My Blog on "The Streetcar Named Desire" by Playwright Tennessee Williams

I believe that there are four main characters in "The Street Car Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams. Blanche is the primary character at the beginning of the narrative in the movie, but the written play begins with Stanley Kowalski and his friend Mitch walking around the corner of a building toward Stanley's rented home in elysian Fields, New Orleans. Stella Knowalski, Stanley's wife is a third main character in the naturalistic play. As Stanley yells at Stella the character reveals his own hubris to the reader. Even though Stella seems to stand up to her husband commanding him not to "holler" (1162) at her, at the end of the story and even throughout, her submission is seen to his dominant pride.

Blanche is the focus of the other main characters as she, right from the start, plays the victim. Instead of accepting and living in the present she chooses to buck the system by continually critizing it and complaining about it. The cultural clash Blanche brings about by her refined Southern mannerisms end up creating a no-win situation in the Kowalski household.

Mitch is initially seen as a different kind of person than the rest of the lower class people in the play. However, at the end of the story, when he shows his true colors, he is actually not any different than Stanley as he tries to rape Blanche in the same room that Stanley later does.

The hubris of Blanche reminds me somewhat of a Greek tragedy herorine. Even though the character was not put to death, she sacrificed herself for her principles, however wrong they seem to be to the reader.

If a real person read the work and had been a victim of rape it could possibly be a very difficult piece to read, unless the memories are totally healed.