Fear in a streetcar named desire
Thesis- Within Tennessee Williams’ 1947 play ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, fear is presented through
Being exposed to reality.
Points- fear of blanche as a character- fails to fit in with society’s norms
Fear of male agression leading to womens downfall
Williams also uses a trepidation towards males within the narrative to display fear, although
this is not always a negative attribute.
Context- williams thought he had incurable cancer and thus his fear of light is reflected
through the fear of blanche
Para 1- fear of male aggression leading to womens downfall
Within Stanley and Stella’s relationship, the prospect of losing each other proves to be
an impossible thought for them both. Stanley screams ‘my baby doll’s left me!’ after
there is ‘the sound of a blow’ offstage and Stella runs away, with the exclamatory line
underscoring the anxiety Stanley feels at the prospect of losing Stella. The fact the
abuse occurs off stage creates fear within an audience, meaning that what occurs is
ambiguous and thus dramatized by an audience, without the need for witnessing the
event themselves. He is said to ‘throw his head back like a baying hound’ as he shouts
her name, with the simile adding to the motif of Stanley as animalistic and carnal in
nature, especially because a ‘hound’ suggests he is a predator, who is showing
vulnerability only when he absolutely must. Such an inability to show weakness may
arise from the ‘American Century’, a term coined by Henry Luce in relation to the USA
after the war, where the air of male bravado meant individuals felt they could not show
weakness and needed to lead the world due to their success in the war. This is shown
distinctly in Stanley, who remains a strong and mentally untainted character at almost
all other points within the play.
The use of doubling the characters of Steve and Eunice with Stanley and Stella creates
an intriguing parallel of two couples who are in similar, abusive situations, yet neither
would dare leave their husband. As Stella claims ‘I was sort of – thrilled – by it’ (in
reference to Stanley’s violent behaviour), Eunice is later heard screaming ‘you hit me!
I’m going to call the police’ but instead of calling the police, is ‘getting a drink’. Both of
these reactions conjure up an image of pleasure at the violence of their husbands, with
feigned fear being the response they give at first. This appears to be an accepted norm
within their society as no one questions their choice to stay with their respective
partners, except Blanche, stressing how she is ‘incongruent to the setting’. Mitch fears
the loss of his mother, which would leave him completely alone and without company.
He reveals to Blanche that ‘mother is sick’ and ‘she wants me to settle down before she
Thesis- Within Tennessee Williams’ 1947 play ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, fear is presented through
Being exposed to reality.
Points- fear of blanche as a character- fails to fit in with society’s norms
Fear of male agression leading to womens downfall
Williams also uses a trepidation towards males within the narrative to display fear, although
this is not always a negative attribute.
Context- williams thought he had incurable cancer and thus his fear of light is reflected
through the fear of blanche
Para 1- fear of male aggression leading to womens downfall
Within Stanley and Stella’s relationship, the prospect of losing each other proves to be
an impossible thought for them both. Stanley screams ‘my baby doll’s left me!’ after
there is ‘the sound of a blow’ offstage and Stella runs away, with the exclamatory line
underscoring the anxiety Stanley feels at the prospect of losing Stella. The fact the
abuse occurs off stage creates fear within an audience, meaning that what occurs is
ambiguous and thus dramatized by an audience, without the need for witnessing the
event themselves. He is said to ‘throw his head back like a baying hound’ as he shouts
her name, with the simile adding to the motif of Stanley as animalistic and carnal in
nature, especially because a ‘hound’ suggests he is a predator, who is showing
vulnerability only when he absolutely must. Such an inability to show weakness may
arise from the ‘American Century’, a term coined by Henry Luce in relation to the USA
after the war, where the air of male bravado meant individuals felt they could not show
weakness and needed to lead the world due to their success in the war. This is shown
distinctly in Stanley, who remains a strong and mentally untainted character at almost
all other points within the play.
The use of doubling the characters of Steve and Eunice with Stanley and Stella creates
an intriguing parallel of two couples who are in similar, abusive situations, yet neither
would dare leave their husband. As Stella claims ‘I was sort of – thrilled – by it’ (in
reference to Stanley’s violent behaviour), Eunice is later heard screaming ‘you hit me!
I’m going to call the police’ but instead of calling the police, is ‘getting a drink’. Both of
these reactions conjure up an image of pleasure at the violence of their husbands, with
feigned fear being the response they give at first. This appears to be an accepted norm
within their society as no one questions their choice to stay with their respective
partners, except Blanche, stressing how she is ‘incongruent to the setting’. Mitch fears
the loss of his mother, which would leave him completely alone and without company.
He reveals to Blanche that ‘mother is sick’ and ‘she wants me to settle down before she
