A Streetcar Named Desire Codes And Conventions

Parodies can be found almost anywhere. An individual can search the internet for a piece of literature or movie that mocks another. A parody is made from virtually any piece of literature or event that the author chooses to ridicule. Some individuals may even claim that the parody is better than the original. However, the originality of parodies and whether these works can stand as their own are debated. Christopher Durang’s “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls” and Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs prove that parodies are a transformative use of the originals, Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. The difference in the character’s personalities demonstrates how parodies can be seen as independent works.
The character Jim in The Glass Menagerie and Ginny in “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls” have the same role, for they both play the possible “gentleman caller” in the play. However, the obvious gender difference of the characters shows one disparity these characters exhibit. Jim, who plays Laura’s gentleman caller, is understanding and attentive when interacting with Laura. He makes an effort to get to know her, and he even kisses her. Additionally, after breaking her unicorn glass figure, Freckles, he feels guilty, knowing how significant the collection is to Laura. He states, “I'm glad to see that you have a sense of humour. You know - you're - well - very different! Surprisingly different from anyone else I know!” (Williams 31). On the other hand, Ginny is the major parody found in “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls.” She epitomizes a loud, extremely unfocused, and very forward woman; her personality is the opposite of Jim’s. Moreover, Ginny has no clue how important Lawrence’s swizzle stick collection is to him, which can be seen when she sticks “Q-tip” into her ear and breaks “Thermometer” without any remorse and more importantly, not knowing what Lawrence was referencing to when he shouted, “YOU BROKE THERMOMETER!” (Durang 22). These words demonstrate how Ginny and Jim play a different role because Ginny, impacted by her poor hearing, was not as careful and thoughtful as Jim when learning about Lawrence’s swizzle stick collection.
Furthermore, in Brighton Beach Memoirs and A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche has a similar role but takes character takes a different path.
In both plays, Blanche is a widow and becomes heavily dependent on her sister after settling into her home. The main difference between these two women is that in Brighton Beach Memoirs, Blanche realizes that she has her two daughters, Laurie and Nora, to care for; thus, she must no longer rely on her sister for financial support and tries to become independent when leaving Kate’s home. Contrastingly, in A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche is too dependent and never thinks to separate herself from her sister. She, however, makes herself at home in Stella’s apartment and tries finding herself a man who would take care of her. These drastic differences exhibit that parodies have characters with separate personalities, which enables them to stand on their own, not as a copy of the
original. Although both plays showcase similar struggles, the parody displays the situation in a more humorous, egotistical way. For example, in “For Whom the Southern Bell Tolls” Amanda wants Lawrence to find a wife so that she would no longer feel responsible for him when she explains, “I suppose it’s unmotherly of me, dear, but you really get on my nerves” (Durang 14). However, in The Glass Menagerie, Amanda looks for a man for Laura so that her daughter’s self-esteem could grow from the low esteem she has now. Amanda explains, “I mean that as soon as Laura has got somebody to take care of her, married, a home of her own, independent…” (Williams 24). These words portray that Amanda only wants what is best for her daughter and for Laura to grow and become independent. Compared to Tennessee Williams’s version, Durang’s demonstrates that the characters execute plans from selfish intentions. Therefore, the plot differs from the original and is able to be considered its own work.
Additionally, in Brighton Beach Memoirs, the characters have to sacrifice their judgment and morality to support the family financially. For example, Stanley’s dilemma of writing the letter of apology to his boss is a debate Stanley has to face. He is unsure if he should not write the letter and stick to his principles or write the letter to support his family. When questioning whether or not he should write the letter, Stanley talks to his father. Jack states, “That’s something to be proud of. It was what you believed in. That’s standing up for your principles… The question is, Can this family afford principles right now?” (Simons 71). In the end, Stanley chooses to write the letter, going against his better judgment so that he would be able to support his family now that Jack, his father, loses his second job. On the contrary, in A Streetcar Named Desire, Stanley faces the dilemma of whether or not to believe and spread the rumors he hears of Blanche’s past. Instead of ignoring the rumors, Stanley tells Stella and Mitch, completely aware of the relationships he destroys in the process. These events manifest how two stories with similar situations can go entirely in different directions, independent of one another.
Situations and character roles are not only how parodies differ from the original but the directness the authors have when making a point.
Compared to The Glass Menagerie, which leaves the audience to infer that the characters would rather escape reality than face it, “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls” directly indicates Tom, Amanda, and Lawrence’s feelings. This is made evident when Lawrence states, “I don’t like the world, mama. I like it here in this room” (Durang 13). Furthermore, in the Brighton Beach Memoirs, the audience gets a better understanding of the extent of the family’s financial problems. Stanley’s sacrifice, Nora’s possible audition, and Jack’s tiresome three jobs show how hard the family works to support one another and continue to maintain their income. However, in A Streetcar Named Desire, Williams does not provide the audience with how hard the family struggles financially, but rather how Stanley sees money as power. Additionally, Durang’s parody gives a better indication of how dependent and close Blanche is with her sister. Even though in A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche finds comfort in alcohol after fighting with her sister, the audience does not recognize the same sense of dependency in comparison to Blanche and Kate in Brighton Beach Memoirs. In this drama, the audience is easily able to detect that as a widow and a mother of two, Blanche desperately needs help to support her family, which is why she turned to her sister. Without much thought,
audience is able to understand the parodies because everything is laid out for them. Although the parodies can stand on their own without the original, they do provide clarity for the original. As a whole, parodies are drastically different from the original through the change in character roles, how struggles are dealt with, and how direct the plays are presented. The differences of these works enable the parodies to be seen as its own piece of literature, disassociated from the original. Although the parody does clarify ambiguous points of the original drama, both works are just as influential as the other. Therefore, parodies play a transformative role, showing another side to the story that gives the audience an entirely different perspective.