Explore how Williams presents Stanley and Stella’s relationship in A Streetcar Named
Desire.
Williams presents Stanley and Stella’s relationship as a mutually dependent relationship
driven by their primal desire for each other. Through their relationship, Williams comments
on the inevitability of the burgeoning working class’s triumph over the aristocratic Southern
class in post-WWII America.
Stanley and Stella’s relationship is used by Williams to portray the rising power of the
American working class in the late 1940s and their inevitable dominance over the southern
wealthy Aristocracy. Stanley tells Stella that he “pulled” her down “off them columns” and
how Stella “enjoyed having them colored lights going”. Stella, as a former Southern Belle
accustomed to the comforts of having a plantation and the life of a sheltered debutante,
originally deemed Stanley as “common as dirt”, the simile illustrating the class difference
between Stanley and Stella as Stanley is a poor immigrant. The violent verb “pulled”
emphasizes Stanley’s physical control of Stella and his power over her, as she “enjoys”
acquiescing to him and revels in her submission to him, reflecting part of the American
aristocracy’s choice to accept their loss of power and welcome the new America. The use of
the colloquial speech “them columns” reflects Stanley’s background as a working-class
immigrant, in contrast with Stella’s high-class, aristocratic background. Furthermore, the
columns, part of the object correlative of Belle Reve, can be interpreted as a symbol of
culture and civilization through their use in traditional architecture, therefore signifying
Stella’s embrace of her new life as she chooses to leave high culture to be with Stanley in
New Orleans. Hence, through Williams’s portrayal of Stella and Stanley’s relationship, he
demonstrates how the working class will rise to become the leading force of post-war
America and achieve their own American Dream.
Stella’s financial dependence on Stanley is portrayed by Williams as a secondary tragedy of
the play to illustrate the prejudices of 1940s America, which held strict, conservative moral
attitudes towards women. In the end, Stella chooses to stay with Stanley and the continuation
of Stella and Stanley’s relationship could be seen as a cruel betrayal of Blanche, who is left
vulnerable, delusional, and unable to take care of herself. However, a feminist interpretation
could view that Stella had no choice but to continue her relationship with Stanley due to the
conservative attitudes of the American public, which frowned upon single mothers.Whilst the
film’s Catholic censors adapted the film such that Stanley had to be punished for his
immorality through Stella’s departure, the original ending of the play is far more realistic in
portraying the harsh reality of the period for women and Stella’s choice exemplifies the
restrictions that women faced. As a woman in the period with no job and income, Stella
would have no way of financially supporting herself and her baby, illustrating that Stella had
no real choice but to stay with Stanley for survival. This attitude is evident in Eunice and
Stella’s conversation in the last scene. Eunice warns, “Don’t ever believe it. Life has got to go
on” because she recognises that Stella has no chance of survival without Stanley. The stark
tone of the short sentences, coupled with the use of the imperative “don’t”, emphasizes the
importance of Stella’s choice of staying with Stanley, as it is a matter of life and death.
