Preview

A Streetcar Named Desire Masculinity Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
415 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Streetcar Named Desire Masculinity Analysis
Examine the construction of masculinity in A Streetcar Named Desire and Death of a Salesman.

In both A Streetcar Named Desire and Death of a Salesman there is a male figure at the head of both families who assert and express their masculinity in quite dissimilar ways. Referring to the screen adaptations of both plays, Stanley Kowalski is a strong, aggressive and forthright individual whereas Willy Loman through stature as well as speech is a bumbling, weak and nervous fool, driven by his own delusions. As well as through the male protagonists, the construction of masculinity occurs through the women of the play, and how they act towards the men in both productions, as stated through Arthur Miller’s initial stage directions about Linda (Willy’s wife) ‘she more than loves him, she admires him’. Likewise with Stella and Stanley, after he attacks her (seen through stage directions ‘There is a sound of a blow. Stella cried out) ‘her eyes go blind with tenderness as she catches his
…show more content…
With regards to masculinity, Arthur Miller wastes no time in depicting Willy Loman as a foolish and delusional old man who is, albeit with futility, constantly pacified by his wife. Focussing on Willy, money is central to the shaping of his masculinity, and owing to the fact that he is clearly struggling financially, his masculinity is left in tatters. ‘His exhaustion is apparent’ is how he is initially described by Miller in his stage directions, whereas Stan Kowalski is the polar opposite and arguably expresses his masculinity in the most primitive way at the end at the of Scene X, “Oh! So you want some rough-house! All right, let’s have some rough house!” Although Stanley and Stella live in the relatively dilapidated surroundings of Elysian Fields, Stanley doesn’t appear to be shackled by debt and it is inconsequential for Stella

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    A Streetcar Named Desire was based in the time it was written – New Orleans in 1947. The late 1940’s was a postwar era as the United States rose as a victorious superpower above the rest of the world. This era was also the beginning of the Baby Boom – a time of high marriage and birth rates in the country. There was a postwar surge in luxury with the end of rations and the emergence of better, cheaper cars and entertainment. Although there were many positive advances during the time, there was also the dark cloud of the Soviet Union as the Cold War was brewing and the atomic bomb was being threatened once again.…

    • 116 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the movie, A Street Car Named Desire, Blanche uses the quote, “I don't want realism. I want magic! Yes, Yes, magic! I try to give that to people." to explain her desire for her fantasy life to become reality. Blanches fantasy life would restore her youth, forgive her past and she would be more welcomed by people like Stanley and Mitch. I do agree with her statement, and believe that living in a “fantasy world” for a short period of time can be beneficial, but I do not agree with the circumstances Blanches is doing so by. Blanche wants to forget the death of her husband, the termination of her position as a schoolteacher caused by a discovered affair with a high school aged boy and the loss of her childhood home and plantation. Some of…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Characterizing – it is a daily occurrence that many do not realize is taking place. Whether it appears by describing someone’s new hair or explaining a person’s personality, characterization is frequently happening. Yet, representation of an individual does not only take place in the real world, it appears in numerous literary works as well. For example, in the written matters of A Streetcar Named Desire, A Separate Peace, and “Everyday Use”, where character interactions, such as arguing and having conflicting beliefs, bring out strong depictions and central messages. While some readers of these pieces of literature may believe that character interaction shows no relation to theme relativity; a closer inquiry demonstrates that through characters such as Stella and Stanley, Mama and Dee, and Gene and Finny, an…

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The main character in a drama entitled "Street Car Named Desire", written by Tennessee Williams, is an emotional woman by the name of Blanche, who has many afflictions. The setting of this play is in the state of Louisiana. Blanche has the potential to be a very vigorous woman, if she chooses to tap into that unidentified strength. All her life, she’s managed to face scrutiny from every possible direction. She has been ostracized from her community, lied to throughout her entire marriage, lost her inheritance, battling with alcoholism, and invests her fate and well-being in men. Blanche is a wandering soul, who’s wrapped up in life’s misfortunes, and is commonly misunderstood.…

    • 1154 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The following will elucidate how disturbing behaviour is conveyed in the novel The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks and the play, A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams.…

    • 2251 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Critics have praised Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire for its characters. Crude, sensual Stanley; dreamy, burned-out Blanche; bashful, meek Mitch. That being said, the successful portrayal of these characters is the mark of an excellent Streetcar performance. According to many readers, the stunning characterization is what makes A Streetcar Named Desire so compelling and legendary. Yet I would like to disagree. I think it is the play’s setting that makes the story so fascinating.…

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Everyone wants to live a life they do not have. Some people want to be rich, while others want to travel the world and never work a day in their lives. In order to live the lives they do not have, many people create their own fantasies. Tennessee Williams’ Streetcar Named Desire depicts Blanche and Stella’s lives as lies, while revealing how they do not wish to face their own realities, for they will never to able to live the life they have always hoped for.…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The play “streetcar named desire” written by Tennessee William in 1949, which was received the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1948. The play commenced on Broadway on December 3, 1947 in the Ethel Barrymore Theater. This play is about life of a woman in 19th century who could not come out of the fantasy to the real life that her self instinct and her surrounding creates extra problems in her life that makes her hide her historical and physical appearances and lied her sister and suitor. On the other hand, the poem “The Soul Selects Her Own Society” by Emily Dickinson, in 1890, this poem believed toHhave been written in 1862, a year during which Dickinson supposedly produced more than 300 poems. This poem suggests the persona of this poem in order…

    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “A Street Car Named Desire” written by Tennessee Williams was a tragic play about sister’s Blanche and Stella. It also included and abusive husband, Stanley. Williams described many sad details and shined a light on mental illness and spousal abuse. “Street Car” shocks people to their very core with emotional and tragedy throughout the whole play. It showcases tragedy thru certain elements including the symbols, themes, and setting.…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Streetcar Named Desire is a play founded on the premise of conflicting cultures. Blanche and Stanley, the main antagonists of the play, have been brought up to harbour and preserve extremely disparate notions, to such an extent that their incompatibility becomes a recurring theme within the story. Indeed, their differing values and principles becomes the ultimate cause of antagonism, as it is their conflicting views that fuels the tension already brewing within the Kowalski household. Blanche, a woman disillusioned with the passing of youth and…

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    6 CONCLUSION Restatement of thesis Closing statement Four Deuces? The stage directions obviously lack some extremely important details because a blue and sad music can be almost any type of music, and it’s impossible to hear it radiating from a book. Elia Kazan’s film version of A Streetcar Named Desire is interesting, but in some scenes a little confusing to those who have read the play. The benefits of film techniques entertain the audience even more and emphasize the dramatic situations between the characters. While the plot of the movie hardly differs from that of the play and the changes in the theme do not affect the plot much, the audience won’t miss a lot if they would rather watch the movie instead of reading or going to see the original play at a…

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Symbolism is an important literary device used to give the reader an understanding of a character. Tennessee Williams, with the use of symbolism, brings his character’s alive in his play, A Streetcar name desire. In the story the reader follows a young southern woman by the name of Blanche Dubois as she moves to New Orleans to live with her sister, Stella, and her brother-in-law, Stanley. From there the reader slowly sees the Blanche’s descent into madness as she begins to lose her grip on reality. In the play Blanche is characterized using symbols like, bathing, light, and music.…

    • 501 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In Mrs. Secunda’s, English class we are currently watching a play on and reading a book on “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams. In my opinion, the play and book are actually pretty good and very interesting. The Kowalski rental is in a bad however charming community within the French Quarter. Stella, twenty-five years antique and pregnant, lives along with her blue collar husband Stanley Kowalski. It is summertime, and the heat is oppressive. Blanche Dubois, Stella's older sister, arrives abruptly, sporting all that she owns. Blanche and Stella have a heat reunion, however, Blanche has some bad information; Belle Reve, the own family mansion, has been lost. Blanche stayed in the back of to take care of their death family whilst…

    • 942 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “A Streetcar Named Desire” the clash of cultures between Stanley Kowalski and the two DuBois sisters, Stella and Blanche, becomes very noticeable in certain parts of the play. There is an evident contrast between the “Old” and the “New” America. Stanley is Polish and is part of the growing working class in 1950s USA, whereas Stella and Blanche have a history in the United States and belong to a more sophisticated class where most of what they own is inherited.…

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    There are many prevalent themes throughout the play, Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams. One major theme of the play is femininity vs. masculinity. The main characters, Blanche DuBois, and Stella and Stanley Kowalski reflect the stereotypical gender roles. Stella and Stanley’s dysfunctional relationship faces even more complications when Stella’s sister, Blanche moves in temporarily. Throughout the course of this play, the Kowalski relationship is proven to be very unhealthy, due to Stella’s dependence on Stanley and Stanley’s brutality and masculinity.…

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays