Readers and audiences usually have strong reactions to the play: Who, if anybody, do you sympathize with here? All of the characters are certainly flawed in various ways. Is Blanche right that she understands Stanley better than Stella? What does she think she understands? You might also think about this in connection with Faulkner and his depiction of the South… Are both texts responding to some of the same social forces and upheavals?
Tags: Williams
April 16, 2008 at 8:08 am
At first in the play, I wanted to sympathize with Blanche. However, as I continued through the play I sympathized with Stella. I feel that Blanche was very selfish and did not know how to contrl her own desires. Blanche is the reason for almost all of the conflict in the play. Blanche is essential to the story line, but I would never sympathize with her.
April 16, 2008 at 1:09 pm
It seems only logical to sympathize with Blanche at the beginning of the piece. Stella didn’t seem to have given her much information about where or how she lived, so it would appear to the reader that Blanche was probably experiencing severe culture shock. As the reader you are given the impression that the only world Blanche really knows is that of the aristocratic-type plantation life. She makes it out to be the equivalent of dropping her into the middle of a third world country. As the piece progresses, however, any sympathy for Blanche completely disappears as you learn of her recent past. On the other hand, it’s at this point in the piece that the reader can begin to see that Blanche may be true in her claim that she understands Stanley better than Stella. How is Stanley any different that the men she was parading around and bringing to the hotel? Perhaps she truely does understand him better than Stella.
April 16, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I believe that Blanche can relate to Stanley better than she can her own sibling. I feel that Stanley and Blanche both use physical appearance and power as a means to obtain and consume things and people. Blanche may feel that similarities exist in that she feels that she has lead a “rough” life trying to maintain the plantation. Stanley has also had to deal with being viewed as second-class in certain instances as well. We know that he is Polish/American and I imagine that a certain stigma may have existed during this time. Blanche herself feels that Stanley is beneath her, yet we learn that the bahaviors of both could be frowned upon. In the end, Blanche takes ownership of the very characteristics that she loathes in Stanley as the play opens. As each character is revealed, we learn that the two are not that dissimilar.
April 16, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Although it is easy to dislike Blanche because of her promiscuity, I found myself at ends with Stella. Her unwavering love for and submissiveness to Stanley, who is clearly violent and unfaithful, is almost appauling itself. While Stella says that she recognizes his ‘minor’ character flaws, she feels as though they can be excused for his amazing sexual nature. Although one should sympathize with the woman blinded by naivety and love, I found myself entirely frustrated with Stella. I found Blanche to be the reasonable one who attempted to talk sense into her. Although she has some character flaws herself, Blanche seems to have common sense which I admire. She recognizes that she has made some poor choices in the past, and she is making an effort to move on from them. Furthermore, she is working to help her sister escape an ill fate. Blanche’s sense and perception of Stanley is accurate; he is an animal that follows his urges–just as she has done in the past. In this way, Blanche understands Stanley. It is this understanding that resonates with Blanche as she tries to protect Stella from that which she knows best because it is that which she was last.
April 16, 2008 at 7:40 pm
“A Streetcar Named Desire” is a good read that efficiently highlights character flaws and how misconceptions of character can lead to tremendous trouble. Although Blanche and Stanley are considered to be the main characters in the story, I personally feel bad for Mitch and Stella. Mitch is simply looking for a wife to please his mother before she dies; I believe that Mitch feels so frustrated by his attempts that he is simply rushing the situation to simply make his mother happy, even though he ends up rejecting Blanche in the end because of her “impure” nature. Also, I feel that Stella is simply caught up in the troubles of everybody elses issues while she is simply trying to successfully have a baby. It seemed to me as though Blanche never truly appreciated Stella as a sister, but merely used her to wait on her and stay at her place. I believe that Stanley and Blanche are simply tormenting Stella in her own home and if Stella chose to escape it, she would end up like her sister…with nowhere to go.
April 16, 2008 at 8:35 pm
I really like reading “A Streetcar Named Desire”, I feel that it shows a lot about people and how they act in certain situations. During a lot of different points in the book, I sympathized with many different characters. When Blanche first got to the house, I sympathized a lot with Stella, because Blanche was telling her how she just threw her life away and was demeaning her because of the way that her house was, and where she was living. It was kind of hard for me to sympathize with Blanche because she lied to everyone, and wouldn’t let anyone help her no matter what the situation was. It also seemed to me that Blanche would use people to her own benefit, like Stella and Mitch. At first I thought that Stanley was out of line being so rude and obnoxious, but after seeing how crazy Blanche was, it was easier for me to see that Stanley was being that way because he was trying to protect the people that he loved.
April 16, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I find it interesting that, etymologically, the word “desire” seems closely connected to contemporary understanding of the words “fate” and “destiny.” Coming from the French, “desiderare” (meaning to long for), “desire” is related to “de sidere” meaning “from the stars; heavenly body, star, constellation.” Personally, I attest that desire is much more associated with wanting, needing, even lust. However, one could argue that the attraction between Stella and Stanley, in Tennessee Williams’s 1947 play, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” is so primitive (see meat reference in the opening scene), so impractical (with respect to their different social statuses) that their attraction had to be something beyond their power, perhaps even a cosmic force. Now, we could all argue whether or not fate exists and whether or not people are attracted to each other on some unexplainable level; however, the real crux of this play is how such a relationship (based purely on desire; some strange chemistry or driving force) can cause problems in the real world. Blanche is there to remind the reader that the real world which Stella comes from has maids and fancy clothes. Nevertheless, I would like to point out that the distinction which should be made here is that, Stanley and Stella really do not love each other, nor do they show respect for one another. Essentially, Williams is suggesting that such relationships (ones based on “desire”) are not inherently bad, but can turn sour when that is all they are based on. (With respect to the real world, think of how many marriages end in divorce because people marry for the wrong reasons—there is no maturity, respect, love etc.). However, Williams is certainly addressing much more in his play than failed marriages and the pain of disingenuous relationships. One must also recognize the clashes between the “Old South” and the “New South” (as well as new understandings of modernity) as sounding just as loudly in the ears of Blanche, Mitch, and his 1947 audience. Additionally, my previous assertion about the etymological function of desire begs the question of whether or not desire is something we cannot control, or a way of life one chooses because it is sometime easier to live under a bright light or “naked bulb” than lurk about, covered by the shadows of candle light, secrets, and deception.
April 17, 2008 at 11:31 am
I tended to sympathize with Stella for the whole play, mostly because of her naieveness and stupidity. I think Blanche is right in trying to get Stella to leave Stanley. I think that Stella has had a shield covering her eyes from the reality of her mean and stupid husband. I also think, however, that Blanche is a spoiled liar and deserves some of what she gets. I think that Blanche does understand Stanley better than Stella, but I also think that Blanche is trying to get attention from both Stanley and Stella, so she is not completely the smartest one of the bunch. I do not blame Mitch for being mad at Blanche when he finds out the truth about her, especially because of all the lies she told him and the fact that she desired him but he truly loved her. The entire play is about desire, as stated in the title, but I think it should have delved more into the other side of that–that being love. Mitch had genuine feelings for Blanche and everyone chose to ignore that because of the time and place. It was not common or natural and all the characters only cared about desire, mostly sexual. The desire factors became a little redundant. I think that the “Old South” in Faulkner’s work is very different from that of Williams, and rightfully so. Faulkner’s south was much more realistic. I’m not saying I disagree with Williams or think that his South didn’t exist also, I just think that he took it to such an opposite extreme and definitely made it his own (but there is nothing wrong with that, per say).
April 17, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I wouldn’t say that I “sympathize” with any of the characters really. I do feel bad, of course, for Blanche at the end when she is raped and the others refuse to believe her. As I was reading, I became very frustrated with Stella and her weakness in returning to Stanley. I realize that this does happen, but I find it very upsetting that she would return to him after everything he’s done. I preferred the movie’s ending when she left him, even though this is not what Williams wished to portray. The movie’s ending leaves the viewer with a feeling that justice has been at least partially served. I do not believe that Blanche understands Stanley more than Stella. I feel that, just as at the end of the play, she overlooks, and refuses to accept the truth, she overlooks Stanley’s animal mindset because she needs/wants him.
Through Faulkner and Williams, I have been able to realize how badly we treat the queer members of society when we don’t try to understand why they are behaving in a strange manner. We simply send them off to a place where they can’t bother the ‘normal’ people of society with their crazy notions.
April 17, 2008 at 4:03 pm
The only person that I sympathize with at all is Mitch, actually. Stella is stupid because of how Stanley treats her and she just takes him back. I don’t sympathize with Stanley because of how he treats his wife and her sister. Let’s be honest, Blanche is a little on the crazy side. I never realized how crazed out she was until we watched the movie, but I get her character a little more now. Poor Mitch, now there is a guy that needs soem sympathy. His mother is dying and he’s not good with the ladies. He’s got nobody else. He needs someone else in his life. Everyone is just pathetic in this play. Mitch is the one who needs to get the heck out of that town.
April 17, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I had a difficult time feeling a great deal of sympathy for most of the characters in the play.After completing the reading, however, I found myself experiencing sympathy (in certain capacities) for Blanche. While the majority of what Blanche has to say is inundated with mistruths and fabricated tales, readers should not disregard the fact that Blanche was sexually assaulted. Blanche not only went through a horrible experience, she received virtually little or no support from any other character in the play. Stanley seemed to feel that Blanche deserved the assault or was “asking for it”. Stella and her desire blind her to the horrendous act. No person, in his or her correct frame of mind, would accpet that his or her spouse had raped a sibling and remain in the relationship. Yet Stella remains committed to Stanley. Is anyone’s desire really that strong? I find it hard to believe that so little empathy and sympathy was given to Blanche after the assault. Mitch had previously berated Blanche, yet he breaks down after learning of the assault. I am sure that Williams wanted to write a play that reflective how desire can discolor judgement. I believe he was successful with this play. I know it sounds trite, but a bit of compassion can go a long way.
April 17, 2008 at 9:44 pm
I would say that I really did not sympathize with any one character throughout the play. Instead, my sympathy was felt toward all the characters. For Stella, because of the things she put up with from Stanley and how she felt the need to stay with him despite all of it. For Blanche, because she tries to help Stella and get her away from Stanley but Stella doesn’t listen. And for being raped and ending up being hauled off to an insane asylum. For Mitch, because he fell in love with Blanche and she didn’t want him. And, oddly enough, Stanley because of how he felt he had to act toward everyone to state his dominance and make sure his family wasn’t ripped apart. I’m not saying I approve of the things he did or how he acted. But, it’s sad to think that he felt he needed to act this way to make a point.
For me, watching the scenes and finding out that they had to cut some scenes was really shocking. Most of the scenes we saw were not at all offensive. But, then again, look at where we are now in the movie industry; it’s a challenge just to shock people nowadays. I felt that by watching most of the movie the play was really put into perspective and you could dissect the characters a little better.
April 18, 2008 at 9:50 am
“There is something luxurious in her complete surrender to crying now that her sister is gone.”
This stage direction (Directed at Stella, 2248), among others, really catches my attention. Tennessee Williams’s very specific and articulate stage directions function as part of the play as well as the actual script. The above stage direction implies that there is something inherently aesthetic about Stella’s “surrender to crying.” Does it follow that Williams found tragedy (or perhaps this whole tragic plot) aesthetically pleasing? If so, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Rather, it speaks to the ideals of the time and his position as a playwright. As we discussed in class, “A Streetcar Named Desire” was written to be seen on stage, not read. Nevertheless, these eloquent stage directions help the reader visualize the “world” Williams is placing his characters in and what happens to those who have no place in it.
April 18, 2008 at 10:27 am
It is hard to sympathize with any character in this story. I guess I would have to say Stella and Blanche. Blanche because a traumatic event has changed the entire way she views the world. It forces her to retreat into a fantasy world, which seems to be the only place she is actually at peace or happy. Stella I symphathize with only a little. She put herself into this abusive, poor relationship. At this point it is up to her to get out of it, but she chooses not to. These relationships still occur today, and you hear about them all the time, some girl stuck with a man she shouldn’t be with. You feel sorry for the girl, but at the same time wonder why she doesn’t just get out?
April 18, 2008 at 11:36 am
As I was watching the movie and reading the play, I couldn’t help but wondered what happened to Blanche. How did she get so fractured that she becomes the person she was when she lived at Laurel? At times she comes across as strong, bossy, opinionated, but at the same time she is broken before she ever arrives in New Orleans. Did the responsibility of taking care of dying relatives, a plantation, and finding out her marriage was a lie take too much of a toll on her emotionally to the point that something broke. The rape that she endures at the hands of Stanley pushes her completely over the edge and it is something that proves just the kind of animal that Stanley is. I can find no redeeming qualities in Stanley. He is controlling, abusing, and a rapist.
April 18, 2008 at 2:13 pm
After finishing the play I have the most sympathy for Blanche. She has been through some hard times, and the audience does not know the whole story of her past. She has gone through difficult times, and I believe she came to Stella for some comfort. Blanche has become mentally ill through her experiences, and it is a good thing that she is sent away at the end of the play. I think Blanche thinks Stanley is a grotesque man that has no civlized manners. She doesn’t think Stanley can provide for her sister, and now his new family. Although Blanche thinks Stanley is not a good man for her sister, I believe Stella and Stanley belong together. They have that desire or lust throughout the play, and I don’t think that will end.
When we watched the movie version I knew that some scenes probably had to be cut out, but I did not know that some of them were deemed to racy for the time. I thought they were all fine, but I am living in a different time. Some of the scenes cut out did not make a difference, but others may have made the audience lost while they were watching it. The movie helped me understand the characters better, but I would still like to see the play.
April 18, 2008 at 2:22 pm
I find it kind of hard to believe how many people do not like Blanche. Even though she’s deceitful, it’s only to make people think she has money and not a widower with nothing to offer. Women like Blanche did not manipulate others to screw them over, but more for a better life for themselves. Blanche was not a con-artist, she was a lonely southern belle. Sure, she slept around, but it sounded like she had no family save Stella. Stanley is a whole other ballgame. He’s at the prime of his life, about to have a child, a wife that will not leave him, and an iron hold on his home and friends. Blanche is very annoying, and points out what a brute he is, but she’s still family. Even though she overstays her welcome, it doesn’t sound like she’s breaking down their house and home. Also, at the beginning, the only thing Stanley was worried about was Blanche’s money and the plantation. If Stanley would have just kicked her out, or slapped her into reality, it would have been okay. But he had to rape her. Today, Stanley would have been sentenced to 20-30 years, but back then it was just a rumor, because Stanley isn’t an animal. Throughout the whole play, Stanley is trying to show his superiority over Blanche, and it finally comes out in the end.
April 18, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I liked reading “A Streetcar Named Desire.” I thought the story was a mix of emotions. I wuld have to sympathize for Stella, just because her husband is not nice to her, and her older sister, who is full of lies, barges in on her and her husband and is rude to her. When Blanche first came she insulted the place she lived in, called her husband ordinary, and told her she had gained weight. Blanche told Stella how she had lost weight and how she looked fabulous. I also think Stella is dumb for staying with her husband. She deserves better. She is attracted to Stanley’s charm and looks. I also felt bad for Mitch in the story, because he thought he found someone to spend his life with, but Blanche lied to him about living an extravagant life when in reality she was kicked out of Belle Reve. I thought the ending was interesting. I felt a little bad in the end for Blanche, but she needed to go. Overall, I enjoyed the story and laughed at parts and sympathized for characters in some parts so I liked it!!
April 18, 2008 at 6:30 pm
In watching the play and reading the book, I could not help but wonder what happened to Blanche to make her lose her grip on reality. Was it the result of caring for dying relatives, trying to hold onto a plantation, finding out her marriage was a lie, or something else that made her mind so fragile? Yes, she was opinionated, spoiled, but she was also broken, and nobody seems to see just how fragile she was. She sees Stanley for what he is. He’s a brute, an abuser, a clod and an rapist. And it is that rape that finally throws her fragile mind over the edge.
April 19, 2008 at 10:44 pm
I agree with Katie when she says reading a play is completely different from reading a book, but I still couldn’t help being drawn in. There is no first person or omniscient narrator telling us what everyong is thinking or feeling. There is no insight whatsoever, but somehow I found myself being drawn into the play and having emotional responses to what was happening without the narrator telling me what I should think or feel. I think that is one of the reasons that we see so many different responses to who people felt sympathy for. We didn’t have anyone contriving our emotions. It was kind of refreshing.
(Sorry about the double entry earlier, but I never saw it posted the first time I entered it. So, I entered it again).
April 20, 2008 at 2:54 am
I would say that i sympathize with Mitch the most. I say this because all the characters really brought on their own problems, except Mitch. He was really drug into the mess by Blanche’s deceiving nature and her lies. He was the one in that “relationship,” that was really honest, and in return he got some deceitful lies that ultimately caused the demise of his relationship with her, someone he truly enjoyed. That is why i sympathize with Mitch the most out of any character. I would say that Blanche is wrong in her statement that she knows Stanley more than Stella does. For if she really knew Stanley at all, she would realize that she was the cause of all the evil that came from him, in my opinion anyways. But, as Roxanne stated, i also really wonder what event or events, occurred that really caused Blanche to lose her grip on reality. That is an interesting question that seems to have multiple answers. The easiest answer for me to think of, would be the rape because I think that, that event is enough to cause anyone to lose their grip with the real world.
April 20, 2008 at 6:57 am
I can understand the characters; that is to say, I understand why they do things. This does not mean I relate to them with that sentiment, and certainly doesn’t mean I condone what they do. But that’s the situation Williams has created; a situation in which no one makes the right choices, and the only one in control of the situation is out for themselves alone. Stanley may be a spirited and driven individual, but he also crosses moral lines that are personally vital to me; those of obstructing the freedom of another individual. (Which is a complicated area to discuss, but as he does it for his own gain and ultimately leading to hurt of them, there’s no way to justify it.) He’s out for himself, and he exploits the weaknesses of those around them, manipulating what they do. Stella, on the other hand, is primarily revealed in her lust for him, and her unwillingness to give her up is her one clear flaw. She clings to him even after he hurts her and those she cares about, and what ever she sees in him, it’s no excuse for what he’s done. Blanche, finally, has an unwillingness to face the harshness of reality that leaves her living in a fairy-tale, or attempting to reach it at the very least. As the harshness of reality grates on her, she withdraws further into it. While this may not be an entirely bad thing, as such feeling can be used to protect her, it disconnects her from those around her, leading them to not listen to her when it truly matters. She has run herself into a situation where not only do they no longer listen, she has fooled herself to the point that they can’t, for even if she believes it true, there is no way for them to be certain. It is this lack of willingness to accept the truth that Stanley exploits, both in Stella’s and Blanche’s case. Their lies and excuses , while built up to protect what matters them, are the tools by which they are manipulated. And the one person living in no such situation abuses this to the extent of all he can gain from it; that he sees the truth in things does not make him a good man. Rather, it allows him the foothold to further his own desire at the expense of those around him. Ultimately, that unwillingness of the others to accept the truth is what leads to the story’s bitter ending. Nothing good comes for those who shy away from reality. The best that can manage is to ignore the bad and hope it doesn’t come for them.
April 20, 2008 at 7:04 am
not sure if this is showing up, so it may get double-posted, though I’m counting on that not happening from what I’ve seen of the site so far. But aye, I can’t say I relate to any of the characters, though I do understand them, at least insofar as why they do what they do. Still, it is Stella’s and Blanche’s unwillingness to accept the reality of things that leads to them being manipulated as they do, and Stanley only utilizes his insight into reality to exploit this fact. There is no good ending because ultimately the only one with the willingness to face reality is one who uses it to twist the tendencies of those who don’t to his own gain.
April 20, 2008 at 6:01 pm
I sympathize with Mitch. In my opinion, the rest of the characters are hard to sympathize with. Stanley seems like a jerk and the only reason that Stella stays with him is because she is physically attracted to him aka his “animal like” demeanor. However, I do not feel bad for Stella because she puts up with him. If she thinks that it is alright that her husband hits her and treats her as if she is inferior, that’s her problem. Also, Blanche is very annoying. She is so conceited and hungry for attention that she literally goes out of her mind. Mitch just seems to be stuck in the whirlwind of all of the other character’s lives. He is a puppet that everyone plays with.
April 20, 2008 at 6:58 pm
I would have to say that I sympathize with Blanche and Stella- mostly Blanche, though. The fact that Blanche is probably suffering from a lot of psychological trauma due to her husband’s suicide makes her extremely vulnerable to others- mainly men. Since her husband came out of the closet, she feels as though she needs to be sexually desired to feel self worth, and that is very sad- especially since this obsession to be desired turns into an endless cycle and ultimately drives her to choose fantasy over reality and causes her to become very delusional.
I sympathize with Stella because she lets her own desires overcome her and forgets what is really important in her life (her older sister whom she has known all her life). I find it very sad that one of the main reasons why she does not believe that Stanley raped her sister is because she depends on Stanley for her own survival, so she really has no other choice. This is sadly a good justification for not believing her sister; however, this does not mean that I side with Stella. In fact, I think that she should have believed her sister since she has known her longer than Stanley.
April 20, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Stanley struck me as almost the “poor lost puppy” guy for most of the play and the only reason I felt bad for him was because he seemed to be a bit of a neandrathal. I get that he was supposed to be this “sexy” guy that was the epitome of desire but Stella seems to be thinking with her genitals, which Blanche doesn’t so much want to let fly. Blanche was in control of his territory and in the end she had to endure the ultimate act of supression by being raped. Stella’s emotional and lustfull depth was a betrayal to Blanche by staying with Stanley in the play and from a feminist perspective I think it was a bold move for the movie to have an alternate ending which meant Stella was going to sort of “wake-up”.
April 21, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I sympathize with two characters in this play: Blanche because of her tragic decay, and Stella because of her imprisonment in a violent and painful relationship. These two share a common characteristic that brings about my sympathy and that is an involvment with Stanley. Until Blanche was raped by Stanley, my perception of her was mostly negative, but upon the act, committed by Stanley, I began to view Blanche as a victim. Stella is also a victim in this play. The quote provided in class “we create the realities that we can live with,” is VERY applicable to Stella and all women in abusive relationships. Stella loves Stanley, so much that she has a child with Stanley, and is so bound to the relationship she devalues herself almost entirely. It is difficult to understand why she refuses to leave Stanley, but it is a scenario that is common to hundreds of women in real life. I do not sympathize with Stanley, and I don’t think anyone does. The emotion that I get when thinking of him is anger, because he is incredibly abusive and evil (the rape proves that).
April 21, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Between all of the characters in A Streetcar Named Desire, Stella seems to deserve the most sympathy. She is the one person truly in the middle of Stanley and Blanche and is the one making the decision about desire. Stella’s desire is interesting. She grew up as a girl with means, left home, married a poor son of immigrants, and is seemingly content. Only some of her sister’s comments bring up potential discontent with her situation, yet when given a reason to leave–a very valid reason at that–she chooses, desires to stay with Stanley. I sympthethize with her because she seems to have the most difficult task of balancing her love and desire to be with Stanley with her love for her sister and the desire she has to make her sister happy.
I read an article last week about how parents and children differ when they choose a mate.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/13/AR2008041301789_pf.html
Parents look at how economically stable the person is, their up bringing–race, social status, family stability. The children look at intelligence and looks. Stella’s desire fits this last part well. By the standards of it’s time, Stella chose a person outside of her social class because she looked for looks (and possibly intelligence; I’m not sure how smart Stanley is but I believe she did say he was the only one of his crew that was going anywhere). Blanche, however, is like the parent. She looks at the social status, ethnography, etc. to critique Stanley. Stella is forced to endure such critism. Stanley gives similarly harsh critism about Blanche.
The only part I have trouble giving my sympathy to Stella for, is her decision to stay with Stanley after the rape. At the same time, it shows how strong desire–desire for love, stabitity (Stanley can support her and her child while she would probably not be able to), and companionship.
April 21, 2008 at 5:44 pm
If I sympathize with anyone, it would be Stella. She is sort of tied to this man that she loves who doesn’t seem to show the same affection toward her. Stanley represents this “macho” character who Stella can’t help but keep going back to him. I think it seems more realistic in the play that she still stays with him, as opposed to the movie. In reality, people who go through similar situations, stick with the person they love because they love them. They keep believing that the person will change, even if they know it won’t happen. The fact that Stella and Stanley have a child together by the end of the play makes me even more sympathetic to Stella; she is kind of stuck with him, no matter what she does.
I do sympathize with Blanche as well because she doesn’t have what Stella has. But the fact that she is so manipulative makes her somewhat obnoxious to me. Still, she does understand Stanley better than Stella does, in my opinion. I think deep down Stella knows the kind of person Stanley is, but she would never admit that to herself or anyone else.
April 21, 2008 at 6:26 pm
I sympathize with Blanche throughout the whole play. Although she has many personality traits that i feel play tribute to her downfall. I really do not sypathize with her that much, but compared with the other characters I feel that she is the one that deserves the most sympathy. She has a scewed sense of reality which is not very endearing in a middle aged woman. However I feel that the other main characters Stella or Stanely would know the right thing to do, but that they would just not do it because it would not benefit them. Such as Stella sending Blanche away after she has been raped. I think she knows deep down that Blanche is telling the truth, but that it would make her life much harder if she believed her. She would be left alone with no man and just her baby with no one to provide for them. Also just even her lust for Stanely outways her feeling to do the right thing. As for Stanely he just always does what he wants on a whim. He does everything for his own pleasure and personaly gain. I also feel that he has no remorse for any of the things he has done, whether it be hitting Stella or raping Blanche. Of course there is no hero or heroine in this story that wins over a readers heart immediately. It is just that I am won over a little more to Blanche, than to Stella and Stanely because she seems to have her heart in the right place, but her head in the wrong.
April 21, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Although Blanche is labeled bad and unclean because of her promiscuity, I enjoyed her character the most by far because even though she ’slept around,’ she has the most class of all the characters. She dressed beautiful, great manners, and obviously speaks with a higher intelligence than all the other characters. Stella is the stupidest character because she basis her marriage with Stanley on animal desires and would never have to audacity to leave him no matter how bad he treated her. I bet she wouldn’t even leave him if he went after the baby. Since he’s so quick to smack Stella around when she pregnant, what would stop him if he got mad at the kid? I see very miserable life ahead for Stella and the baby because I feel that Stanley will just be another abusive father and husband. People like that rarely change because they know that the people and kids will never leave them so he can trap them there. If I were Stella at the first hit i would have been gone because if he does it once there’s absolutley nothing stopping him from doing it again and worst.
April 21, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I find that I sympathize with both Blache and Stella.Blanche, although she has a promiscous past, still has a good heart, after all she proves that she loves her sister by trying to convince her to get out of a bad relationship. Her unwillingness to live in the real world are the result of the loss of everything she holds dear in her life. Not only does she loose her ancestral home she also looses a husband and her sister. Stella, although she is irrational in the sense that she lets her passion control her choices can also be sypathized with becuase of these same choices. She is a battered woman trapped in a relationship because of love or is it just lust? Although she sacrifices her sister to continue her delutions of the happy little family I can’t forsee a good ending to her story therefore I feel sorry for her too.
April 21, 2008 at 9:29 pm
I found it virtually impossible to sympathize with Blanche; after all, she lied to everyone around her and caused more trouble than she was worth. On the other hand, Blanche may not have been as crazy as she seemed. She simply knew how to manipulate people in order to elicit the exact responses she wanted from them. She constantly played into Stella’s subservient nature, belittling her and in a way still treating her like a child, despite the fact that they were both adults. Blanche used her feminine charm to get Stanley and Mitch (and many other men, apparently) to give in to her desires, even though Stanley claims he is not “took in by this Hollywood glamor stuff.” Blanche’s conniving nature made her a difficult character to sympathize with.
It was also difficult to sympathize with either Stella or Stanley, due to the way they treated each other. Stella was far too submissive and forgiving of Stanley, and in turn, Stanley took advantage of those traits in his wife. She was all too ready to give in to the notion that Stanley was fully in control and that he could do whatever he wanted, a notion that Stanley abused – he got away with raping Blanche because he knew that Stella’s submissiveness combined with her desires would prevent her from ever leaving him.
In short, all the characters had some trait or another that made it hard for me to sympathize with them.
April 21, 2008 at 9:33 pm
I’m going to have to be on Mitch’s side on this one. With all the other characters, Mitch is the only one I see that is getting the shaft. He seems like the Lifetime channel character while everyone else is on Spike TV.
I feel he has just fallen into the wrong place at the wrong time, but I couldn’t blame him since at the beginning of the screenplay all the characters seemed rather sane. But as we all begin to notice later in the play Blanch, Stella, and Stanley turn to these puppets that play and pull the strings of each other and they all can’t seem to escape it.
So there is Mitch who I deeply feel for the most since his position in the others sick social life has got him hoping for nothing in the future.
April 21, 2008 at 11:34 pm
I would probably have to sympathize with Blanche because the only reason she is so messed up now is because of her young husbands suicide, for which she blames herself. After the death, her family had even more problems which really made her confused and feeling down… Though she was a bit promiscuous, it was only because she was confused and afraid. She blamed herself for her husbands suicide so she felt that it was necessary to somehow redeem herself. Blanche cannot handle intense things- at the beginning she was wearing white, she dims the light, and constantly objects to certain behaviors. I can’t help but think that she probably wouldn’t be like this if her husband wouldn’t have killed himself.
April 22, 2008 at 3:38 pm
The characters are over all hard to sympathize with but if I had to choose one I would choose Blanche. Blanche just doesn’t belong anywhere. She lives in this southern belle mindset but the plantation is gone and she has destroyed her own reputation. Scarlet doesn’t live here anymore. There is no where in the world where Blanche can be who and what she is and live the life she wants. Even if she would have ended up with Mitch I think her guilt would have led her deeper into alcoholism and the relationship would still have been unfulfilling.
I certainly do NOT sympathize with Stanley, the big gorilla. Personally I would like to give him a running kick to the crotch. He is not just a salt of the earth working man who lacks social grace, that would be acceptable. Stanley is an obnoxious self-loving jerk who thinks he rules the world. This is not helped by Stella’s blind lust for him. She just furthers his world view that he is god’s gift to humanity.
I see Blanch and Stanley as polar opposites, yet they are both equally flawed and unlikeable. But I still think Blanche is the more sympathetic character simply because she has gone through such trauma.
April 22, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Stanley is an out of control drinker and rapist. Stella is a weak woman who has no self control. Blanche is an overdramatic woman with problems. If I was forced to sympathize with any of the characters I would with Mitch. I feel bad for him because he seems to just be finding his place in the world and it seems that he can’t get anywhere because his friends (Stanley) only seem to care about drinking, bowling and poker and the one woman he meets (Blanche) is crazy with a shady past. How can one not feel bad for this man who is so out of place in a group?
April 22, 2008 at 9:47 pm
This play was to me the epitome of a dysfunctional family. You have the sister, Blanche, who hates her sisters husband for many reasons and will never like him. Then there is the battered wife, Stella, who in my opinion is just to stupid to leave. She knows she should leave, but just doesn’t have enough will power to do so. Then there is Stanley who tries to do everything in his power to belittle these women. (not that they are perfect either) He thrives on his male status and knows that Stella will not leave him. Mitch was a confusing character because I didn’t really want to see him end up with Blanche, but at the same time he falls victim to her games on different occasions. He does what he can to protect himself from her, but I don’t agree with his attitude either at times like when he blows up at Stella and Stanley’s house. I think Mitch’s character is confusing because he’s influenced by Stanley’s bad behavior and his affection for Blanche. I don’t really sympathize with any of the characters of this play except for Eunice who has to listen to them all!
April 23, 2008 at 12:13 am
I also find it really difficult to sympathize with Stella. Maybe it’s because I’ve never been in that situation, but I find it difficult to see how a woman could return to a situation where a husband abuses her. Stella also blindly cast an eye to Stanley’s rape of Blanche, and I think deep down she knew but just couldn’t accept it. If she accepted it, then that would really make her an awful person for not leaving, and I don’t think Stella could have handled that.
I find myself sympathizing a lot with Blanche, who obviously had a lot of self-esteem issues and needed to feel loved by someone, even if it was by a stranger in the night. True, Blanche ended up making up a lot of things, but I think she only did it because it would have killed her to accept her life for what it really was. I also surprisingly felt sorry for Stanley, who got placed in the middle with Blanche even though he didn’t want her at his house, and I think Stanley was just too passionate about everything- whether that was a good emotion or a bad emotion.
April 23, 2008 at 2:21 am
I still think that I sympathize more with Blanche in this play because she doesn’t know that shes going crazy, Stella on the other hand refuses to leave Stanley so I think shes just stupid. I cannot give Stella any pity or anything in this play because her actions are clearly brainless. Shes living with a man with whom her attraction is purely sexual and cannot see the fact that he is a low life, abusive bum. Now that she has a child you’d think that her maternal instincts would kick in and she’d want to do what is best for the baby, but no. She ignores everyone around her who knows that Stanley isn’t a good man and in my opinion will pay dearly for it someday. Blanche knows Stanley far better than Stella could ever dream of because she doesn’t turn her head everytime he acts up. Blanche detects right away that he isnt good enough for her and she is proven right when Stanley rapes her. That in itself proves how stupid Stella is to not believe her own sister and run back to her husband. If I had been there I would have smacked Stella in the face. That woman’s self-esteem must be so shredded that she sees no problems with Stanley. If I had a choice between living with Stanley and going crazy, I say take me away right now.
April 24, 2008 at 12:18 am
I sympathize with Mitch and Stella. I feel uncomfortable appreciating Stanley as a character, however I strangely found myself hoping Stella would not leave him at the end of the story. Make no mistake, I am aware that the way he treats Stella is absurd. I believe he truly loves her though, and I am torn by the question: why, if he loves her so, would he hit her? Stella has to deal with both this abuse and her sister, though insane, raising good points about the nature her relationship with Stanley. Mitch is the noblest of all the Characters.
April 24, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Both Stanley and Blanche use sexuality to feel powerful. This is why Blanche knows Stanley better than Stella: because she sees something familiar in him. Throughout the play whenever Blanche feels vulnerable, she attempts to seduce a man and thereby gain control over some aspect of her life. However, Stanley uses his sexuality in a completely different way; he uses it to repeatedly lure Stella back and rape Blanche. In both instances Stanley enforces his power over women. Although Stanley and Blanche engage in different actions they both use sex as a tool to feel powerful. But it is this difference in actions which makes me sympathize with Blanche. She was caught in a world which had died with the Civil War and bore the brunt of her family’s destruction. Blanche was stuck in a world which no longer existed and was thrown into the realities of a modern society in which she had no power.
April 24, 2008 at 2:30 pm
The only character I have any sympathy for is Mitch. He’s single and taking care of his sick mother, and seems like he is a decent guy. Blanche, on the other hand, keeps pretending to be something she is not, and I disliked her from the beginning. Stella sticks with Stanley despite how he treats her. Stanley, well he is the stereotypical male that looks down on women as something to be used. I can’t find any sympathy for any of these characters. Except for Mitch, he seems like a decent guy.
April 25, 2008 at 6:55 pm
I personally don’t think that Blanche understands Stanley at all. It seems to me that she THINKS she understands him and then acts and treats him accordingly. While Stanley is a man who is attracted to women, Blanche automatically believes that she act on this by teasing him and trying to get him to sleep with her. Her star-struck, “I’m beautiful but have no brains” act didn’t work though because Stanley saw right though her. I was proud of the fact that he gave her the cold shoulder, but lost my respect for him during the rape scene. I was disappointed that Stanley finally gave into the sexually tension Blanche created when she entered the house. I do feel a slight sympathy for Stella because he is the man she loves, and back in that time it probably wasn’t very common to get a divorce, so she stuck with him through thick and thin no matter how bad he treated her. I do think though, that the rape of her sister should have sent her over the edge and made her leave Stanley.
April 26, 2008 at 5:42 pm
While reading and watching the play, I found myself sympathizing with Blanche. Blanch just seems like a normal person who’s gone wacko from a couple traumatic experiences. Who can blame her? Not I. However, once and a while I also find myself cheering on Stella and Stanley even though he keeps abusing her and Blanche. I can honestly say my feelings toward the play were just as absurd as the story itself. Anyway, I fully believe that Blanch doesn’t understand Stanley at all. If Blanche knew him nearly as well as she thought, she might have been successful in breaking them up. She thinks she understands his manly feelings such as the common desire for sex. She probably thinks she understands him because of her countless experiences with men/boys. Also, I don’t think Blanche understands her sister Stella at all either because she keeps being apalled that her sister keeps going back to Stanley even though he’s abusive. Blanche just seems like a flower in the middle of winter, meaning that she’s in a world that is completely different than the one she’s used to and ultimately loses the battle. Blanche is just a nut case in my opinion.
April 27, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Of course we all sympathize with Blanche, since she is the person who found herself in an unfortunate predicament by the end of the play. There were various influences which lead up to her insanity; going from a wealthy lifestyle to a lower class lifestyle, husband dying and being a homosexual and being raped just to name a few. Then again her insanity is a product of ehr actions as well; she created this situation for herself. Although i think that Blanches insanity can be blamed on Stella partially because she didn;t believe Blanche when she reveals her getting raped ny Stanley. Since nobody believes that she is raped, I think that she just lost touch with reality. On the other hand i don’t really feel bad for Blanche, befause she is deceitful, her behavior is fake and manipulative at times. I also do not think Blanche understands Stanley at all, basically she creates a stereotypical representation of Stanley, since he is Polish and a hard working lower clas man. I think Stanley understands Blanche better than Blanche understanding Stanley. Stanely seems to always see through Blanche’s fake exterior, while Blanche is always sttempting to figure out Stanley’s behavior, and really never does figure him out by the end of the play.
April 28, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I would have to say I sympathize with Blanche. It kind of irritated me that Blanche did just barge in and insulted Stella and tried to come off as being better than her, but it becomes quite clear why she did it. Blanche came from a well-off family and grew up with only the best. After her young husband turned out to be homosexual and then committed suicide, she fell apart. She became permiscuous and looked to the sexual attention and affection from random men to kind of fill up the gap and hurt she felt in her heart. She lost her job and her dignity. She made mistakes and knew that. By escaping that life and living with Stella, she could hide her past and even pretend or maybe even believe she was her old self again. After Stanley finds out the truth of Blanche’s past and reveals it to everyone and then rapes her, Blanche basically just falls into a very deep depression. I feel very sorry for her…..She wasn’t crazy. She just needed a little help and love.
April 28, 2008 at 2:01 pm
As I read I observed the behaviors of both Blanche and Stella and how different they both were. The way in which each held a certain composure, and how they differed in dealing with the loss of the farm and the people around them. Stella chose to leave and settle for a different lifestyle while Blanche stayed and attempted to force herself to believe that things would arrive back at normal for her. I thought how Stella handled it would be something I would do, I would leave the broken past in the past and move on even if it meant lowering previous standards. Blanche didn’t approve of Stella’s lifestyle choice simply because it differed from her own and actually turned out to be the better choice anyways. Stella moved on while Blanche was trapped by a life that eventually consumed and destroyed her.
April 29, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I sympathized most with Blanche through out this play. She has had the worst life struggles out of anyone. Granted some were brought on by herself but everyone makes mistakes. Blanche does know stanley better than stella because she can look through his sexual appeal and see the true inner core of Stanley which is not very appealing at all. If Blanche could have just been real with herseld and everyone else in the play she definately would have turned out to be my favorite character.
April 29, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Although I have the obvious opinion and sympathized with Blanche the most in this play, I also felt somewhat bad for Stella as well. I feel like Stella has been with this man, Stanley, for so long that she has just become immune to the way he treats her and thinks she can find no one better. It’s easy for him to get drunk, say mean things to her and then apologize shortly after and have everything turn out right. Blanche doesn’t want her sister to keep going through this sequence of events time after time. It is always easier to see a bad relationship from the outside, and I think that if Stella would have seen what Blanche saw the whole time, she would have a different opinion about the unhealthy relationship she was in with Stanley. Blanche wants to help her sister get away from this man and find a better life. I think the two sisters could have done this, but after a while it becomes a lost cause. Blanche turns out to be very unstable, and imagines a lot of things that aren’t true, eventually having to be taken away.
April 30, 2008 at 12:54 pm
At first I was tore in who I should sympathize with, because really … all the characters have some seriously messed up lives. It’s like they’ve all been messing with Karma of something of that typical nature. So, at first, I sympathized with Blanche, because she seemed to be a character of civilized edict which then got slammed into a backwash street with Stanley and a sister who wouldn’t listen to her. But, then the girl just seriously got on my nervous when she started acting like she was better than the rest of the cast when she herself was just as sinful (her going crazy in the end isn’t helping in her defense much either). So, in the end, I can’t help but agree with Judy Freking’s, in her comment, above that I can’t really sympathize with any of the characters. Besides, there suffering made for such an extra juicy story line.
Yet, now that I think on it, there is one character that I do sympathize with … Stella’s kid. That kid is seriously going to be messed up when he or she grows up with role models like a rapist for dad, a doormat for a mother, and a crazy aunt. And when I say messed up, I don’t mean “needs a hug” messed up, I mean a child that eats paint chips, murders little dogs, and has a large probability of becoming a serial killer.
April 30, 2008 at 12:57 pm
I didn’t really feel sorry for anybody in the place except perhaps the poor by standards at the poker game, Eunice, and Stella and Stanley’s kid.
There is nothing more awkward and embarrassing than being around a couple when they fight, and it’s even worse when that fight blows up into yelling and then violence. The other guys just sat around being awkward while Mitch didn’t help matters with his repeated “Poker should not be played in a house with women!”
Eunice was put in the uncomfortable position of being the upstairs neighbor. She gets to hear all of Stella and Stanley’s fights and she is the one that Stella runs to when things get violent. Eunice gets thrust into the middle of something that isn’t her business to begin with. She also has the horrible job of trying to keep Stella from going back to Staley, all the while knowing that Stella is so dependent on Stanley that she’ll keep going back to him.
As for Stella and Stanley’s kid… well, that poor kid is going to grow up to be the crazy boy in the corner who eats glitter and crayons. And unless he learns from looking at his insane aunt, his rapist dad, and his devastatingly co-dependent mom, he’s going to grow up to become serial killer…or a carnie.
Another thing that has really nothing to do with the play… I could not keep from giggling at the part after Stanley hits Stella and he’s standing outside screaming “HEY STELLA!” to get her to come back to him. It brought to mind the end of “Over the Hedge” where Tiger the cat doesn’t want the Stella the skunk to leave him and he screams “STELLA!” I thought it was funny.
April 30, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I do not feel any sympathy for any of the characters in A Streetcar Named Desire. First off, the only reason why I would have any feelings of sympathy for Blanche is that she was raped. However, the way she was before that turns the reader against her. Yes she had a problem with her husband, but that is not a reason to go over the edge of a cliff. I understand that she might be going through a hard time, but she does not have to act the way she does.
I almost felt some sympathy for Stella for having to be with Stanley who is abusive and likes to drink too much. She does not see Stanley for who he really is. If she would attempt to get him help or find another solution to the problem, then I could find some sympathy for her. I also do not think that it is right for Blanche to understand Stanley better than Stella does. Because Stella has spent years and years with Stanley and is his wife, she should know him better than anyone. However, this does not justify any of Blanche’s behavior in the story.
It is a frustrating story to read because of the problems that surrounds the characters. I cannot pathom being in any of those circumstances and not doing something about it in order to better my life and those around me.
May 1, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I sympathize with Blanche at the end because nobody seems to believe her story when she was right about Stanley, but in a way I feel like she asked for it. I also feel sorry for Stella because she can’t shake the spell that Stanley has over her. I believe that Blanche probably sees a side of Stanley that Stella is blinded to because she loves him (or perhaps refuses to see). The story of the 3 remind me of the stories you might hear on the news of some alcoholic man abusing his wife and young child and she doesn’t leave because that’s all she knows and thinks she can’t get out of or deserve better. And the story just gets more twisted when you throw in Blanche.
May 1, 2008 at 6:46 pm
I for one did not see the point of the play. Nothing really happened. Stella and Stanley got in a fight and then fell back in love. Blanche came to them because she lost her job but then went “crazy” and was taken away. I didn’t really see the the initial conflict in the play. If I were to choose someone to sympathize with, it would be Blanche. She got the short end fo the stick throughout the entire story. She lost her job, was treated poorly, started drinking alot, was raped, then taken away to a loony bin. I feel really sorry for her because all she needed was a little attention. But then again, she was out of her mind and it was hard to believe a word she said. Maybe society made her that way, maybe Stanley did.
May 1, 2008 at 11:36 pm
The point of the play doesn’t necessarily reside in the characters and plot. It’s about what the characters represent. Blanch embodies the fading glory or the Old South while Stanley is the brutish realism of the newly industrialized society. Blanch is an example of someone trapped in nostailgia, which is dangerous because it’s usually based in romanticism. She is also indicative of how the history of the grand old south (or history in general really) is a fantasy version of what the ruling social strata decides is true. While streetcar can be entertaining, I don’t think the author’s main goal is to provide merely narrative pleasure.
May 1, 2008 at 11:40 pm
I really enjoyed how in depth we looked into the play. It was fascinating to view the movie, along with the scenes that were altered before the original release of the movie. The censorship used is so influential as to how the play is interpreted. I will say, that I hated Blanche’s character both in the play and in the movie. I understand that she was off her rocker, but anyone with tact knows better than to attempt to get so cozy with your sister’s husband. I’m not saying that she isn’t a victim of Stanley’s overt masculinity, but the fact remains that the woman was batty. Grandeur illusions led Blanche down a garbled path of insatiable needs and left the woman completely drained of emotional interaction. Also, just for the record, Marlon Brando=babe.
May 1, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Does Kevin feel sympathy for any characters ever? Why does Wanda think that messed up people don’t deserve sympathy? Could it be that something happened to them to make them that way? Or do psychological disturbances just appear out of the air?
May 2, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Believe it or not, I have a small amount of sympathy for Blanche. As flawed as she is, just like many of the characters, she seems to be a prisoner of her own mind. She came from a background of old money and as she struggles with this, time and space are consistently changing around her. I think she was right on with her account of Stanley, Stella seems to be wharped on the idea(she basis every decision it seems like on the of passion). At the end, Stella is the victim (not just because of the rape but she is then sent away because Stella can’t come to grips that her husband is a complete scumbag)
May 2, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I favor Blanche more than anyone in the story. Yes, she is crazy and does things that are not considered appropriate but she is different. She’s not trying to be a nut case, she just is and no one seems to give her any consideration because she is considered far from the norm that everyone else lives in. She is merely a black sheep because she does not conform to everyone else. To me, Blanche is a non-conformist. She’s the only interesting person in the story
May 2, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I sympathize kinda with al the characters. they all have their problems each of their problems feed the other peoples problems. Stanley is kind of a womanizer and blanche is a flirt that leads guys on. Although Blanche is very flirtatious she feels that her sister should do better than Stanley. Stella also is very confused about what love really is and thinks that when Stanley gets aggressive that is his way of showing affection. So I can feel for all of the characters for living with each other. If anything they all need to be locked up and not just Blanche.
May 2, 2008 at 3:39 pm
As a huge fan of Gone with the Wind I take the side of twisted southern belle. Both Scarlett O’Hara and Blanche have a lot in common. They are very conniving and charming at the same time. The both are trying to do what is best for themselves and their families, however they don’t go about it in the best manner. According to the way they were raised they both should have been able to marry wealthy plantation owners and not have a worry in the world. That is the stereotype that is given for these southern belles, however as we see in both writings, that’s not how it works for either of these women.
May 2, 2008 at 9:11 pm
My kneejerk reaction is to say that I don’t sympathize with Blanche at all because I find her character to be extremely annoying (mostly a result of the film, though, I suppose.). I would be most likely to have some sort of sympathy for Stella, because she honestly can’t seem to help her attraction for Stanley, regardless of whether or not it constitutes any sort of healthy relationship.
May 3, 2008 at 3:02 am
At the beginning of the play, I would have to show my sympathies towards Ms. Stella. She is nothing but compassionate and love towards Stanley. No matter how badly Stanley hurts Stella or her family, Stella will take him back. Stella’s love turns to obsession as the play progresses and when the play ends you see Stella deny her own sister for Stanley. This unwavering love is a bit too much for me and I would have to say that when the play ends, I give my sympathies to the new born child. I mean seriously, how completely messed up is that child going to be. I think in the end of the play, Stella deserved what she got. I thinks it’s very sad when you see a woman with a promising future to go and date a loser of a boyfriend that treats them like property and abuses them. And even with the accusation of rape, Stella would rather believe Stanley than her own sister.