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A Streetcar Named Desire

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 97,146 ratings · 1,159 reviews

"A Streetcar Named Desire" is one of the most remarkable plays of our time. It created an immortal woman in the character of Blanche DuBois, the haggard and fragile southern beauty whose pathetic last grasp at happiness is cruelly destroyed. It shot Marlon Brandon to fame in the role of Stanley Kowalski, a sweat-shirted barbarian, the crudely sensual bother-in-law who prec...more

Paperback, 179 pages

Published March 1st 1984 by New Directions Publishing Corporation (first published 1947)

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Mar 04, 2013 Kirsty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2013, plays, personal-challenges-2013, treasures, best-of-2013, omnibus-editions

Williams portrays relationships, even the most complicated, in a masterful manner. I love the way in which he writes. His characterisation is second to none, and he gives one so much to admire in each scene, each act. The characters were all fundamentally troubled souls, each imperfect in his or her own way, but they worked so well as a cast, and Blanche Du Bois is eternally endearing. Williams' dialogue is pitch perfect. An absolutely marvellous, perceptive, strong and unforgettable play, and o...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Vanessa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: plays

I can't believe it's taken me this long to get round to reading this.
At the moment I seem to be going through my work's book cupboard, snapping up as much as possible. I view teaching drama texts as a weak point of mine, as I have not read many plays, so this is my third play of the school year, and I have to say this has been my favourite so far.
The characters were so vivid and real that they were practically jumping out the page at me. Every character I felt was flawed in some way, yet it didn...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Justghada rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: school-college-reading

First of all,

This book would never be one of the books that I would've chosen for myself. I read this book for my
AS exam. I actually loved it but I hated some characters in it.

After studying this book, I got to love it and appreciate it more.

Tennessee didn't only talk about random characters .. He talked about different classes, old money, working class and peoples point of you of them all.

Let me say I am a sucker for Happy ending .. and really hated the ending with all my heart. It left me hear...more

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Apr 16, 2013 April rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, classics, school, 2011, 2012, 2013

read in my theater class

2013: This class liked the play, probably because I emphasized the importance of stepping outside their own experience to remember that everybody doesn't think or behave the same way they do. It's an unusually empathetic bunch this year, anyway. They got it, and I love this play so hard right now.

---

It was a struggle to get my class to see Blanche as anything but a crazypants ho-bag lying cheater-face, but I think I got them to dig a little bit.

I almost straight up star...more

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Aug 13, 2008 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Becky by: Leslie

Shelves: reviewed, 2008

I enjoyed the story... It really drew me in, which is saying something considering that I picked it to read on commercial breaks during the Olympics... and I ended up reading instead of watching.

I liked this play because the characters seemed like real, flawed people. Granted, Blanche was a little over-the-top sometimes, but I imagine all southern-belle types are a little over-the-top from time to time.

Blanche was an easily identifiable character... someone who deeply regrets a thoughtless act...more

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Apr 01, 2008 Selena rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: plays-modern

Not a fan, though, I should preface that by saying that I'm not really a fan of Tenessee Williams in general (what kind of name is that anyway? Who names their kid after a state?). I don't share his fascination with abusive relationships, nor do I find the tragic romance in them that he does (call me a prude, but I am offended at the idea that anyone could find redeeming romantic qualities in an abusive relationship, especially a male writer).

I find nothing redeeming in the character of Stanley,...more

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Apr 19, 2011 Christina rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-nonfiction

I know this is supposed to be a literary classic, but I really did not enjoy this play. The only good thing about it, is that it is relatively short. I have a feeling that the play is meant to have some sort of deep meaning, and that the characters themselves are meant to represent the changing times in American society, amongst other things. However this understanding still did not stop me from completely hating all of the characters in the play, and thus the whole entire play itself. The women...more

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Jun 02, 2010 Jody rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Tennessee Williams and this is why. I had never read a play with such passion and lyricism (except for Shakespeare). I had read Death of a Salesman (of course, fantastic, but dry, like a worn book), Our Town (I wanted to fall out of my desk from sheer boredom), and Desire Under the Elms (I wanted to hang myself from the ridiculousness of this horrible play. Even seeing gorgeous Sophia Loren could not pull my opinion out of the mud) and they did nothing for my bad sixteen year old self. Th...more

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Dec 05, 2011 د.أحمد فايز rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reading-list, novels

الدراما الحادة تتجسد في هذه المسرحية التي تحكي بشكل متقطع أجزاء من حياة (بلانش دوبوا)، وتعطي لمحات من المأساة الإنسانية المتعلقة بالحب والفقد، الفقر والجنون. في بعض المشاهد تجد أن النص يفيض شعوراً عذباً رقيقاً يكشف النفوس ويظهرها كما لو أنها وشاحاً حريرياً أبيض، وفي مشاهد أخرى تشعر بفيض الذكريات موجعاً ينخز في النفس حتى تكاد الأرواح تدمي. وعلى الرغم من ذلك فإن النص يبدو قصيراً حد الاقتضاب المؤسف، وكأنه جرعة مركزة من الغم. وأنا لست من هواة التراجيديا. ولذلك فإن النص جيد بذاته وأركانه، ولكن تقييمي...more

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Aug 10, 2007 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: drama

This play offers such humanity and vulnerability in all of his characters. There is the faint echo of the deep south, the strained and potent relationship between Blanche and Stanley, her brother in law, the tension between the expecting Stella and her husband due to her sister's presence and Blanche's haunting vulnerability and madness creating a powerful vacuum that really sucked me in and held me there. I would hate for this wonderfully crafted play to just become an "masterpiece"; forgotten...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Alex Li rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: advisory-2012-2013

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 01, 2013 Dexter rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Such a famous play, but it's brutal. Frailties are tested and battle lines are drawn from the outset between Blanche and Stanley, resulting in a tug of war until one gets overpowered and crushed. In the corner is Stella, Blanche's sister, neutral as Switzerland, who, not like Blanche, managed to find happiness after Belle Reve, although at a price.

What I loved so much about this play was its setting: New Orleans. Also, the way that Blanche talked was what you would expect from an English schoolt...more

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Mar 10, 2013 John Damaso rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teaching

Though this blue version doesn't have the same Williams-penned stage directions as other editions, which are often poetic and essential (especially with regard to music), what makes the play move in insidious ways is the dialog itself.

My students tend to think Stanley is pretty likable after Scene 1, but they flippantly reject Blanche as "crazy" and "manipulative" all the way through. There's a subtle power in concealing Stanley's greatest sin, and Williams makes great use of this sleight of han...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Lisa Lilly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'd never read or seen this play, or seen the movie, though I'd read discussions of and quotes from it in writing classes. Before reading it, I knew the story involved a southern belle, Blanche, appearing on her married sister's doorstep, and I knew her visit ended in violence. Also, being a Tennessee Williams play, I assumed it would be profoundly depressing. That's part of why I hadn't sought it out though it's a classic. Recently, however, my book group recently decided to read it. And for on...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Kerstin Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This play was an interesting read about how fantasy and desire can control a person's life and take over their perceptions of reality. The protagonist, Blanche, has a horrible history with love, as her husband killed himself when she found out he was cheating on her with a man. This guilt, and her inability to control her desires, leads her to create this multi-layered story of who she really is. She gets herself involved in so many affairs that she loses her house to debt, then gets kicked out...more This play was an interesting read about how fantasy and desire can control a person's life and take over their perceptions of reality. The protagonist, Blanche, has a horrible history with love, as her husband killed himself when she found out he was cheating on her with a man. This guilt, and her inability to control her desires, leads her to create this multi-layered story of who she really is. She gets herself involved in so many affairs that she loses her house to debt, then gets kicked out of the hotel she is staying in, and also loses her teaching job. She attempts to start over by staying with her sister Stella and her brother-in-law Stanley. Stella and Stanley have an odd relationship that is dominated by Stanley, and he is often abusive and violent to his wife. She, however, continues to love him, and gives birth to his child by the end of the play. Stanley and Blanche don't really like each other, as Stanley doesn't trust Blanche's stories or motivations, and Blanche doesn't like how Stanley treats Stella. Blanche ends up having the beginnings of a relationship with one of Stanley's friends, but it is based on the lies that she has told him-and herself-so the relationship falls apart when Stanley finds out the truth about Blanche and tells his friend. Slowly, throughout the story, both Blanche's sanity, and her sister's relationship with Stanley, start to fall apart. Stanley finally snaps and rapes Blanche, which makes her finally have a complete break with reality. Stella refuses to believe her sister's accusations, and stays with Stanley as the doctors come and take Blanche to an insane asylum.
I liked that the story showed how both sisters were imprisoned by their delusions and their twisted sense of reality. This is juxtaposed by how Stanley and Blanche, and also slightly Stella, are all driven by their desire, and can't seem to control how it leads them, often to disastrous consequences. This play was also written very well with how the dialogue and continuity of the storytelling mirrors the slow fracturing of Blanche's psyche. The sexual nature of the book was a little overwhelming, but it served the story line well, so it wasn't unnecessary, which would have been worse. All in all, I think that this book is a good read, but only for those willing to deal with a more adult and heavy subject.(less)

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Feb 19, 2013 Momina Masood rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: plays-drama

Grotesque yet touching - this is a remarkable play. The ugliness wallowing in the slimes of the human character - that which is inherent and bestial such, and that which time pours down, pitiable such - can do for one theme. Escapism and too much of it that one loses all contact with reality can do for another. I don't know why people like Stanley have their characters admired so (one must remember Thomas Hardy called his protagonist of The Mayor of Casterbridge 'a man of character', and he an a...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Nicholas rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: play

When a girl is raped, whom should she tell? Who will believe her? If the allegation is made against her sister's husband, will the sister, with a new-born baby, believe this horrible thing about her husband?

But there are things that happen between a man and a woman in the dark-that sort of make everything else seem-unimportant.

The husband's virility is all-sating, stupefying, insuperable, all-conquering (I want to use the word “totalising”). The sister has given up privilege, dignity, freedom, p...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Anna Henriques rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was somewhat sceptical at first when presented with this book at AS level as one of the core texts we would be studying. I had heard quite about about Tennessee Williams, or at least quite of the drama which was injected into his own life.
I tended to find myself drudging through the GCSE set texts and expected that AS would be no different. Another year, with the same typical books. I guess I'm a sceptical person.
However, I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, it was more than pleasant. This d...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Mariyumi511 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This month I read A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. It is a play based in the slums of New Orleans in 1949. The play was first published in 1957. Stella and Stanley are living in an old apartment in New Orleans when Stella’s sister suddenly drops by. The difference between the two is primarily noted, Stella suits her modest lifestyle while Blanch has a haughty air about her. Stanley walks into the apartment carrying meat, which is a perfect materialization of his animalistic behav...more This month I read A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. It is a play based in the slums of New Orleans in 1949. The play was first published in 1957. Stella and Stanley are living in an old apartment in New Orleans when Stella’s sister suddenly drops by. The difference between the two is primarily noted, Stella suits her modest lifestyle while Blanch has a haughty air about her. Stanley walks into the apartment carrying meat, which is a perfect materialization of his animalistic behavior throughout the play. The play focuses on Blanches life and why she has left her mansion and life in Laurel and come to crash with her sister and brother in law. This proves to be more difficult to find out, as Blanche does not disclose why she doesn’t want to leave or why she seems so fragile. Her sister, Stella, thinks that this is because of all the hardships she’s had to deal with throughout her life. While the play continues we see that there are secrets about Blanche that even she tries to keep under wraps while Stanley finds it his mission in life to disclose them. This play is very emotionally intertwining. I found myself sympathizing with different characters in every other scene while still wanting someone else to dig up their past. One of the most common motifs that are repeated throughout is the polka music that seems to be playing in Blanche’s head. When it is evident that this music has a deep dark connection to her past, we also notice that the music is in fact a part of her imagination and not heard by anyone else. I was so into the play while merely reading it, so I cannot even imagine how engaging it would be to actually see it acted out. I wanted to jump into the pages to see them all come to life. Williams does romanticize the difficult life that Stanley and Stella have to live, and even further doing so when Stella admits she likes everything the way it is. It increases curiosity as to what Stella is finding comfortable in her situation, when others would gladly run away. Over all the play was very emotional and passionate and made me want to see it live. (less)

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Nov 12, 2012 Alex rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reading-through-history, 2012, drama

I had some idea, from the hokey friendliness of the name "Tennessee Williams," and the cute titles of his plays - "Streetcar Named Desire"! "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof!" - they sound like musicals - I had an idea that these would be friendly. Pop culture. In the great telephone game of pop culture, what I ended up hearing was Marlon Brando yelling "STELLA!", which sounded pretty goofy to me.

So that was the wrong impression. This play is fucking dark.

I love the mix of realism and poetry here. Stanley...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Petter Avén rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had no particular impressions of this play prior to reading it. As with other works of literature that I know virtually nothing about, this made me somewhat cautious. However, my general liking for plays in the theater served to raise my expectations somewhat, even though “Streetcar” to my mind did not carry the same historically literary import as “Othello”. In one interesting aspect my reading experience of “Streetcar” turned out to be very similar to the one I had when reading “Othello”; kn...more I had no particular impressions of this play prior to reading it. As with other works of literature that I know virtually nothing about, this made me somewhat cautious. However, my general liking for plays in the theater served to raise my expectations somewhat, even though “Streetcar” to my mind did not carry the same historically literary import as “Othello”. In one interesting aspect my reading experience of “Streetcar” turned out to be very similar to the one I had when reading “Othello”; knowing they were plays my mind kept switching between images of theater actors performing on stage and images of real people interacting. The real life interaction images came to me quite a bit easier with “Streetcar” because the language used by the characters there is in line with how people actually talk, whereas the language in “Othello” primarily promoted images of the stage play. I found “Streetcar” an easy read.

The most important features of “Streetcar” are carried by the characters. There are three main aspects to them; gender, class and identity, who have their roots in American history and culture. The most important characters’ past and heritage are explained as the story progresses, but it helps if the reader possesses some additional knowledge so he or she can see Stella, Blanche and Stanley as part of a bigger picture. That way the people of “Streetcar” become representatives of the change that American society has gone through in the play’s setting. After all, I cannot help but think that the characters in some regards are rather stereotypical, but this is not necessarily a bad thing in a play with a message.

Because the traits attributed as female in a sense decide the ones attributed as male, it is only fair to begin with an analysis of the women of “Streetcar”. Stella and Blanche are in many ways so different that it is very hard to believe that they are actually sisters, but they both possess traits that are defined as decidedly female. The culture they live in makes them economically dependent on the goodwill of men. Neither can afford to support herself, and this is very apparent both in the present day of the setting and in their past experiences. Their aristocratic upbringing on a plantation, like true Southern belles, did little to prepare them for an independent lifestyle. Stella consciously decided to leave that life behind and managed to find a reasonably stable life with Stanley, whom she loves, and she now shares his working class values. She accepts her role of housewife in accordance with the demands of society at that time. Blanche, on the other hand, has never been able to find a safe haven for herself. She was married briefly to a man named Allan Grey who committed suicide when his affair with another man was exposed. After this traumatizing experience Blanche was forced to rely on the support of one man after another, as a virtual prostitute. Her meager salary as a teacher could never suffice to support the kind of lifestyle she craves. Blanche clings desperately to the ideals of a bygone era because her identity is so firmly rooted there and she is unable to redefine herself.

Stella and Blanche both have very womanly characteristics, but ones that differ markedly. Stella is a stoic, open-minded and forgiving person. She loves and supports her husband Stanley in spite of his violent nature and readily accepts his apology when he asks for it, very much like a true Christian Madonna. Blanche is judgmental, delusional, excitable in the extreme, and set in traditional ideals which include an aristocratic lifestyle and the use of her female charms to win the support of men.
The men in Streetcar are working class Americans; stereotypically their jobs, prospects, identities, attitudes, interests, levels of education and refinement all place them there. Stanley is very much the alpha male among his friends. This is particularly marked by his dominating behavior, which often spills over in acts of violence when he drinks during poker nights. His marriage to formerly aristocratic Stella reinforces his position further. Stanley is of Polish ancestry, but he thinks of himself as an American and served in the US Army during the Second World War. Blanche’s pointing out his origin in a derogatory fashion therefore cuts deep.

The clash between classes, genders and identity is primarily fought between Blanche and Stanley, with Stella eventually being forced to take sides. It is difficult to imagine more different people living under the same roof, and it forces them to confront not only each other but themselves, too. Carried to Stanley and Stella’s home by a streetcar symbolically named Desire, Blanche’s stay proves to be a watershed in their lives; their desires are put to the test. Not surprisingly, it is Blanche who cracks first when her past finally catches up with her. Blanche’s constant lies and hysterical outbursts make the people around her lose patience and turn their backs on her. Mitch, the man who was her chance for a stable relationship, and then Stanley in turn confront Blanche by exposing her lies to her face, driving her over the edge. Blanche threatens Stanley with a broken bottle when they are both drunk, and she is subsequently raped. There is, if you look for it, symbolism in this brutality taking place the same night that Stanley becomes a father: The strong, working man of the present subjugates the hysterical, aristocratic woman of the past, and at the same time he continues his bloodline with a similarly aristocratic woman who has chosen his way of life. The primal Alpha male has triumphed over decadent refinement. The final seal on the struggle is put when Stella chooses not to believe Blanche’s account of what happened and agrees to have her sister institutionalized in a mental hospital. Stella loves Stanley too much, and their life and future together, to allow herself to believe Blanche. This distraught woman’s final words, directed to the doctor, gives a wealth of insight into her psyche: “Whoever you are – I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”(less)

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Jul 28, 2012 Raymond Hu rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was decent ,probably because it was a play so it wasn't that interesting to me. But overall imagining the story line and all the drama in the story was pretty intense. I enjoyed reading about the play because the characters although very old fashioned from like the 1900's represent a sort of idea that connects to the real world. About how the poor and people that grow up in the slums or the poor neighbors are look down upon by the upper class society. The main thing i like about this p...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Samantha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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May 19, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, art, books-for-class, fiction, psych-social

Can you believe I had gotten this far without reading A Streetcar Named Desire? I never read it for theatre class, or in high school (although I remember reading Orpheus Descending when I was fifteen that just never took off. Not that you really need to have read the play to understand why it's funny on Modern Family when Cam is look for a dog named Stella, calling after her in his undershirt, or any other number of parodies and pastiches of that moment.

So, on to the book. I read it because my l...more Can you believe I had gotten this far without reading A Streetcar Named Desire? I never read it for theatre class, or in high school (although I remember reading Orpheus Descending when I was fifteen that just never took off. Not that you really need to have read the play to understand why it's funny on Modern Family when Cam is look for a dog named Stella, calling after her in his undershirt, or any other number of parodies and pastiches of that moment.

So, on to the book. I read it because my little brother was assigned it for high school English class, and I am supposed to be helpful in that subject area. It is a fluid, quick read, even reading the introductory materials and stage directions/descriptions I finished it in about an hour and a half.

For anyone who is like me until last night, here's what happens. Blanche DuBois comes to visit her sister Stella, who lives with her husband, Stanley Kowalski, in a not super great part of New Orleans. Blanche has lost the family's grand plantation to cover debts and pay for a number of funeral expenses, and she has no one else to go to other than Stella. This is unfortunate, as Stanley immediately dislikes and distrusts Blanche and makes no attempt to hide his feelings, often being openly contemptuous of her and, early on, implying that she spent the family fortune on her clothes and accessories.

Tennessee Williams is one of the great American playwrights. His characters speak beautifully, but in a way that suits the world of the play. His stage directions and descriptions help to create a vivid picture for even just a reader, if not a director attempting a staging of his play. In a scene where the men play poker, he directly invokes a Van Gogh painting of a bar, the colors and the atmosphere. While the scenes are dynamic, it does feel like the characters are a bit limited. Stanley is an "ape", an animal as much he is a man. Blanche is flighty and deceptive, it is unclear how much she believes of the stories she tells, and how much she has to believe them. Stella is just trying to keep the peace between them, constantly make excuses for both parties. Who is culpable for the way that things play out? (less)

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May 03, 2012 Anne Nikoline rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everybody, mostly

Recommended to Anne Nikoline by: book club

Shelves: 20th-century, book-club, read-in-2012

To read plays and enjoy them one needs to have a great imagination, or at least I believe so. Reading plays can sometimes be hard and seem less exciting than a regular novel, but A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams is so wicked yet so realistic that one does not need to have a great imagination to like this. Tennessee Williams is just amazing!

I gave it three stars because I liked it and that is what three stars on Goodreads stands for, however, this play is leaning towards four stars,...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Bailey Sturgeon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams was a surprisingly interesting and enjoyable book. I really enjoyed the story and actually was able to feel a connection with some of the characters- especially sympathy for the main character. The story is about a woman who leaves her hometown because of a ruined reputation of lost fortune and goes to New Orleans to be with her sister. Instead of receiving help from her sister and her brother in law, the main character is destroyed by the end of...more “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams was a surprisingly interesting and enjoyable book. I really enjoyed the story and actually was able to feel a connection with some of the characters- especially sympathy for the main character. The story is about a woman who leaves her hometown because of a ruined reputation of lost fortune and goes to New Orleans to be with her sister. Instead of receiving help from her sister and her brother in law, the main character is destroyed by the end of the novel and gains even more sympathy from the readers and the last shreds of her dignity are destroyed.

he story is about Blanche DuBois, a nearing middle aged former Southern debutante. In the beginning of the story, Blanche arrives at her sister Stella’s home in New Orleans in hopes of being about to start a new life after losing everything she had back in her old hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. Blanche lost her family home, her job, and even her reputation in Mississippi and she hopes that New Orleans will give her the fresh start that she needs to get back on track. Blanche immediately clashes with her brother in law, Stanley. Stanley is very bitter and so filled with class resentment that he makes it is mission to destroy Blanche’s life in New Orleans like it was destroyed back in Mississippi. Because Blanche’s character is very fragile, insecure, and self-doubting, Stanley’s cruelty causes her to become mentally detached from her reality by the end of the story.

The main characters are Blanche DuBois, Stella Kowalski, and Stanley Kowalski. Blanche is Stella’s older sister, and was a school teacher in Laurel, Mississippi before she was forced to leave her post and come to New Orleans. She is around thirty years old but her fragile and insecure personality makes her seem older at time. After having to leave Mississippi, Blanche arrives at her sister and brother in law’s apartment in New Orleans and reveals her troubles, admitting that she is utterly destitute and has even lost the family home. Blanche puts up what seems like a false act for most of the story. Although it is revealed that she strong sexual urges and has been with many lover, she asks as if she is virtuous and has never known such “indignity”. Blanche also tends to avoid reality and wants to live in the world of her own imagination. The story progresses and it seems that Blanche’s instability and detachment from reality grows more serious as her misfortune grows more serious as well. Once her brother in law, Stanley, finds out about the details of Blanche’s sordid past, he destroys what is left of Blanche’s fragile character by raping her and then having her committed to an insane asylum.

Stella Kowalski is the protagonist, Blanche’s, younger sister and is about five years younger than her sister. She has a fairly mild disposition, which is a sharp contrast to many of the other characters, such as her vulgar neighbors and her scheming husband. Although Stella and Blanche obviously have the same aristocratic heritage, Stella managed to avoid the crash of the family prestige because she left Laurel for New Orleans when she was a teenager and married Stanley, who was lower class but whom she shares a passionate relationship with. When Blanche arrives in New Orleans and it is clear that Stanley resents her because of her former class status, Stella is torn between her sister and her husband. Eventually, Stella sides with her husband and even refuses to believe Blanche when she tells Stella that Stanley raped her. By the end of the story, it is clear that although Stella’s condition is not as serious as her sisters, she also demonstrates denial of reality.

Stella’s husband, Stanley Kowalski is the epitome of forceful and dedicated. He seems to have several different parts to his personality- passionate to his wife, loyal to his friends, and devastatingly cruel to Blanche. Stanley sees himself as a social leveler and wants to destroy the social pretentions of others, starting with Blanche. With his Polish ancestry, he represents the new, heterogeneous America. He sees himself as a social leveler, and wishes to destroy Blanche’s social pretensions. Stanley has no patience for Blanche and her distortions of the truth and refusal to accept reality, and also lacks imagination and morals because he is very practical and focused on the real world. By the end of the story, the viciousness of his character is also revealed. He beats his wife, turns his wife against her own sister, rapes his sister in law, and then has her committed in a mental institution. The most horrifying aspect of this by far is the fact that he shows no remorse for his actions and yet is still seen by others as a proud, hardworking family man while Blanche is an outcast and shunned from society.

The style of Tennessee Williams is very distinct in “A Streetcar Named Desire”. Because it is a play, stage directions help a get deal with interpreting the style of the writer. William’s tends to not hold anything back, and gives very vivid descriptions that help the reader get more into the story. Single lines of the story help readers understand the characters with clarity, and it seems that each line has a purpose and helps to build up the story and let the story pan out. The rising action, climax, and falling action all seem to happen very naturally thanks to the writing style of Williams. The tone of William’s style in “A Streetcar Named Desire” is ultimately sympathetic. His attitude towards the character of Blanche is the most sympathetic and even though he portrays her as rather silly for part of the story, her silliness seems more sad than it does funny. The tone makes readers feel bad and embarrassed for Blanche, especially when she is raped by Stanley. It is at this point in the story when the tone becomes completely serious and readers sympathize with Blanche instead of ridiculing her.

I would recommend this story to others, but only certain people. I think you have to enjoy more serious literature to like this story, and people who want a happy ending also would not want to read this. Because “A Streetcar Named Desire” is actually a play, I think that also minimizes the audience a little bit. However, I would be more than willing to recommend this to people that I think would enjoy the story and actually get something out of it.

(less)

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Feb 25, 2012 Liam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Here is one play so finely crafted, one can never tire of re-readings (or re-viewings, if you're going to a theatre).

Where to start? Every line of dialogue ''shimmers and glows'' with the majesty the play's tragic protagonist, Blanch DuBois, desperately yearns for but never achieves. Everyone has a distinct voice - Blanche's deceptive speech patterns are the only ones grammatically correct. Stella is down to Earth and matter of fact, always trying to appease whom she's talking to, but ultimatel...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Umme rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book can be described in one simple word which is : AMAZING! In the beginning, I thought this would be another boring book assigned to us in English class, but this time I was extremely wrong. As soon as I read the title, I thought to myself that I just might be wrong. Turns out I was wrong because the book was extremely fun to read and discuss in class. The title itself had me wondering, I constantly thought to myself,navy would there be a streetcar name Desire? As I read and got closer to...more This book can be described in one simple word which is : AMAZING! In the beginning, I thought this would be another boring book assigned to us in English class, but this time I was extremely wrong. As soon as I read the title, I thought to myself that I just might be wrong. Turns out I was wrong because the book was extremely fun to read and discuss in class. The title itself had me wondering, I constantly thought to myself,navy would there be a streetcar name Desire? As I read and got closer towards the end of the book, I started to understand the title was well suited for this book. Every scene just made me more eager to continue reading and find out what's going to happen next. After reading a scene, I had a million questions and then the next scene would answer my questions. Only a good book can make you ask yourself questions and then answer your questions.

The book not only had me asking questions but it also allowed me to make predictions. As soon as Blanche arrived I predicted that something was going to happen between her and Stanley. The intense emotions between Blanche and her brother in law, Stanley are visible from the start which immediately catches my attention. I was trying to make sense of the idea , which is flirting with your sister's husband, but it just didn't make sense to me. I assumed that Blache was phony and desperate as well. Desperate for flirting with her sisters husband and phony for doing it behind her sister, Stella's back. Towards the end of the book I thought to myself that, I shouldn't have judged Blache so quickly. Turns out that Blanche had a past which caused her to lose her love. Not only did her past lead to her searching for love but it also led to her going insane and having an emotional break down. Stanley plays a major role in Blanche having a breakdown, because he was the one who exposed the real Blanche and revealed all her lies which caused Mitch to leave her. The unexpected relationship between Stanley and his sister leads to Stanley raping Blanche during her emotional breakdown. The night Blanche is raped, Stella was in the hospital giving birth to Stanley's baby. When Stella comes home and Blanche tells her what happened, Stella refuses to believe her and instead agrees with her husband on the idea of Blanche being insane and sending her away for medical help. A very sad and unexpected twist but that ending just made the book even more appealing. Definitely a book I would recommend to others.(less)

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Feb 12, 2012 Kashis Mack added it · review of another edition

A Streetcar Named Desire was a very interesting book to me. There were many different themes and many different things to figure out. My favorite character in the play Blanche goes to see her sister Stella and then the rest of the story unravels itself. Stella is pregnant and she has an abusive husband who she somewhat admires when he's upset. Throughout the book you learn that Blanche admires him also. She does what she can to make herself think otherwise, but saying how much she hated him was...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Odilia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A Streetcar Named Desire was a very mysterious play. It literally had me wanting to know what was going to happen in the rest of the scenes. The two characters that had me excited the most were Stanley and Blanche. Blanche alone was a package. She came from her home town with all these lies and secrets, and thought that no one would've found out. Apparently she didn't know whose house she was going into or even better, the type of man her sister was married to. Stanley was very handsome and ver...more

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About Tennessee Williams

Thomas Lanier Williams III, better known by the nickname Tennessee Williams, was a major American playwright of the twentieth century who received many of the top theatrical awards for his work. He moved to New Orleans in 1939 and changed his name to "Tennessee," the state of his father's birth. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for A Streetcar Named Desire in 1948 and for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof...more Thomas Lanier Williams III, better known by the nickname Tennessee Williams, was a major American playwright of the twentieth century who received many of the top theatrical awards for his work. He moved to New Orleans in 1939 and changed his name to "Tennessee," the state of his father's birth. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for A Streetcar Named Desire in 1948 and for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1955. In addition, The Glass Menagerie (1945) and The Night of the Iguana (1961) received New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards. His 1952 play The Rose Tattoo (dedicated to his lover, Frank Merlo), received the Tony Award for best play.

Characters in his plays are often seen as representations of his family members. Laura Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie was understood to be modeled on Rose. Some biographers believed that the character of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire is also based on her.

Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie was generally seen to represent Williams' mother, Edwina. Characters such as Tom Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie and Sebastian in Suddenly, Last Summer were understood to represent Williams himself. In addition, he used a lobotomy operation as a motif in Suddenly, Last Summer.

The Pulitzer Prize for Drama was awarded to A Streetcar Named Desire in 1948 and to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1955. These two plays were later filmed, with great success, by noted directors Elia Kazan (Streetcar) with whom Williams developed a very close artistic relationship, and Richard Brooks (Cat). Both plays included references to elements of Williams' life such as homosexuality, mental instability, and alcoholism. Although The Flowering Peach by Clifford Odets was the preferred choice of the Pulitzer Prize jury in 1955 and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was at first considered the weakest of the five shortlisted nominees, Joseph Pulitzer Jr., chairman of the Board, had seen Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and thought it worthy of the drama prize. The Board went along with him after considerable discussion.[18]

Williams wrote The Parade, or Approaching the End of a Summer when he was 29 and worked on it sporadically throughout his life. A semi-autobiographical depiction of his 1940 romance with Kip Kiernan in Provincetown, Massachusetts, it was produced for the first time on October 1, 2006 in Provincetown by the Shakespeare on the Cape production company, as part of the First Annual Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival.

Other works by Williams include Camino Real and Sweet Bird of Youth.

His last play went through many drafts as he was trying to reconcile what would be the end of his life.[14] There are many versions of it, but it is referred to as In Masks Outrageous and Austere.(less)

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Quotes from A Streetcar Named Desire

“What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart, oh, no, it's curved like a road through mountains.” — 1,949 people liked it

“I don't want realism. I want magic! Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don't tell the truth, I tell what ought to be the truth. And it that's sinful, then let me be damned for it!” — 250 people liked it

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