A Streetcar Named Desire is a very depressing, confusing, lonely read. I am not going to lie and say I enjoyed it very much at all (sorry professor Jennings!). However, there is one scene that sticks out to me a lot – The one where Blanche relives her memory of the night she shamed and ultimately killed her husband. “It was because – on the dance-floor – unable to stop myself – I suddenly said – ‘I saw! I know! You disgust me…’” (Williams, 115). I have SOOOO many questions about this scene. Mostly because I think this memory is when Blanche really started to break under the weight of the world that her frail – well...everything – could not withstand. But if she wanted to confront him about it…why not wait to do so in private? If she loved him enough could she have moved past the idea of him being gay? Was she more upset about the cheating, or the fact that her husband’s mistress was a mister? If she had posed the confrontation in private would it have made the outcome different? Why did the husband choose that moment to go out and off himself? AND WHERE THE HELL DID, HE FIND THAT GUN! While the question I am most concerned with is the gun one, the one I was most perplexed by is the one about the location. Why on earth would you call out your husband’s bi-sexuality – in the middle of a crowded dance floor?! This is the only explanation I can seem to come up with. Blanche is easily overwhelmed and spontaneous. When she discovered the truth about her husband, she was so overwhelmed by it she ignored it. When the locomotive passes by in the present tense of this scene, she freezes and covers her eyes. Her typical reaction is to ignore and pretend her stressful situations are not happening until they are over, then proceeded as usual. She’s been taught to be submissive, and give in. But when she is dancing with her husband, her feelings of betrayal, confusion and hurt -- compounded by some of the same questions I asked earlier she became overwhelmed and spewed her true thoughts. The feeling of betrayal from the one man she truly loves, finally gave her the strength to stand up for herself and fight back. Why did she choose that moment in the middle of the dance floor to do so? Because it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for her, and she was scared if she waited, it would pass away. In the end, I see a lot more strength in Blanche than I think even Tennessee Williams gave her credit for. She takes a lot of bull crap, and even when the one time she refuses the abuse often world, and life turns around and takes her husband, and then her home, and then shoves her into a mental institution, she still gets up and keeps living. She’s like Betty White’s version of a vagina. Society may say a woman like her is frail and in need of protection, but in reality…they can take a beating. Works Cited “A Quote by Betty White.” Goodreads, Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1125683-why-do-people-say-grow-some-balls-balls-are-weak. Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. University of the South, 1947.
2 Comments
Sydney Glendenning
9/28/2019 09:48:34 am
I felt led to read your post because of your title. My first thought was "where is she about to take this?." As I was reading, I lost it when your wrote "Was she more upset about the cheating, or the fact that her husband’s mistress was a mister?." This was such a fun read for me, and I definitly agreed with your question about the gun. I was thinking the same thing when I read that part!
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Ariel Parker
9/29/2019 05:34:03 pm
I really liked the questions you asked about this play! Arguably, the most interesting (and heartbreaking) part of this play was when Blanche confessed what occurred between her and her husband and the topic of his sexuality. I’m not sure how much detail Williams wanted to give it considering this was during a time where being gay was extremely dangerous (it still can be today, but not nearly as bad as back then). But I do wonder the specifics of this tragedy !
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