A Streetcar Named Desire: Masculinity, Marriage, And Sex

Student Name Professor Name Course Date Term Paper The main themes of A Streetcar Named Desire are masculinity, marriage, sex, drugs and alcohol, appearances, society and class, madness, and mortality. The force of Stanley Kowalski is responsible for the popularity of A Streetcar Named Desire. According to its story, masculinity means physical and mental dominance, violence, aggression, and conflicts. Still, love, romance, marriage, and sex are not dominated by all the conflicts, and instead, play a significant role in A Streetcar Named Desire. The themes of marriage and sex are well-depicted in this play. Alcohol and drugs are a mean of escape; Blanche DuBois depends on booze to distract herself from the bitter realities. Her appearance in this play looks fake, and we sometimes feel that she is doing nothing but trying to look younger all the time. A Streetcar Named Desire deals with class differences during 1940, and its theme of madness is brought forward by the protagonists. Even DuBois looks mad because she attempts to escape from reality. Death also features prominently in this play and has been connected to lust to an extent. It seems sex and mortality are interconnected in A Streetcar Named Desire. Men seem to be crazy for sex and are habitual of abusing their wives, but women want to be respected and valued. Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire consists of numerous themes that are reflected in its design. From costumes to lighting and from the set to props, everything delivers a unique message, positive or negative. Thus, we can say that the plot of this play doesn’t captivate us alone. Instead, it is Williams’ brilliance and a combination of intriguing characters as well as multiple themes that look flawless, realistic and interesting. At some points, for example, when alcohol and drugs are to be used as the central theme, then the character of DuBois dominates everywhere. One of the main characteristics of A Streetcar Named Desire is the development of multiple, interesting characters. Jessica Tandy has played the character of Blanche DuBois, and for me, it is the most believable and interesting character. Jessica comes to New Orleans to spend several days with her sister and brother-in-law. Years later, we get to know that her husband, Allan Grey, took his own life when Tandy found her having sex with a young boy. The lady remains in shock and is finally thrown out of her own town. From the beginning till the end, Jessica Tandy’s character lefts ever-lasting impressions on our minds and there is a lot to learn from her. The character of Stanley Kowalski is played by Marlon Brando, which is the least convincing and believable character for me. Marlon belongs to a working-class and works as a salesman. He previously worked as an army engineer and proved himself to be an arrogant and rude person. Brando often fights with his wife, Stanley, and doesn’t even care about her pregnancy, which is a matter of great concern. The 20th century was a tim...