Essay Streetcar Named Desire

705 Words3 Pages
“A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams is a portrait of the conflict between men and women in a masculine society that is dominated by the owners and leaders of the household, men. As a consequence, the play deals with women dependence on men. Similarly, to the way modern women rely on men in today’s world. The women in the play, Blanche and Stella, choose to fall back on men and depend on them to help them economically but also emotionally and sexually. Both women in the play, see male companions as essential to achieve happiness and they depend on men for both their living and self-image. When Blanche feels insecure she turns to younger men, the paperboy, to make her feel valuable. Therefore, she flirts with him and craves for his attention. When she says: “Young man! Young man! Has anyone ever told you that you look like a young Prince out of the Arabian Nights?” (pg. 99 scene 5) Some women at that time wanted or even needed the attention of men to fulfill their self-image and confidence. In the present day, women still often feel the need and the pressure to get married, despite the ones who go to university and pursue a career. Even though, women have become more independent, they still want to feel love of a man as it is a necessity. As the play proceeds, Blanche is not the only one to depend on men for attention, love interests and socio-economic progress. Her sister Stella is heavily restrained by her husband Stanley Kowalski. This dependence promotes the abuse of women both verbally and physically. When Stanley beats Stella and she forgives him because she has nowhere else to turn and has the fear of being alone. As for example, when she says “No, it is not all right for anybody to make such a terrible row, but- people do sometimes. Stanley’s always smashed things.” Stella believes it is “okay” or “normal” for a man to once in a while put his
Open Document