Stanley Character Analysis

Over the years, it has become prevalent that people who succeed are the ones who make selfish and egocentric decisions. Many entrepreneurs openly accept their selfish ideals and feel no remorse towards them. There is no hesitation to betray others for self benefit at any given opportunity. These traits can be seen in characters used in Tennessee Williams’ plays, Streetcar For Desire and Cat On a Hot Tin Roof. Stanley and Big Daddy, two crucial domineering and manipulative parental figures, mistreat their families and others around them to demonstrate their power and authority. In both of Tennessee Williams’ works, he creates characters which use mendacity to hide their true emotions in order to establish their power and authority over others,
In the play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Big Daddy tells everyone in his family what to do. When the importance of children in a marriage is being discussed, he stresses how it is crucial that Maggie and Brick have kids to show that their marriage is successful. When Big Mama tries to interfere he tells her that she does not always need to get into everybody’s business and that she should stay out of it. By shutting down other people’s thoughts and ideas, he avoids the risk of losing power within his family. He stays in control of the events that shape his household. The same thought process is utilized by Stanley in the play A Streetcar Named Desire, when Stanley breaks things around the house and handles things roughly. When he first suspects that Blanche is lying to them about what happened to Belle Reve, he tears apart her suitcase in attempts to find proof that she is lying. In this process, however, he throws everything out of her suitcase and handles her things in a harsh and violent manner. This showed Stella that he was in charge of the household and that he controlled everything that happened. Stanley, at the end of the play, rapes Blanche when she is in a vulnerable position after Mitch left her. She previously had a lot of alcohol, so he decided he would take advantage of her when he had the chance. He clearly displays that he has the capability to do whatever he wishes to women or anyone subordinate to him. The overall theme of mendacity can be seen in these acts when Stanley shamelessly denies the rape the next morning. Even though Blanche tells everyone what happened and for the most part they believe her, Stanley continues to “stand his ground” by refusing to accept that Blanche had been put through a traumatizing incident the previous night. Stanley and Big Daddy’s rule of dominance goes to show that people who have power