The Final Consequence

Desire is a powerful action in which longing for a person or for something to miraculously happen can drive you crazy. Tennessee Williams defined desire for us in the novel, A Streetcar named Desire. In this novel desire leads the two main characters to destroy the lives of the people that surround them because of the way they act. Stanley Kowalski and Blanche DuBois are characters lead by desire, but they do not always desire the same thing.

Stanley and Blanche both desire money, for they believe that it will help them feel better and make them better than others. Stanley shows his interest in money when he confronts Blanche about the loss of Belle Reve. He comments that under the “napoleon code” he is suppose to get a share of his wife’s assets; furthermore, Stanley only wanted to see if Blanche was withholding money from him. The only reason why Stanley would want to investigate the loss of Belle Reve was to see if he can benefit from it rather than for his wife Stella. Stanley is a man who invests his money in alcohol and poker to which Blanche benefits. Blanche also desires money like Stanley not only to get drunk, but also because she wants to get respect and status in society. Blanche believes that if she can regain the position she had before she lost Belle Reve then she would be respected as her looks have given up on her already.

Blanche wants respect and to be liked by the people that surround her similarly Stanley also wants to be respected and treated as an equal. The difference between Blanche and Stanley’s desire to be respected is that Blanche believes respect comes because money is present. Stanley tried to obtain respect forcefully. He is a beast in the novel such that he violently hits his pregnant wife. His violent attitude is justified in the novel due to his alcohol addiction, but his violent attitude could also be because he wants to feel above Stella. This means that he believes Stella was out of his league before they were married. This theory can be proven by his hate towards Blanche when she mentions that he is like a primitive person, a worker, unlike them who lived a very good live without worries. Stanley acts violently and inquisitive towards Blanche because they are in some way the same, for they desire the same things.

But too often we see in physics that magnets with the same pole charge will not attract, so they will repeal. The fact that Stanly and Blanche have similar desires is what causes them to repel from each other, which leads to Blanche’s permanent trip to the “doctor.” The desire that drove the novel to this ending was their common desire to make Stella happy. Stella is Stanley’s wife and also Blanche’s sister. Stanley desired Stella sexually and in some way Blanche desired to make Stella like her by lying about everything she represented. This desire for Stella is what lead Stanley to do a “background check” on Blanche and the fact that Blanche had no money are a male to take care of her lead to the lies she invented to Stella. This power struggle to gain Stella's favoritism caused a tense atmosphere around the house and around their mutual friends.
Desire can make you do terrible things but Stanley and Blanche's desire caused two sisters to part from each other and they also prevented Stella from seeing that Stanley has a problem with alcohol, for he abuses her and it.

Coin flip

Chance is not always a fifty-fifty deal. If you flip a coin you will never get to see both sides at the same time, for you can only get face or tails. Some stories can be compared to the flipping of a quarter such that the main characters will not show the other side of a character until something significant or happens. Just like a coin some characters are confined to show a dominant personality to show the strength or so they can achieve what they want without being noticed. Two characters that portray this double persona personality are Stanley Kowalski and Blanche Dubois in the play "A Streetcar Named Desire."

Stanley Kowalski can be described as an aggressive alcoholic man who is only interested in the in the money his wife, Stella, might be able to provide. Stanley shows his control and power over Stella by abusing her, but he also displays control over people by belittling them. Stanley has an alcohol problem which can have terrible effects such as: temper loss, violent rampages, and occasional outbreaks. This is the Stanley Kowalski that is displayed in the first four scenes in the play. The reader is able to obtain evidence of his abuse and temper loss when he hits his wife even though she is pregnant, “Stanley charges after Stella” (1561). From these four scenes the reader perceives Stanley to be a beast without any exceptions, but Stanley is not completely a violent beast. In the play we are able to read the stage directions and what the characters are currently doing. If we play close attention to the stage directions we can the reader can see that Stanley is sorry for his behavior when he hit his wife. In scene 3, in the stage directions, Stanley “falls to his knees on the steps and presses his face to her belly, curving a little with maternity” (1562) which means that he can be a tender and caring person. In the four next scenes Stanley gives off the same ruthless attitude, but it can be inferred differently. The reason his character can be interpreted differently, meaning not just a beast, is because he displays affection and care towards his wife.

Blanche DuBois is another character that has multiple personalities. Blanche arrives to Stella’s house because she was taking a vacation from her teaching profession due to her nerves. Blanche is Stella’s older sister and in the first few scenes the reader notices her drinking problems, the fact that she can lie without remorse, and her vanity. Blanche is a character that can manipulate the people that surround her into doing as she pleases, but the only person that does not give in to her manipulations is Stanley. Blanche is a character that shows weakness and in some cases gives off a sense of pity because she wants to be the center of attention. For example, she is unsatisfied with the fact that a man will not compliment her appearance this is due to her low self esteem that can be seen in this statement “I was fishing for a compliment, Stanley” (1552). Blanche just like Stanley can be interpreted differently due to their minor actions in the play. In the case of Blanche, her selfness can be seen in the play due to her choice of words. Throughout the play Blanche’s dominate personality is one of delusional debutante, but we can see that she does not lie about one thing in the play and that is her feeling for Mitch. She may still act like she needs to be the center but she is tried to get Mitch to like her. She seduces Mitch and is very disappointed when he does not attend her birthday party. Blanche’s disappointment infers her change in personality because someone like her would not be so offended by this such that when she calls him “she remains by the phone with a lost, frightened look” (1586).
Both Stanley and Blanche are character that are seem to have a set personality in the play one is a beast and the other a delusional debutante; consequently, the reader cannot see truthful actions as noble acts. Stanley is violent and a beast but he also shows remorse when he brutality abuses Stella. Not that his actions where right but he shows a change. Blanche is a liar that cares only about her needs, but this is due to the fact that she seems to have low self esteem issues because she is an old maide.