This was a very interesting play. Tennessee Williams shows us a different view of the gender roles we were used to seeing during his time of writing. While some other authors criticized the Southern Belle image indirectly, to me Williams takes it head on. He portrays Blanche as a whore, straight up. It's not very subtle in the fact that she got kicked out of seedy hotel, and us as the readers can only imagine why. We see her seduction of a young boy, and we also see how she's trying to bait Mitch. However, with all this being said- Williams in a way still makes us feel bad for her character. When it is finally revealed that Blanche is not a prim and proper Southern Belle, Mitch rejects her. He states that she is not clean enough to be in the house with his mother. We see that all of Blanche's lying and manipulative actions were necessary for her survival. She is not cut out to adapt to the ever changing world. America is turning industrialized, and Blanche is stuck in a time where women marry rich men who take care of them.
Stella plays a more conventional role of a lady, she stays at home with her child. Stanley dominates her and even abuses her, and she still stays with him. She believes Blanche's story when it comes to Stanley raping her, but states that she couldn't go on living with Stanley and believe Blanche. She chooses a man over her own sister. I think by this part in the play, we see that Stella isn't the good character we assumed she was.
Stanley plays the typical male role. He is domineering and aggressive. He brutalizes Stella and all of his friends- he runs his friends. No matter what they say, he always has something to say. He has to be in charge. He rapes Blanche as a way to get back at her for calling him common, and thinking that she is above him. He humiliates her and takes away any notion that she is better than him.
Overall, I really liked this story. It was a different take on the southern literature we are used to. There was a different kind of racism, and discrimination. We even see black people playing a power role, in Stella and Stanley's landlord is a black women. This play was a good break from the norm of what we've been reading so far.
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3 comments:
i agree that it is nice to get some variety in the reading pertaining to the south. This play was a lot different than other pieces we have read, it wasnt a black couple and sister who were having this problem, they were white. i think that is important because its starting to show the equality between blacks and whites.
this play wasnt my favorite however, the ending was not what i would have prefered. it was to abrupt and too dissapointing. I think that this story brings back the old south ways of family, and shows that it is no more. Two sisters wont stick together even when they have nothing left of their family or home.
Although I agree that it is nice to have something a little different to read, I wish it was not this. I found myself very frustrated by all of the characters in the play.
The two sisters do not represent the Old South, like Blanche is trying to do individually. They do not put family first. Stella chooses Stanley, who is he family, but not her blood over her sister.
I like Stanley's character because he is such a horrible person, which makes him very interesting. I agree that hi is abusive and domineering and aggressive. He hits his wife and feels the need to constantly dominate women and men.
I am very frustrated that Stella puts up with Stanley's abuse, and actually kind of likes it. If a man ever even thought of hitting me, I would kill him! -end of story.
So i think it's pretty cool too how Tennessee Williams pretty much just comes out and gives the southern belle role a smack in the face as well. I like how Blanche from the start is looked at as this whore who really has no life and is looked down upon by Stanley throughout the entire play. I think the play however is really good and when you talked about the power role of the african american it's true, you don't normally see that but it's kind of like "new south".
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