Desire’s Influence

In A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, the concept of desire controls the lives of the characters. They are not able to think logically because they see only their desires and hope that by acting upon these desires they will reach their goals. Two characters who are particularly affected by their desires are Stanley and Blanche. Both of these characters desire to present a certain appearance, but it leads to the problems in their lives.

Stanley and Blanche are both driven by different, equally powerful desires. One desire of Stanley’s is to control the women in his life. He tries to control Stella, such as when Stella calls him “disgustingly greasy” (1585) and he retaliates by yelling, “Don’t ever talk that way to me!” (1585), then proceeds to break the silverware to show he is the boss in the house. We also see his desire for control over women when Stanley rapes Blanche. He wants to prove that he controls his household and that Blanche cannot have any power over the happenings of his life. This shows Stanley’s desire for control is ruled by violent actions which create tension between himself, Blanche, and Stella. In contrast to Stanley’s desire for control, Blanche desires to be taken care of. She wants to sit back, and enjoy life as a man makes sure she is safe and well. We see this from the beginning of the play through her attitude. She acts like a prissy, southern bell to maintain the image of a delicate woman and to present the idea that she needs to be taken care of. Also, after Mitch comes to the apartment after the birthday party, she asks him to marry her before she gets physical with him (1592). Blanche shows that she needs more than physical relations with a man to be satisfied, yet she puts so much effort into her physical appearance and tends to ignore the deeper workings of people’s hearts.

In both character’s cases, desire controls the character’s actions. Stanley’s drive for control makes him a violent, rude man. He refuses to let Stella control any of his actions, and when she tries to, he ignores her in order to reach his desires. He loses sight of other important aspects of his life, such as family and friends, when he acts upon these desires. He harms those around him, but his drive to be seen a certain way causes him to obey his desires instead of thinking of the long term effects of his actions. Also, Blanche is so desperate to be the perfect female that she tells lies. She even says, “I don’t tell truth, I tell what ought to be truth,” (1590), which shows that she does not care what she says, as long as she maintains the illusion of a perfect southern bell. The desire to be seen in a certain way by their peers dictates the way Stanley and Blanche live their lives. Every action is controlled by simple desires, and instead of thinking through situations, both Blanche and Stanley act impulsively on these desires. If they were to think about the long term effects of their actions, Stanley may have seen that mistreating Blanche would cause tension between Blanche and Stanley, but also between Stanley and Stella because Stella cares so deeply for her sister. And, if Blanche was able to see the long term affects of her lies, she may have been more open with Mitch, resulting in a flourishing relationship. But neither character can see this. Desire creates a curtain over the logic in each character’s mind. They are forced to act on their desires because both Stanley and Blanche believe that their desires will put them ahead in life and get them where they want to be. Desire controls their actions, and consequently is the cause of their problems.

Blanche and the Past

In A Street Car Named Desire, Tennessee Williams represents Blanche as a high-class, proper woman. At the beginning of the drama, Blanche arrives at her sister, Stella’s, apartment. The apartment is located in a rundown part of New Orleans, and the sight disgusts Blanche. Blanche, coming from a high class lifestyle, does not expect her sister to be living in a place Blanche considers beneath them. This makes Blanche feel as though she is superior to Stella’s friends, and she makes this apparent when she asks them to leave her alone. She later tells Stella that she does not think her friends, or her husband, have any potential. In Blanche’s mind, her sister is ruining her life by living in a society that is not good enough for her. Through her actions towards Stella’s life, Blanche shows that class and status are among the most important things to her.

Blanche continues to play the role of the prissy, proper women. This is seen when Blanche is worried about her appearance. When she first arrives, she begs Stella not to look at her because she has not had time to fix herself. Continually after this, Blanche asks Stella if she looks presentable. Blanche also shows her proper side through speech. While other characters use slang and are loose when talking to each other, Blanche never lets her guard down, and insists on maintaining her womanly image this way. These show that Blanche not only cares about the class of a person, but also how they present themselves to the public. Blanche passes judgment on people based on the way they present themselves, and thus thinks she is better than others because her presentation is of a proper woman.

However, there is reason to believe that Blanche’s perfect image is nothing more than an act. This is first seen through her constant nerves. At many points in the drama, Blanche is shaky and jumpy. She is nervous to talk about why she has come to visit Stella, and when she does she accuses Stella of thinking she has done something wrong, regardless of the fact that Stella has said nothing to suggest this. Later, Blanche asks: “Stella! What have you heard about me” (1571)? Panic takes over Blanche as she awaits the answer. Stella is confused because she has not heard anything and is unsure as to why her sister is acting this way. These instances of nervousness suggest that Blanche has something to hide. Blanche’s nerves suggest that she is not as proper or perfect as the outward image she presents.

As the drama continues, Stanley gives insight into Blanche’s nervous behavior. He talks about the stories a supply-man at his job has told him. According to the man, Blanche “moved into the Flamingo” (1581), a low-class hotel, and was asked to leave because of her immoral behavior. This statement reinforces the fact that Blanche has a past to hide because even a low class place refused to let her stay. As Stanley continues, he fills the audience in on what Blanche has done to lose her reputation. According to Stanley, Blanche has been fired from her job for having a relationship with one of her students. While Stella does not fully believe this story, it explains Blanche’s constant nerves to the audience.

While Blanche first appears to be a perfect, proper, high class woman, this seems to be little more than an act. Blanche may have been this woman at some point in her life, and clearly wants people to think she is now, but the story Stanley tells shows that this is not true. Instead of being proper, Blanche seems to have a secret life which involves immoral behavior, such as flirting with younger boys. Her encounter with the young man collecting from the newspaper reinforces this, as she acts flirtatious with him too. When the young man appears at the door, Blanche refuses to let him leave, and “without waiting for him to accept she crosses quickly to him and presses her lips to his” (1573). This strengthens the fact that Blanche has a secret, and that she is not as proper as she wants others to think she is, as she is willing to be physical with young men she does not know. Blanche’s reputation as the proper woman is tarnished because of her infatuation with younger boys. She may present herself as a high society female, but the audience can see this different, less classy side of her.