Essay
an A grade streetcar named desire essay
- Course
- Institution
- Book
an A grade streetcar named desire essay about scene 11
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
More summaries for
-
Streetcar Named Desire Scene 11 In-depth analysis
-
Streetcar Named Desire Scene 1 In-depth analysis
-
Streetcar Named Desire Scene 2 In-depth analysis
Seller
Follow
skyburden12
Content preview
How does Williams create a sense of regret, sorrow and pragmatism in thefinal section of the play?
A Streetcar Named Desire highlights many topics such as: mental health,
patriarchy, and the treatment of women in the 1940’s. In the play, Williams
portrays these through various characters and through the use of stage
directions.
At the beginning of the play, during the first poker night we see, Blanche
flaunts herself in front of the women for entertainment, she wants their
attention and wants them to desire her. This is a completely difference case at
the very end of the play, Blanche is broken from the rape and is continuously
bathing herself in an attempt to cleanse herself from Stanelys violation. During
the poker night in this scene, Blanche is ‘hiding’ from the men, she doesn't
want to see them and doesn't want them to see her. This shows the effect of
Stanley and how the rape has almost ‘shattered’ a part of her soul and took
away her character traits. So in the final section of the play, when the doctor
offers her ‘kindness’, she is quick to take it. ‘Whoever you are- I have always
depended on the kindness of strangers.’ The irony of this line is that Blanche
relying on strangers' kindness is the reason for why she has found herself in
her current position- though the kindness she relied on from men in her past
was sexual kindness which was the cause for her downfall. Blanche's final line
causes a ‘full circle moment’ for her character as the persona she had in her
very first scene repears. Williams brought back her southern belle persona in
the final section of the play for a ‘full cycle moment’, showing that even till the
end, she still is a part of a higher class and still has her etiquette, showing the
class difference between her and the other characters.
Williams creates a sense of pragmatism through Stella's character and
portrays both the negative and positive sides of this pragmatism through the
emotions she displays in the last section. The negative being when the
realisation of what is happening hits Stella, she is forced to watch the
consequences of choosing not to believe her sister, and it ultimately results in
her becoming hysterical as she watches the ‘nightmare’ play out. As she
watches Blanche get restrained, she begins frantically crying out ,‘What have I
done to my sister? Oh, God, what have I done to my sister?’ The horrifying
reality of what Stellas has done causes her to become hysterical, making her
voice out loud the question that's haunting her head. By Williams breaking up
the sentence through the use of commas, it's as if Stella is struggling to
comprehend her decision, this reflects the hysteria she is experiencing.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller skyburden12. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $7.15. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
78252 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now