A Streetcar Named Desire in Never too Late to Read Classics

Feb 04, 2020 Josh Caporale rated it it was amazing

I read A Streetcar Named Desire twice. The first time, I read this book during my English II class that I took in 2011 and while it was a play I remembered, it was nothing that I could declare as "spectacular." I developed an appreciation for this play when I read it a second time for a discussion that we had about it for my Booktube channel, Literary Gladiators. There is so much about this play that is merely brilliant as far as the development of the characters and the stage in which they took I read A Streetcar Named Desire twice. The first time, I read this book during my English II class that I took in 2011 and while it was a play I remembered, it was nothing that I could declare as "spectacular." I developed an appreciation for this play when I read it a second time for a discussion that we had about it for my Booktube channel, Literary Gladiators. There is so much about this play that is merely brilliant as far as the development of the characters and the stage in which they took part was concerned, but perhaps the greatest accomplishment was how Tennessee Williams arranged the play so that we the audience can view it in a way that was realistic to how we would view a circumstance of this nature. We oversee this play like we would be overseeing the acquaintances and people we slightly know. We can only see what is happening from the exterior and what people have to say about one another and THIS is exactly how Williams wants us to see things.

Stanley and Stella Kowalski live in an apartment and are being visited by Stella's sister, Blanche DuBois. Stella immediately takes advantage of her role as a guest at the Kowalski residence, drinking their alcohol and using their bathroom to bathe to the point that it interferes with their lives. Meanwhile, Stella is pregnant with her first child. Stanley and Blanche are both advantage seekers in their own way: Stanley is domineering, abusive, and pushes everyone around, regardless of gender, while Blanche takes advantage and is sneakier and manipulative with her actions, but we also question her mental state and whether or not there is an agony to her life.

The character that is the most representative of us the reader (in my mind) is Mitch, who is Stanley's drinking and game buddy. He is detached from the situation in how he is only at the Kowalski residence to play cards or to make a casual visit and also gets very well acquainted with Blanche. At the same time, he is presented with a troublesome situation, but is only able to do so much to respond. Along with Stella, Mitch is the character that garners the most sympathy from me.

This play is an honest depiction of its time and the way it brings attention to the roles of men and women. Stanley has a great advantage to being a man and how they can be abusive, but yet women will continue to put up with and endure their actions. Not only is there a testament to men overbearing women, but also how abusive men have an overbearing impact on softer, more reasonable men, such as Mitch.

A Streetcar Named Desire is outstanding! It does a terrific job sorting out the acts and laying out the scenes. The use of auditory description is especially unique and the way particular music is played to ignite a particular emotion from the audience is amazing. It can sometimes feel haunting and eerie at times, but in artistically speaking the best way possible. I finished reading this play the second time in one day. I would like to read this again and I feel there will be even more that I get out of that experience and perhaps the experiences after that, too. ...more

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