Medea and a Streetcar Named Desire

568 Words3 Pages
Feelings of isolation and disempowerment may result when individuals find themselves outside the mainstream of society. As the audience witnesses the struggles of Blanche and Medea, we are positioned to feel sympathy towards their plights as they are outsiders in society, isolated and vulnerable. It is this isolation and vulnerability which instigates the two characters to act and make choices throughout the two plays. In A Streetcar Named Desire, sympathy for Blanche is developed throughout the play, as we witness how being on the outside of the mainstream of society has negative effects on her, as it causes her to feel socially isolated. Since Blanche’s arrival in New Orleans, we are immediately introduced to the extreme differences between Blanche and her immediate surroundings; this is made evident in Scene One, when the stage directions describe her appearance as “incongruous to the setting”. Williams’ use of stage directions is effective as it provides an insight into Blanche’s character early on in the play. The audience realises that Blanche is an outsider in New Orleans as it becomes obvious that she is incapable of fitting into the egalitarian town. We discover that Blanche is living in a world that doesn’t exist anymore in Scene Three when she says “Please don’t get up” and Stanley replies “Nobody’s going to get up”. The tone of Stanley’s remark emphasises the contrast between the two characters’ mannerisms, which also parallels to the two different American societies’ at the time. Williams uses Stanley to represent the new American society or ruthlessness, whereas Blanche is from the old American society, where she was a part of a social hierarchy that no longer exists, which explains why she assumes that she should be treated as a ‘lady’. As Blanche begins to feel further isolated, we can’t help but feel pity as her ideals and expectations are severely
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