Streetcar Named Desire Themes

Dating all the way back to the primordial oceans of pre-existence, opposing forces have existed in a perpetual state of antagonism. An unending war of push and pull rages on between the extremes of all spectrums in existence. One such war is depicted throughout Tennessee William's A Streetcar Named Desire in the form of an explosive relationship between the play's lead, Blanche DuBois, and her brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski. Given that the former is the physical embodiment of illusion and the latter of reality, an ever-present air of mutual disdain persists from their first interaction to their last. This resentment is born out of three overarching themes: the warring ideologies that they exude, the transition from the old face of America to the new, and the personal struggle for the hearts of both Stella Kowalski,
Your face and fingers are disgustingly greasy. Go and wash up and then help me clear the table. [He hurls a plate to the floor.] STANLEY. That’s how I’ll clear the table! [He seizes her arm.] Don’t ever talk that way to me! "Pig--Polack--disgusting--vulgar--greasy!"--them kind of words have been on your tongue and your sister's too much around here! What do you two think you are? A pair of queens? Remember what Huey Long said--"Every Man is a King!" And I am the king around here, so don’t forget it! (Scene 8)
The condescending attitudes that both Stella and Blanche brought with them from Belle Reve will not be tolerated in the Kowalski household. Stanley represents the brutality of a life lacking the protection of a family plantation or social status. This is most horrifically exemplified on the night prior to Blanche's nephew's birth; the night that Stanley showed her the true meaning of brutality (). This assertion of dominance over Blanche, both physically and emotionally, satisfies the pure, unadulterated hatred and contempt that Stanley has for Blanche and everyone like