Discuss the importance of the past in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Mehreen Ajaz

Our lives are consumed by the past. The past of what we once did and what we once accomplished. As we look back on these past memories we hardly realise the impact these events have on our present lives. The loss of a past love affects our future relationships, the loss of our family influences the choices we make today, and the loss of our dignity can confuse the life we live in the present. These losses or deaths require healing from which you need to recover.

The past is very important when it comes to the characters in Streetcar, especially with Blanche. As the play develops, the reader learns more about her vulnerable and weak personality. Clearly Blanche wasn’t as frail before Stella ‘abandoned’ Belle Reve; she may psychologically feel distressed. Blanche says in scene one ‘all the burden descended on my shoulders’. Therefore she may be bringing this upon herself, giving her an excuse to be the way she acts as the play develops i.e. turning to alcoholism. However, there are strong reasons why Blanche is mentally disturbed; she experienced witnessing the deaths of every member in Belle Reve, as well as her husband committing suicide. These issues led to mixing up with strangers in Laurel, even having an affair with a student in the high school she used to teach at. Eventually she was told to get out of town – by the mayor himself. Not only does the importance of her past affect her present mental state, it is important because it digs out Stanley’s true character. He could not stand the fact that he could not possess her, the way he possessed Stella and everything else around him. Since he could not have her by agreement, he took her violently and forcefully, an action that literally pushed Blanche over the edge. With no more use for her, he works through Stella to send Blanche to a mental institution, signalling her symbolic death. This violent nature of Stanley shows that he has had a rough and aggressive past.

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Stanley is polish, who are often stereotyped as arrogant, or in Blanche’s words ‘something like the Irish’. However, Stanley has been characterised into an angry polish man as he has hit Stella before in the past. Therefore, his past actions were bound to repeat during the play. That is why his violent nature significant because Stanley's society only knows how to keep women in their place by treating them subordinately. For him, the wife's place is in the home, at his service day and night. When Stella begins to assert herself and comment on his bad manners, he rightly believes that Blanche's presence is the cause for it. She has brought Stella's personal identity to the forefront again. Stanley feels that the actions of the sisters together are a constant reminder of his lower working class background, and he feels inferior. As a male in a man's world, he does not want to feel inferior. He strikes back with violence, hitting Stella, throwing dishes, and ultimately raping Blanche. By overcoming his sister-in-law physically, he has won the conflict between them. Symbolically, the new, uncaring machine age has defeated the gentility of aristocracy of the Old South. Not only had Stanley brainwashed Stella, but Mitch as well near the end of the play.

When Mitch discovers the truth of her past, he is horrified, for he feels he has been deceived. Had Blanche been more truthful with him from the beginning, things would have been different. But Mitch is not educated or intellectual and cannot understand Blanche's behaviour, past or present. Since he sees things only as truth or lies, black or white, he deserts Blanche.

All these points show how the significance of the past affects every character’s present and future. However the past is most important in Blanche. With Allan's departure, the light had gone out of her life, seemingly forever. As a result, she began to prefer darkness and dim candlelight, the perfect setting for her make-believe world that has no pain or memories. It also hides the reality of her departed youth and advancing age. Blanche prefers to be an delicate character, living on the edge of the world. That is why the simile of the moth suits her.

Peer Reviews

Here's what a star student thought of this essay

groat

5th of Mar 2012

Quality of writing

The structure of this essay is fine, having an introduction and a conclusion. The conclusion is strong, drawing upon the points and saying why the past is significant to Blanch's down fall. However, the introduction is poor. There is no relevance to the task set, yet I can see what they are trying to do by defining the terms and setting an argument by looking at the past. But, if you are going to do this, remember to weave it in with the question, else the introduction is isolated and shows a lack of focus! Spelling, punctuation and grammar are fine.

Level of analysis

The analysis in this essay is sound. There is a clear focus on the importance of the past when analysing quotes, rather than simply pulling out techniques. However, as mentioned above this essay does not show awareness of the audience's response! I like the perceptive debate created when discussing Stanley's polish heritage. This is an opportunity to draw on some context, talking about how a contemporary audience would react to this. If I were doing this essay, I would be drawing upon Stanley's past as a thug, suggesting that he will be the downfall of Blanche. Then, there is a sense of Stanley being important to inducing Blanche's tragedy. I do have a big query with this essay in the way they talk about characters as if they choose their actions. You must show awareness that the place is Williams' construction, and he is using the characters for dramatic effect. Without showing this awareness, you are not fully analysing the effect on the audience and it lends itself to retelling the plot. Simply retelling the plot will gain very little credit.

Response to question

This essay engages well with the importance of the past on the plot and the characters, however it neglects the importance of this theme to the reader. I liked how there is a clear focus on why the past is central to the plot, but this essay won't reach the highest marks whilst neglecting the audience's response. There is a big sense of dramatic impact from Williams drawing upon the past, yet there is no discussion of this.

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