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.