In A Streetcar Named Desire,how is Belle Reve significant? From his constant string of verbal and physical abuse, to the ultimate extreme act of raping his sister-in-law, Stanley is infamously known as one of the most aggressively dominating characters in American theatre. Stanleys masculinity also destroys Blanche both psychologically and physically as his rape of her is the ultimate symbol of male dominance. The fact that Stella remarks that Eunice seems to have some trouble with Steve shows her carelessness about the situation due to its normality at Elysian Fields. Share Cite. In the Poker Night scene, Stanley stalks and charges at Stella and hits her. In Scene One, Stella honestly shares her experience growing up with Blanche on the plantation called Belle Reve. And I don't like to be swindled . Whether it is fear, sympathy, pity, etc., a villain evokes some sort of an emotion within people and, in a way, reaches out to people and affects them. Regardless, Stanley Kowalski will always be a villain who, with the tiniest smile and faintest bat of the eye, could become an image of desire. Latest answer posted January 15, 2020 at 4:45:04 PM. Stella is completely in love with Stanley and even tells her sister that . Im gonna call the police revealing the violent nature of Steve revealing his masculinity. He displays high masculinity and violence through the use of predatory animalistic imagery in both stage directions and Blanches descriptions of him. Blanche describes him as a survivor of the Stone-Age and ape-like revealing his primitive, uncivilized nature. But live with? What Stanley says before the rape. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. He exposes information that he discovers about Blanche's past to both Stella and to Blanche's newfound lover and friend of Stanley's, Mitch, subsequently sabotaging the relationship between Blanche and Mitch. Latest answer posted June 18, 2020 at 11:59:23 AM. She also uses a metaphor of bearing the raw meat home from the kill in the jungle! which further reveals his animalistic behavior as he is aggressive. "This is my house and I'll talk as much as I want to!". Test Match Created by IB_study Terms in this set (36) 'Belle Reve' Means 'beautiful dream' and is representative of the dream of Blanche's fantasies (Allan Grey ect.). That being said, meet Stanley Kowalski from Tennessee Williams' play, A Streetcar Named Desire: Exhibit A. Stella's pregnancy makes her choice of Stanley's world over the DuBois world concrete. The rape is the ultimate destruction of Blanche who represents a Southern Belle with her manners and appearance thus the destruction of the Old South by the new emerging south represented by Stanley. On the other hand, Blanche wants Stella to leave Stanley in hopes that she will return with Blanche back to their childhood days of wealth and luxury. Why does Mitch hit Stanley at the end of the play. Blanche traces the loss of Belle Reve to mismanaged sexual desire. Accompanying these traits are a general lack of refinement, manners, and sensitivity. He states We had this date from the beginning highlighting the tragic nature of the play as her downfall as well as the Old Souths downfall is inevitable due to the tragic genre of the play according to Aristotles definition of a tragedy. Related Characters: Blanche DuBois (speaker), Stanley Kowalski, Stella Kowalski Related Themes: Stella thinks that Stanleys aggression is attractive and exciting, while Blanche is terrified by it. We assign a color and icon like this one to each theme, making it easy to track which themes apply to each quote below. The sheer animal force of antagonist Stanley Kowalski is partly responsible for the fame of A Streetcar Named Desire. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Stanley telling Stella how she loved coming down to his class. Stella Kowalski You never did give me a chance to say much, Blanche. At times, we might even be able to relate, on some level, to villains or at least have an understanding from where it is that they are coming. When Stanley attacks Stella it brings Blanche to near hysteria as she shouts shrilly and runs to the kitchen. Accessed 20 June 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Your online site for school work help and homework help. The journey that Blanche describes making from the train station to the Kowalski apartment is an allegorical version of her life up to this point in time. A man like that is someone to go out withoncetwicethree times when the devil is in you. He realizes that Blanche is using his ethnic background as a way to discredit and insult him. Its a drive that he has. 9. Latest answer posted November 12, 2020 at 11:06:36 AM. The play ends with Blanche falling into a state of extreme psychosis and delirium and, as a result, is taken away to a mental institution an executive decision unanimously made by the members of the household. She moves in with her youngest sister and her husband because the landlord took the land away from Blanche because they could not pay for it anymore. 10. Blanche finds this attractive in Mitch, which means her ideal man is a Southern gentleman, not a man like Stanley. Stanleys masculinity and physical violence are used to invoke fear in the women and assert himself over them, and this leads to Stella crying weakly. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. "I pulled you down off them columns and how you loved it". Dolly Doyle | Certified Educator Share Cite Violence is used as a method of domination in A Streetcar Named Desire. The dream of the old south has ended and like Belle Reve, most fantasies are defeated by the denouement of the play. - Stella Kowalski, 'A Streetcar Named Desire'. It's especially bad news when we realize that Stanley uses his sexuality and aggression to assert his dominance in his household, and Blanche seeks comfort when she's feeling bad through sexual interactions (think of her "depend[ing] on the . Furthermore, Mitchs dismissal of Stanleys abusive nature in his relationship with Stella when he says to Blanche dont take it seriously revealing how the abusive and violent domestic relationship is seen as normal at Elysian Fields. (1.14) This is a fitting initial description of Blanche, since she does . STELLA: My head is swimming! Discuss the source of the animosity between Blanche and Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire. Stanley is drunk and aggressive with Blanche. Science, English, History, Civics, Art, Business, Law, Geography, all free! "Identify a quote from AStreetcar Named Desire that shows Stanley's resentment of Blanche." His use of his abusive, masculine nature in their relationship is further highlighted when Stella talks about her wedding night saying, Stanley smashed all the lightbulbs. All he wants is to see her squirm. This, of course, means that the villain, Stanley, has prevailed. The rape removes all of Blanches fantasy as Stanley states There is nothing but goddam imagination. Therefore, the violence and masculinity of Stanley brings realism to the play. [kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/C4Z4c6-_iek" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]. Scene 1 Quotes Sit there and stare at me, thinking I let the place go? Such a violent and deplorable crime is the epitome of violence in the play and serves to reflect the objectification of women in the society, whilst simultaneously asserting the men's power over them. He uses a series of demanding and interrogative questions such as where are the papers? and what is Ambler & Ambler? He also repeats throughout the scene the law Napoleonic code which is a law that states that whatever belongs to the wife belongs to the husband as well. She says to Stella that he is "not the type to go . ATTENTION: Help us feed and clothe children with your old homework! "We've had this date with each other from the beginning'. In Scene One, Blanche takes a streetcar named Desire through Cemeteries to reach Elysian Fields, where Stella and Stanley live. Why does Stanley want Blanche to leave in A Streetcar Named Desire? Not only that, but Stanley also succeeded because he had won the prolonged war against his enemy and was able to proudly retain his position as the dominant, "social leveler," that he had always been. Stanley's reference to the dynamic set in motion at the beginning of the play identifies their coupling as the play's inevitable climax. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Those aggressive verbs reflect an animalistic nature which Stanley is associated with throughout the play. Blanche feels that Stanley is not worthy of being associated with the Du Bois name. Motif Tracking: A Streetcar Named Desire - Violence Summary: Violence is a motif which is prevalent throughout the text, and although it may not always be manifested in clearly violent actions such as the rape, it is often displayed through more subtle verbal aggression, or spiteful acts. The hateful relationship between Stanley and Blanche is also very well-represented while he completely ignores her presence at the dinner table. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. When he rebukes her, Stanley's resentment towards Blanche is clearly displayed. They told me to take a street-car named Desire, and transfer to one called Cemeteries, and ride six blocks and get off atElysian Fields! Much of Blanche's conception of how she operates in the world relies on her perception of herself as an object of male sexual desire. Stanley is the most overtly violent. . Masculinity is finally presented as the reason for destruction, specifically Blanches downfall and the destruction of the Old South. Over the course of the drama, Stanley understands what Blanche is trying to do. It is also often blended with sexuality. One reason Stella chooses to remain in an abusive marriage with Stanley is her borderline hero-worship for him. Therefore, Stanley sees her as toxic, untrustworthy, and, he by no means, appreciates the fact that she constantly makes it apparent that she thinks that she is better than him and Stella; not to mention the fact that she consistently talks down to Stanley and openly labels him as being primitive, ape-like, and, bestial all while demeaning his Polish roots by calling him such offensive names as a "Polack." (Click the themes infographic to download.). Quotes Stanley Kowalski It looks to me like you have been swindled, baby, and when you're swindled under the Napoleonic code I'm swindled too. "I wish you'd stop taking it for granted that I'm in something I want to get out of.". The conflict between Blanche and Stanley boils down to different ideals of masculinity. The normal reality of domestic violence in Elysian Fields is further displayed by Steve and Eunices fight. . Article last reviewed: 2022 | St. Rosemary Institution 2010-2023 | Creative Commons 4.0. What is the significance of the title of A Streetcar Named Desire? Taking place during the late 1940's in a run-down, working class district of New Orleans, A Streetcar Named Desire opens with a showcase of Stanley Kowalski as both an egalitarian and the portrait of the perfect male prototype for that specific time period. The sheer animal force of antagonist Stanley Kowalski is partly responsible for the fame of A Streetcar Named Desire. However, at the same time, Stanley has, time and time again, been referred to as a character who possesses an intensely "animalistic physical vigor that is [more than] evident in his love of work, of fighting, and, of sex" with his main amusements being "gambling, bowling, sex, and, drinking.". STANLEY: All right, I'll wait till she gets through soaking in a hot tub and then I'll inquire if she is acquainted with the Napoleonic code. For example, we could, unintentionally, be so incredibly moved by the actions of a villain that we might actually grow to admire him or her, not necessarily because of his or her actions, but more so because of what he or she represents and the image that is produced. LitCharts makes it easy to find quotes by scene, character, and theme. Violence is the unfortunate outcome of the vitality of Stanley that Stella is so attracted to. So I just got in the habit of being quiet around you. Masculinity is further presented by Williams in A Streetcar Named Desire by highlighting the power struggle between the opposing sexes of male and female specifically in domestic relationships. It's a drive that he has. Does the play condemn or condone Stanleys type of masculinity? In scene 8 of A Streetcar Named Desire, all of Stanley's annoyances about Blanche and her attitude towards him, as well as, all of the insecurities this seems to bring up, comes to a head.. This contrast sets Stanley and Blanche as antagonist versus protagonist from the start of the play; a troupe of classic Aristotelian tragedy, highlighting the inevitable clash between the characters and the tragic ending of the play. Blanche is arguably an expressionist character due to her overly exaggerated/ flowery dialogues; thus, she is theatrically isolated as well as powerless due to her femininity. Not only does Stanley reveal his masculinity through the physical violence but also his desire to have Stella back is even more violent. With alcoholic and abusive tendencies towards his pregnant wife, Stanley, by no means, has the patience for Blanche that Stella has. "The stage directions say that sex is the center of Stanley's life. The title of the play does not lie. In this play, masculinity means aggression, control, physical dominance, and even violence. He is faithful to his friends, proud of his Polish heritage, and, shows a love for his wife, Stella, that is absolutely awe-provoking. The power of sexual desire is the engine propelling A Streetcar Named Desire: all of the characters are driven by "that rattle-trap street-car" in various ways. Science Teacher and Lover of Essays. Roman Society: Patricians, Merchants, Artisans, Slaves, Flannery OConnors A Good Man is Hard to Find: Summary & Analysis, 4 Reasons Why Learning Spanish is Good for Students, Themes in John Drydens All for Love (play), Antigone: Sibling Rivalry, Gender Inequality and Democracy. Streetcar named desire- Conflict quotes 4.7 (7 reviews) Stage direction: "When the men appear, and Blanche realizes it must be Stanley returning, she moves uncertainly from the bathroom door to the dressing table, looking apprehensively toward the front door." Click the card to flip Eunice shouts you hit me! It is at the very end of the play that the constant battle between Stanley and Blanche comes to an immediate conclusion. Blanche's desires have led her down paths of sexual promiscuity and alcoholism, and by coming to . One point of view expressed in the play is that this sort of brute masculinity is primitive and sub-human; another is that it is attractive and sexually appealing. 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