In A Streetcar Named Desire, Stella’s final betrayal of her sister is impossible to
forgive.’ Examine this view. (25/25)
In his 1947 Southern Gothic tragedy, A Streetcar Named Desire, Williams uses Stella
Kowalski to personify the struggle between her husband Stanley and sister Blanche and the
wider societal struggle between the genders and classes that causes her to betray Blanche.
Although on the surface Williams presents her as 'a gentle young woman', arguably at heart
she is cruel and her action of sending Blanche to an asylum is unforgivable. However, due to
being a victim of her upbringing in the Old South and the new industrial patriarchal society,
her betrayal which stems from this can be forgiven more easily - especially to a 1947
audience who would not be surprised by her actions.
On one hand, it can be seen that Williams presents Stella's final betrayal as impossible to
forgive as it comes after other betrayals she has committed towards Blanche before. Prior to
the play, she left Blanche to suffer the loss of Belle Reve on her own while she found a new
life. During the play, even after Stanley's poor treatment, Williams has her betray Blanche
again by often siding with him which makes her feel unwelcome - as in Scene 4 where she
'embraces him with both arms, fiercely, and full in the view of Blanche' after ignoring her
fears for Stella's safety from Stanley's violent behaviour. This builds up to her final betrayal
where again Stella picks Stanley over Blanche. Perhaps audiences should expect this since
Williams establishes in Scene 3 that she has a history of downplaying Stanley’s abuse as
she continues to ignore the reality of situations if it suits her. Yet, it does come somewhat as
a surprise, as although she has defended Stanley before, as the play progressed she
increasingly defends Blanche also - calling Stanley derogatory terms like "pig", "common",
"cruel", "stupid and horrid" that Blanche typically uses, and not believing his
"contemptible-lies!" about her. Even though Williams shows her as fighting for Blanche at the
end, arguably this is for superficial reasons. Repeatedly calling "Blanche! Blanche! Blanche!"
seems quite performative and for show to make herself look better and feel less guilty.
Equally, she only fights for Blanche when it is too late, which is unforgivable as she has had
opportunities previously to do so. Blanche responds by walking 'on without turning' as she is
aware that her sister has been complicit in the unforgivable decision to send her to the
asylum, causing her symbolic death.
So on the surface, it is hard to forgive Stella as Williams makes it seem the primary reason
she betrays Blanche is superficially due to her physical desire and sexual passion for
Stanley which makes her "thrilled". However, in actuality her upbringing, gender, pregnancy
and broader socio-economic powerlessness makes it much easier for audiences to forgive
her. As she left home as a teenager, it reflects how desperate she was to leave the Old
South. Blanche likely played a part in this, as unlike Williams and his sister Rose who were
close, Blanche is a bully towards Stella. Scene 1 provides an insight into their imbalanced
relationship where Blanche dominates conversation, orders Stella about through imperatives
like "stand up!", infantilizes her as a "messy child", and picks on her appearance. In turn,
Stella's submissive behaviour of her "wait[ing] on [Blanche]... makes it seem more like
home" and getting "in the habit of being quiet around [her]" emphasises the extent of this,
and it is clear Stella dislikes it by her complying 'reluctantly' and talking 'coldly'. Contrastingly,
Stanley allows her to be herself without judgement which is why she can be forgiven for
betraying Blanche and choosing him. Yet, Williams forces Stella to not only make a choice
between these two extremes of Blanche and Stanley, but also what they represent. She
rejects Blanche as she symbolises her past childhood in Belle Reve and the Old South
which is in decline after losing the Civil War - as seen in Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. In
contrast, unlike Blanche who chooses fantasy, Stella chooses stability. Thus, she can be
forgiven for choosing Stanley as he symbolises the new post-war future - which from a
marxist perspective, this passivity shows her acceptance of the rise of the working class.
Williams explores how Stella is forced to stay with Stanley as her child ties her to him - like
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