The Characters in A Streetcar Named Desire

these characters, the inability to adapt and change to the recent times is their downfall. Blanche is the exact opposite of Stanley. She came from a well off family that has lived in America for several generations. She is well educated and is fond of literature and the arts. She is very concerned with how she appears and with what others think of her. However, Blanche is far from perfect. She has just as many, if not more, problems as Stanley does. However, instead of trying to confront these problems and change them, she alters her perception on reality and does not wish to see things as they are. These characteristics of the antagonist and protagonist are what cause the conflict. The extreme separation of their cultures causes them to feud and bicker between one another. This feud, like the last train Blanch took to get to her sister's house, symbolizes the inevitable end of the old ways of life and the beginning of a new time. As soon as Blanche steps off of the streetcar, she is shocked at the state of her new residence. Her old home, Belle Reve, is much more extravagant than the home her sister and Stanley live in. The new residence causes her distress and anguish because she was raised as a proper, wealthy southern lady. The home in New Orleans is much less then what she expected. This house does not live up to the standards she has grown accustomed to over the years. At the very beginning of the play, Williams shows the drastic differences in the new and old expectations. The old way of life is much slower paced and more sophisticated. The new way of life is much different. It is faster paced and does not have the standards and etiquettes that the old way of life prides itself on. The America is much more in touch with reality. The old way of life is full of false images and alterations. While talking to her sister Stella, Blanche learns of Stanley and his friends. Stella, sensing the cultural differences, tells her sister to not judge him by the group of men from their home. From the description her sister gives, Blanche concludes that Stanley is "a survivor of the stone age" (1.5). She feels that Stanley is a barbarian because he was not raised to the same standards and education as she was. When they finally meet he is sweaty dirty and not properly dressed. Blanche has just taken one of her many baths and is neatly dressed and perfumed. In the play, Stella acts as a mediator. She was from the old style of life but now lives in the new. Because of her experiences in both styles of life, she tries to reason with both Stanley and Blanche. She tries to make either person see the good traits the other has and tries to get them to get along. Her knowledge in both styles of life allows Stella to be the most knowledgeable person in the play. Unlike her sister, who thinks Stanley is a barbarian, she sees through his rough qualities and finds good in him. Unlike Stanley, who thinks Blanche is spoiled and too self-conscience, she finds good qualities in her sister. Towards the end of the play, Stanley reminds Stella of their differences. However, unlike Blanche, Stanley feels their differences are a good thing. He feels he has brought her from a boring drab and proper world to a more colorful and exciting common world. She has made him from a complete mess to less of a slob. Even though they came from separate worlds they have managed to form a new one together. While it seems clear that Tennessee Williams sympathizes with Blanche and the loss of the old world, not everyone agrees with him. The new style of life is more down to earth and true to reality. In this play, Williams shows what happens when one loses grip with reality. Blanche's upbringing was eventually her downfall. She could not find happiness in the common world. After the death of her husband, death of her father, and the foreclosure of Belle Reve, Blanche shut herself away in a false sense of reality. This caused her to sleep with everyone willing just to try and find a bit of happiness. Stanley, unlike Blanche, has found happiness in the common world. He has a good sense of reality. However, he does not have any goals or dreams. His highlight is playing poker and getting drunk. He does not seem to want anything more for him or his wife. The characters' backgrounds play an important role in "A Streetcar Named Desire." The backgrounds cause a great conflict between the protagonist and antagonist. The conflict between the characters can be linked to the conflict in American society. The new generation of immigrants has a drastically different life style than families that have been in the country for generations. This clash of backgrounds caused much instability in America. Eventually the old style gave way to the newer way of life.