blanche while she has a fit, Stella running after them in hysterics, regretful of her decision, and Stanley attempting to comfort his wife while his friends continue their game of poker in the background...
My review: I actually quite enjoyed this play -- and it doesn't happen often that I enjoy a piece of literature!
I really enjoyed the setting of A Streetcar Named Desire. It takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana, and although I have never been before, the play did a lovely job of placing me in the city. I could feel the ever-constant heat from the sun, especially during the evenings, when people desperately tried to keep cool with ice-cold Cokes and hour long baths. I could smell the thick scents of rich coffee, bananas, and flowers. I could hear the local entertainers playing their trumpets, dancing in the streets while cackling. Despite the context of the play, there was a very relaxing, leisurely element to its settings, from the ladies' pampering and gossip as they sipped their Cokes, to the men smoking and drinking during their evening poker games.
It was fascinating to witness the rise and fall of Blanche DuBois, for she was obviously a character who deserved nothing less. I don't know if she was meant to evoke pathos because of her privileged, sheltered upbringing, which we can infer from her old French surname, but I felt the complete opposite: I could not stand Blanche! Everything about her character was built upon lies: from her first marriage, to the family estate, from her past, to her friends! There is even an exchange between Blanche and Stella, in which Blanche happily boasts about her true colours:
"What are you laughing at, honey?"
"Myself, myself, for being such a liar!"
She became absolutely deplorable when she chose to double down as opposed to turning to the truth. I could not stand Blanche after she uttered this line:
"Deliberate cruelty is not forgivable. It is the one unforgivable thing in my opinion and it is the one thing of which I have never, never been guilty."
Whatta load of horse shit! Here was a woman -- granted, a young woman at the time, she was 16 -- who played a helping hand in her husband's demise. Had Blanche not said anything about his "disgusting" sexuality, he probably would not have killed himself that same night. Yet, rather than atone for her sins, she chooses to milk it for everything its worth! She constantly blames the event for her demise, for her horrible luck with love, and remains a victim to its circumstances. She played a role in a man's death, yet has the audacity to claim she's "never been guilty" of such a crime.
As if that wasn't enough, Blanche goes out of her way to make you seethe her, by claiming
"But beauty of the mind and richness of the spirit and tenderness of the heart -- and I have all of those things -- aren't taken away, but grow! ... How strange that I should be called a destitute woman! When I have all of these treasures locked in my heart."
So while I do not agree with Stanley's... punishment for Blanche, I can understand why it happened. After all, it was immediately foreshadowed at the beginning of the play -- the streetcar named Desire! Blanche is not the only character who gives into her desires, although she is quick to note that our desires are not always worth it.
"What you are talking about is brutal desire -- just -- Desire! -- the name of that rattle-trap streetcar. ... It brought me here -- Where I'm not wanted and where I'm ashamed to be..."
But all of this is to emphasize the fact that Blanche does not deserve pity. She has actively gone out of her way to create this reality for herself, and to consistently be a victim to her circumstances. Not once does she attempt to learn or grow from her mistakes, but instead chooses to rely on the benevolent nature of strangers, which is probably an oxymoron in and of itself! Even when the doctor comes to collect her, Blanche chooses to believe that he will not bring her harm.
"Whoever you are -- I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."
