Tennessee Williams

A Streetcar Named Desire

Even though I read this story in high school, I noticed more subtleties and felt like I obtained a better understanding of Williams’ purpose the second time around. Williams addresses the sometimes unhealthy relationships between men and women and seems to be acknowledging the fact that every romantic relationship suffers at least one flaw. He illustrates this idea with the characters Blanche, Stella, Stanley, Eunice, and Steve. The two married women in the story experience physical abuse from their husbands. The only woman not married, Blanche, cannot seem to overcome her intense loneliness and “need” to be loved by someone else. She tries to compensate for these overwhelming feelings by sleeping with anyone who will have her. I found Tennessee’s main themes to be personal insecurity and the negative effects of lustful relationships. With these two themes in mind, I find it extremely hard to believe that Stella and Stanley or Eunice and Steve are actually in love with one another. Stella and Eunice probably continue pursuing their marriages because their insecurities cause them to fear being alone. Stanley and Steve, on the other hand, seem to be more into the physical aspects of their relationships and most likely stick around for the sex. Through my own personal experience, I understand how easily girls can get caught up with verbally or physically abusive guys. I also know how hard it can be to escape from the situation. Unlike the two aforementioned women, Blanche is forced out of her marriage when her homosexual husband commits suicide. Like Eunice and Stella, she seems to suffer from insecurity (and probably many other psychological problems), because the loss of her husband causes her to sleep around. She is so afraid of being single—alone—that she demands attention from anyone who will give it to her, regardless of how negative and unhealthy that attention might be. While the somber and uncomfortable tone of this story makes it somewhat difficult to enjoy, I think women who suffer from physical or mental abuse would gain a better understanding of their own conditions and perhaps be encouraged to take action simply from reading its content.