“A Streetcar Named Desire” Open-Ended Essay
The saying, “the past can/will/might haunt you” comes up often to acknowledge the potential for previous events and experiences to affect one’s present day attitudes and current states. In the book, “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams, the main character, Blanche Dubois experience numerous encounters with a past she cannot seem to escape. The suicide of her first husband, although many years ago, has created a vice around Blanche unwilling to let go while also having a large impact on her actions and beliefs. Because she feels personally responsible, the event continuously haunts her contributing to her madness which materializes at the end of the play.
Blanche’s attachment to the past is seen most obviously in her relationships with men. Her first serious relationship shows evidence of a strong dependency on other people partially due to her upper class upbringing and partially due to her demeanor. Her desire to always be wanted and acknowledged is a lasting personality trait which surfaces often throughout the play. Blanche wears expensive perfume, loves to be waited on, always announces her entrance, and cares a great deal about her appearance. During a conversation between Blanche and Mitch, it is revealed that her young love was actually gay and went to Blanche for help. She is shocked and hurt to find this out. Her pride may have been hurt in this encounter as this bisexual man went after her, not for her looks, but more for her personality. The resulting effect causes Blanche to be extremely obsessed with other’s views of her as well as her outward looks. Before his suicide, they danced to the Versuviana, a tune which only she hears but comes up everytime she is in a situation with a man or during an event pertaining to the past. This is another example of the consistent reminder of her past as well as her inability to escape it. The fact that her first love turned out to be gay, also pushes her to go for the more manly, strong, and tough men. This helps explain her fascination and attraction to more brutish men such as Stanley and the strongly-built Mitch. Craving not only someone to take care of her, but also seeking to avoid the past, she looks for this type of man in the present.
Prior to the actually story but after the death of her husband, Blanche has many experiences looking to erase her past and fill the gap in her heart. She admits to not only having short romantic relationships with young kids, but also with numerous soldiers. The death of her husband left a large gap in her being as it created a hole impossible to fill. Although her true need was more likely for a loving partner, need for self-actualization, or simply the ability to be more independent, she searches for it in sexual relationships with other men. Blanche is caught fulfilling her need with a young student. This situation would have been similar to her first romantic experience which she would have craved to re-do. Upon being fired from her teaching job, she continues to look for her need to fill the hole in her heart. She looks for this in the company of numerous army men night after night. Her desire to take care of others but also to have them take care of her and make her feel special, is short lived as there is little substance behind her relationships. Blanche is seen always searching for a relationship like her first one in a hope to re-create and redo it instead of moving on.
Blanche’s inability to let go of the past very much contributes to her eventual insanity. Her tumultuous and unresolved relationship with the past produces a shattered reality and in being unable to deal with the past, is never able to deal with the present either. This inability contributes to the story by not only providing the main internal conflict and driving force behind her personality and decisions, but also by creating a deep and dynamic character in Blanche. By introducing a complicated past and backstory, the reader is also allowed to feel sympathetic after more contemplative thought. Her hardships and series of unfortunate events had completely changed her entire view on life. This change is evidence of the possible consequences resulting from a negative relationship with one’s past. If one cannot move on from past events and learn from them, not only are they destined to repeat it, but will always feel unfulfilled due to a lack of understanding the true nature of a problem.
- In many works of literature, past events can affect, positively or negatively, the present activities, attitudes, or values of a character. Choose a novel or play in which a character must contend with some aspect of the past, either personally or societal. Then write an essay in which you show how the character’s relationship to the past contributes to the work as a whole.
The saying, “the past can/will/might haunt you” comes up often to acknowledge the potential for previous events and experiences to affect one’s present day attitudes and current states. In the book, “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams, the main character, Blanche Dubois experience numerous encounters with a past she cannot seem to escape. The suicide of her first husband, although many years ago, has created a vice around Blanche unwilling to let go while also having a large impact on her actions and beliefs. Because she feels personally responsible, the event continuously haunts her contributing to her madness which materializes at the end of the play.
Blanche’s attachment to the past is seen most obviously in her relationships with men. Her first serious relationship shows evidence of a strong dependency on other people partially due to her upper class upbringing and partially due to her demeanor. Her desire to always be wanted and acknowledged is a lasting personality trait which surfaces often throughout the play. Blanche wears expensive perfume, loves to be waited on, always announces her entrance, and cares a great deal about her appearance. During a conversation between Blanche and Mitch, it is revealed that her young love was actually gay and went to Blanche for help. She is shocked and hurt to find this out. Her pride may have been hurt in this encounter as this bisexual man went after her, not for her looks, but more for her personality. The resulting effect causes Blanche to be extremely obsessed with other’s views of her as well as her outward looks. Before his suicide, they danced to the Versuviana, a tune which only she hears but comes up everytime she is in a situation with a man or during an event pertaining to the past. This is another example of the consistent reminder of her past as well as her inability to escape it. The fact that her first love turned out to be gay, also pushes her to go for the more manly, strong, and tough men. This helps explain her fascination and attraction to more brutish men such as Stanley and the strongly-built Mitch. Craving not only someone to take care of her, but also seeking to avoid the past, she looks for this type of man in the present.
Prior to the actually story but after the death of her husband, Blanche has many experiences looking to erase her past and fill the gap in her heart. She admits to not only having short romantic relationships with young kids, but also with numerous soldiers. The death of her husband left a large gap in her being as it created a hole impossible to fill. Although her true need was more likely for a loving partner, need for self-actualization, or simply the ability to be more independent, she searches for it in sexual relationships with other men. Blanche is caught fulfilling her need with a young student. This situation would have been similar to her first romantic experience which she would have craved to re-do. Upon being fired from her teaching job, she continues to look for her need to fill the hole in her heart. She looks for this in the company of numerous army men night after night. Her desire to take care of others but also to have them take care of her and make her feel special, is short lived as there is little substance behind her relationships. Blanche is seen always searching for a relationship like her first one in a hope to re-create and redo it instead of moving on.
Blanche’s inability to let go of the past very much contributes to her eventual insanity. Her tumultuous and unresolved relationship with the past produces a shattered reality and in being unable to deal with the past, is never able to deal with the present either. This inability contributes to the story by not only providing the main internal conflict and driving force behind her personality and decisions, but also by creating a deep and dynamic character in Blanche. By introducing a complicated past and backstory, the reader is also allowed to feel sympathetic after more contemplative thought. Her hardships and series of unfortunate events had completely changed her entire view on life. This change is evidence of the possible consequences resulting from a negative relationship with one’s past. If one cannot move on from past events and learn from them, not only are they destined to repeat it, but will always feel unfulfilled due to a lack of understanding the true nature of a problem.