Compare and contrast Williams treatment of the concept of mental instability in A Streetcar Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie in light of the opinion that Williams presents more hope in his presentation of Laura Wingfield than Blanche Dubois.
Compare and contrast Williams' treatment of the concept of mental instability in A Streetcar Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie in light of the opinion that Williams presents more hope in his presentation of Laura Wingfield than Blanche Dubois. Tennessee Williams was the early 20th century playwright of both A Street Car Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie. Williams' work was influenced by his family and it is widely believed that both the characters Blanche Dubois in Streetcar and Laura Wingfield in Glass Menagerie were modelled on his sister, Rose, a schizophrenic. As was common place in 1950s America, she was institutionalized and spent most of her adult life in mental hospitals. Reflecting on America's treatment of the mentally unstable and Williams' own experiences with this issue, both Street Car and Glass Menagerie explore the themes of escapism, abandonment, dependency and their effect on stability. Alcohol is used as a means of escape in Streetcar. Williams presents Blanche as a character who uses alcohol to distract herself from reality and her own mind; "the music is in her mind; she is drinking to escape it". Habitual drinking was bad for a woman's reputation in the 1940s and 50s, so the vice was often hidden or disguised; Williams illustrates this through Blanche's lies such as "No, one's my limit." Conversely, the character Laura's means of escape is through
To what extent do you think William wants his Audience to perceive Blanche as a victim ?
Streetcar named Desire To what extent do you think William wants his Audience to perceive Blanch as a victim ? Within the play 'A Streetcar named Desire' one Williams main characters is BlancheDuBois, this character can be seen as a complex individual that provokes strong reactions from the other characters. We know that she has been a schoolteacher in Mississippi but was asked to leave her job because of an involvement with a student, that she was once a 'Southern belle' from a wealthy family, and that she had a failed marriage and that Blanche has fled from her past. Her complexity comes not from her history or background, but from the varied and often inconsistent facades she presents. Throughout the play we get to know more about Blanche and the type of character Williams has really created in contrast to the type of person that she would like everybody else to think she is. Blanche's action when by herself, Blanche's past and her dialogue with others such as Mitch, Stanley and the paperboy allow us to draw a number of conclusions. Because of William's use of foreshadowing events throughout the play we are able to understand that Blanche is deceptive, egotistical and seductive. Blanche gives further weight to the idea because she deceives and tricks people. She lies consistently and pretends to be a very 'classy' and cultured when in reality she is neither. Williams
To what extent can Blanche Dubois be described as a tragic victim in A Streetcar named Desire
To what extent can Blanche Dubois be described as a tragic victim in A Streetcar named Desire In A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams presents the 'daintily dressed' Blanche Dubois as a tragic victim. Williams achieves this through his use of language, stage directions in the play and other dramatic techniques to emphasise Blanche's mental state and her dependence on alcohol and men. These factors cumulate and shape her tragic flaw, which is giving in to desire. She allows her desire to take control and manifest itself into drama and tragedy. When Blanche arrives, she has fallen, her fate is sealed and there is no way back for her now. The play presents a version of slum life that is romanticised, butreflects the typical characters of New Orleans. The area around Elysian Fields is historically different from the rest of the south as blacks mingle with whites, and members of different ethnic groups play poker and bowl together. Members of the lower class fight, but drink to the tune of an old bluesy piano, which allows them to forget the harshness of poverty. Blanche's 'appearance is incongruous' against the backdrop of New Orleans, which gives the audience a sense of vulnerability.The manner in which Blanche is dressed shows that she comes from an upper class background, and that she cares for her appearance. However she only wears costume jewellery, showing the
How much is Desire a force for destruction in the play 'A Streetcar Named Desire'?
How much is Desire a force for destruction in the play 'A Streetcar Named Desire'? The play 'A Streetcar Named Desire' obviously has the theme of desire playing a key role in it, since the play is so named. However, due to it being only a title, it cannot distinguish the role of this emotion, the many different subtleties of this emotion, and even the diverse range of ways it can be taken as meaning. It is not merely an emotion, but a force of nature, even a rite of passage. Within the play itself, as this emotion runs through the various scenes, no one threatens it, or even particularly acknowledges its very existence; yet, if it is not mentioned, then it should be unable to affect the characters and the plot as a whole. The actual depiction and reality of desire has not changed over time, but reactions are very different to it in the play to both what they are now, and what they were thousands of years ago. In this period, men were seen as being superior to women, but women had their place in the social order nevertheless. Stanley talks about the Napoleonic code; this is still used today, but only in principle. This is because for the most part, women and men are their own separate entities and have their own lives. In this point of time, and primarily in this location (since one cannot definitively say this was the overall mood towards desire when one only reads about
How does Williams present the character of Blanche in scenes 1-3 of A Streetcar Named Desire
How does Williams present the character of Blanche in scenes 1-3 of A Streetcar Named Desire? What dramatic techniques are used and what effects are created as a result? Tennessee Williams, the playwright of A Streetcar Named Desire is renowned for his strong characterization. He uses many literary, as well as dramatic, techniques in order to fully develop his characters, including their pasts, their motives and also their mannerisms. Moreover, Williams pays special attention to the way in which characters interact with each other, and the effects that are created as a result of the drama. Blanche is a major character in the play. The playwright presents her through her outward appearance on stage, her actions, the literary features of her language and what we find out about her and her life. The dramatic techniques he uses are designed to help the audience build-up an opinion of her, and these include detailed stage directions that vividly describe exactly how he wants to portray his character. When Blanche first appears in 'Elysian Fields', she is presented through her 'incongruous' appearance: 'She is daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat' The dramatic contrast between her and the New Orleans setting creates tension in the scene. The audience is made immediately aware that Blanche does not belong in
With close reference to the language and action of the following passage, discuss Williams presentation of Blanches first appearance in the play.
Improvements Needed: I would like to improve the length of my essays, shorten my introduction and use far more quotations more effectively. With close reference to the language and action of the following passage, discuss Williams' presentation of Blanche's first appearance in the play. Introductions and first impressions play an important role in a novel. Streetcar Named Desire, the character of Blanche is the center of the play, in which all the problems that arise are as a result of Blanche's actions or simply her presence. Tennessee Williams conveys this in the beginning scene of the play, where Blanche is instantly distinguished as a stranger to the setting. She is seen being patronizing towards the other characters of the play, giving of the impression to the audience of a snobbish attitude. Blanche's character may just be the most interesting character, and arguably the main character, as we see her character evolve from the start due to the ways she finds ways to cover her true self, like by her clothing; she dresses as a noblewoman to come across as a classy Victorian lady, but this facade deteriorates significantly. When she enters, it is fairly easy to see that Blanche is new to the neighborhood, through her action of looking at "a slip of paper", which was an address. The numerous ornamental accessories ("necklace", "earrings of pearl") give the feeling that
