Section 5: Tennessee Williams as the Playwright of the American Family
Family has always been the center of every American dream. It is the one goal that every American wishes to accomplish. Unfortunately, family is never perfect in the real world. Though the “Leave it to Beaver” family is a typical ideal American family, it is not realistic. Tennessee Williams makes it a point to illustrate the American family as it is, instead of how it should be. His raw, down-to-earth approach to plays is perhaps why he has catapulted to fame and recognition. A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof exemplify this notion, and Williams is effective in his portrayal of the American family in its true form.
Like most families, in-laws are burdensome and are consistent threats to the family’s stability. Such is illustrated in Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, and he does this in a variety of ways. First of all, it is important to understand that life between Stanley and Stella was good before Blanche’s arrival. As Stanley puts it, “Wasn’t we happy together, wasn’t it all okay till she showed here?” (112). Williams illustrates the conflict that Blanche causes in the Kowalski household through a series of constant attempts to steal Stella from Stanley. For instance, after the fight, Blanche exclaims, “What were you thinking of…. How could you come back in this place last night?…. You’re married to a madman” (63-64). Like the meddler she is, Blanche serves as the common in-law that serves to tear a family impart. Though with good intentions, she nonetheless portrays the concept that families are not perfect in their unity. Williams further exemplifies this notion through Blanche and Stanley’s symbolic collision of life philosophies. When Blanche sings, “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” a song symbolizing her life of idealism, Stanley is simultaneously trying to convince Stella of her sister’s sordid past using evidence he has gathered, alluding to his realist approach to life. It is clear that Blanche and Stanley are in a struggle to win Stella’s soul; Blanche needs her support and Stanley needs her love. Stella is caught in the middle of the two characters’ conflict, thereby representing the typical American family’s vulnerability to disunity and dissension. A Streetcar Named Desire also connects strongly with the typical American family through Stella and Stanley’s memorable moment in Scene Three. Every real family has its ups and downs, unlike those ideal ones where downs are inexistent. The “down” in this scene occurs when Stanley bursts into a fit of rage, throwing out the radio, thus scaring off his wife, Stella. Yes, separation has occurred, but true to the real American family, both downs and ups occur, and the “up” is clearly displayed through their reunification. Though his scream of “STELL-LAHHHHH!” is not exactly the most romantic of things, it nonetheless wins his wife over. Moreover, it also shows that each family is different, that a conflict is usually not resolved through the most logical or romantic of ways; it just seems to happen naturally, and Tennessee Williams thereby makes it clear that families are often not idealistic. Indisputably, Tennessee Williams leaves no indication of describing the American family as it should be; rather, his portrayal of Stella and Stanley’s relationship is a testament to the American family as it truly is.
