A Streetcar Named Desire Essay. Destiny Of One Woman

Streetcar Named Desire essays tell us about one woman’s attempt to change her life. One day she left her city and her home but nothing brought her happiness. Essays on a streetcar named desire describe teacher’s life. Blanche DuBois was tired of teaching, her nerves were not good and she went to visit her sister.  You are going to read our essay on streetcar named desire, and if you will like this paper, we have many others writing works (you can order any kind of them).

A Streetcar Named Desire essays are unique and special, because it is impossible equally describe the tragedy of the woman.

At first let us talk a little about the author of this play and then directly about the plot and main characters.

The Author

Tennessee Williams was a very talented American playwright. He had a difficult life, but as the author he was successful. Often his plays were transferred into movies. His play “A Streetcar Named Desire” was performed at Broadway and it was the greatest success. Later Williams tried to create a new style but his attempt was unsuccessful. The playwright started to use drugs and drink a lot of alcohol, so such habits spoilt his writing career. But still he managed to leave the world a lot of his successful plays. Sometimes he went traveling, and after visiting big cities (New York, London, Barcelona, and Roma) his inspiration returned to him.

The play “A Streetcar Named Desire” became popular from the performance. On Broadway this drama was for two years. Later there was made a movie, based on this play.

The Main Characters

Blanche DuBois – is a school teacher and lives in Mississippi. She is not young but still beautiful woman. She goes to New Orleans to start a new life. Blanche is well-educated; she likes nice clothes and always tries to be refined.

Stella Kowalski – is Blanche’s sister. She leaves home ten years ago and goes far away to start a new life with her husband. She is an ordinary woman; she lives in a poor flat, but learns to be happy with everything that she has. She is glad to see her sister and worries about her future. Later Stella sends Blanche to the hospital, but it is not her wish, but her husband’s.

Stanley Kowalski – is Stella’s husband. He is an awful cruel man. Sometimes he really looks like an animal. He hates Blanche and in the end of the story he rapes her.

Mitch – is Stanley’s friend, later Blanche’s groom. He is a kind-hearted man, loves Blanche with all his heart, but he cannot forgive her for the previous dirty life. He does not believe Blanche any more, he even wants to get her to sleep with him, like a prostitute.

The Plot

One day an ordinary teacher decides that she is tired from everything: teaching, school, pupils, her native city etc. They say that the best remedy is to go away and visit her sister (sometimes to visit your family is the best decision). The teacher (she is beautiful but almost exhausted Blanche DuBois) buys a ticket and goes from Mississippi to New Orleans to visit her sister. Blanche has problems with her nervous system and she thinks that new experiences will help her to restore the mental strength. Blanche’s husband had kills himself and she loses a nice house, which belonged to her family.

Blanche’s sister Mrs. Stella Kowalski is happy to meet the guest. But Stella lives in a poor district of New Orleans and her flat is small, cramped and uncomfortable. At first Blanche is shocked, because she is accustomed to luxury and like everything to be refined. Even when she has no money, she tries to do all the best to look gorgeous. And now hotel is too expensive for her. But dirty flat is not the main problem for Blanche. Stanley Kowalski – is the main problem! He is Stella’s husband. Stanley dislikes Blanche from the very beginning and his feeling is mutual. Blanche understands that Stanley is like an animal – he eats like an animal, walks like an animal, speaks like an animal. He is cruel and sometimes can beat his wife, despite she is pregnant. Vital, rough, sensual – he is similar to the cave person, who loved only himself.

But for Stella her husband is the best, she loves him and forgives all his tricks. She is happy even in such strange circumstances.

While Blanche stays with her sister she meets a handsome man, called Mitch. He is Stanley’s friend but he is not like Stanley. Mitch is a mechanic and lived with his old and ill mother. He is a quiet, kind-hearted person, he is fascinated by Blanche. He likes her fragility, vulnerability, he likes that she is so unlike people from his society, he likes that she teaches literature, knows music, French language. He falls in love with Blanche and they are happy together and are going to get married. Stella is also happy for her sister, because she sees that Blanche needs love and support. Only Stanley Kowalski is not happy for lovers, he decides to inquire and find something interesting in Blanche’s previous life. And he succeeds- he destroys happiness of his friend. He understand that Blanche does not like him, that’s why he suspects her and wants to hurt her.

Stanley tells Mitch that after her husband death Blanche has a lot of men in her life. She is like a prostitute. Mitch is shocked; he cannot understand such an awful news. But it is true. Blanche tries to explain everything, swears that she does not tell him a lie, that she loves him. But nothing can help. Mitch goes away forever. He cannot understand such a behavior. And again Blanche is unhappy, she likes drink alcohol and now it is just the right moment to get drunk. Now she has no money and no friends and no desire to live.

When Stanley comes back home he sees that Blanche is alone, and he rapes her. After this Blanche loses her mind and she is sent to hospital.  Life story of this school teacher has no “happy end”.

Reading this play, I felt awfully sorry for poor Blanch. This woman has got confused in herself and in her life, and bad man has prevented her to become happy. It was the end. She had no force to fight again.