“Blanche is a victim of the fact that she is a woman. » Referring to the dramatic methods used in the play and relevant controversial information, show to what extent you agree with this statement. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original EssayThe play “A Streetcar Named Desire” written by Tennessee Williams depicts the character Blanche Dubois who follows her from her hometown of Laurel, Mississippi to New York. Orleans where she must stay with her sister Stella Kowalski and her sister's husband Stanley Kowalski, beginning Blanche's dependence on men, as she still ultimately depends on her sister's husband (Stanley) for her recovery mental and economic. Feminists believe that patriarchy not only suppresses women in areas such as politics, economics, society, culture, education, etc., but also wrongly defines women's psychology as unhealthy, irrational, illogical and impulsive. Under this kind of prejudice and discrimination, women's psychology is easily distorted and cannot develop healthily. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche is a contradictory woman with a very complex character, illustrated by the aspects of sexual desire, the fantasy of a bright future, hypocrisy and pretension. In A Streetcar Named Desire, the women, Stella Kowalski and Blanche Dubois, are portrayed as the weaker sex; women who are overpowered by those like Stanley Kowalski, the self-aggrandizing male “hero.” Blanche displays profound psychological instability when she is unable to live up to her expectations as a well-bred Southern belle. Stella represents the classic example of a wife's deference to an abusive husband (which not only occurs in the South during the time of this play, but also resonates throughout human history). Stanley Kowalski's personality provides insight into how men dominate women, convince them of their inferiority, and ultimately destroy them if left unchecked. Through this theme, Williams presents a negative view of the role of women at the time, criticizing the Old South and its treatment of the female population. Blanche and Stella are portrayed as victims of traditional Southern society in which women had few choices in life. Both sisters grew up on the Belle Reve plantation in Laurel, Mississippi, and their primary goal in life, alongside Southern tradition, was to seek security in marriage. However, both chose husbands who were not suitable for them. Blanche, who is five years older than her sister, marries Allan Gray for love at a young age, but her dreams are shattered by her husband's infidelity with another man. Stella, who moved to New Orleans at a very young age, chose Stanley Kowalski, an aggressive, heterosexual man from the wrong social class. However, Blanche is portrayed here as the victim, due to the fact that her marriage failed. Blanche's failure to save the estate and move past her sordid past in Laurel leaves her with only one last hope for the future; to start a new life with his sister in New Orleans. Unfortunately, she arrives at her new destination as a slave to her definition of womanhood and feels compelled to lie to herself and others in order to be accepted and obtain a respectable husband. She is attracted to Mitch who seems a gentleman, and she plans to capture him by being a perfect Southern belle, while hiding her promiscuous past. This means winningrespecting a man by not getting angry or moving on too quickly, by making it seem like she's never been touched, and by adhering to old-fashioned Southern ideals. Blanche even attempts to recapture the most romanticized gender roles of the era of chivalry. This becomes evident when she asks Mitch to bow as he presents her with flowers and become the "Rosenkavalier" of her affections. After Mitch learns the truth about her past and that she is not the virgin of his dreams, he refuses to show up to her birthday party, for which Blanche later reminds him that his behavior is "totally less cavalier ". Williams says our patriarchal system teaches men that women must be pure in order to marry them, but they generally adhere to double standards when the roles are reversed. Blanche is a victim of this system of double standards, just like her promiscuity. very frowned upon by the characters in the novel, just as it would have been in the period in which the novel was set. Domestic violence is different for each character in this play, because each character has a different experience with it, and. the consequences of violence in their lives were so diverse that each person reached their own conclusion about what it means to be violent or to be a victim of it. Stanley, for example, is by nature a violent man. He created a violent man. He has a stereotypical view of women, and his wife should be the epitome of servility and submission. When he drinks, these ideals become more powerful and make him even more violent. When his wife doesn't do what he says, he hits her. fight, and then there's the post-fight sex that's meant to right all the wrongs. However, for him it is a form of aphrodisiac and violence is a means of channeling his pathological visions of life. Blanche becomes a victim of his violence, particularly during the rape scene. Stella is Stanley's target. She's the one who takes the hits, survives the fights, and then goes out with him for sex after the fight. However, for Stella it is another curious form of sexual attraction and she even admits to it. She even expects violence, partly because of the time in history when women were treated as second-class citizens, and partly because Stanley's brutal nature is what attracted her towards him first. Stanley's brutality is manifested in several ways, including when he "throws a plate on the floor." He declares: “This is how I will clear the table!” » He “then grabbed Stella’s arm”. This unjustified violence is not a simple consequence of physical inequality between the sexes, but is an example of men abusing their power and position to reinforce their own domination. Even if Stella can be presented as a female victim, it is clear that Blanche suffers more when it comes to violence. White is quite the opposite. She is appalled by the violence, and this is because even in her life of sin and debauchery, there is a lot of suffering and emotion in Blanche. When she sees her sister being hit, she immediately denounces the horror of the situation and tries to get Stella out of Stanley's life. However, she is shocked when she sees that Stella doesn't want to leave and looks truly glowing after making up with Stanley. After her husband's suicide, Blanche sees nothing positive in violence, and it stops her frozen. When she finally becomes Stanley's victim and he rapes her, she goes crazy. This is how violence is like napalm in Blanche's life. This ultimately presents Blanche as a victim of the patriarchy, since Stanley is the embodiment of male controlon women. A particularly complex issue for feminists is the issue of rape - the ultimate outrage. In this invasion of the female body, women are particularly vulnerable to male attacks, often for purposes of domination and not sexual liberation. The rape victim is most often represented as the young girl in distress. In Blanche's case, she flirted with Stanley, engaged him in verbal combat, and challenged his authority. He confronts her in her role as alpha male facing the aggressor of the herd. It is less lust than power that motivates him. in her he sees an enemy. Besides, she is not a nice young girl in the face of this beast. She breaks a bottle, threatens to throw it in his face. She is, as he realizes, a "tiger", a worthy adversary. This explains Williams' difficulties in writing the ending of the play. He knew the censors would want Blanche destroyed, but he was tempted to allow her a triumphant departure. This is certainly not the attitude of a man who demeans women. On the other hand, it plays a role in the ultimate defense of insult frequently used in court; that the rape victim “asked for it.” In the case of Blanche and Stanley, it aroused indignation, he needed victory. Both have their share of guilt, even if Blanche is considered the victim in this situation. "Now don't worry, your sister hasn't become a drunk, she's just all shaken up, hot, tired and dirty!" » The line is extremely ironic and it also indicates that alcoholism in a woman is a shameful trait, for which excuses must be made. This connotation is not displayed in respect to the male characters in the text who are drunk. entirely respectable incident, because they are male. The fact that Blanche is a woman means that she must exercise decorum at all times and that her gender does not permit her to become intoxicated. Blanche also challenges the typical female stereotype because she has been highly educated and is an English teacher by profession – breaking the norm – as women were not seen as needing to be self-reliant or independent. take up gainful employment, because a man would always be there to count on. This higher education means she can assert herself. power and supremacy over others using a more sophisticated vocabulary and style of language. In scene ten, when Blanche is downright disgraced by Stanley, Stanley immediately takes power over Blanche by ending her long speeches and leaving her vocalizations reduced to an "Oh!" » insufficient. Williams asserts through Blanche that in the context of theater society, women who challenged the feminine stereotype would be forced into submission, this would be done through a deliberate attack on the area of ​​their personality that would enable them to achieve this. unjustified potential. Blanche's complete disappearance as a rape victim, and indeed her relationship with Stanley, is the opportunity through which Williams represents this concept. During the 1940s, the roles and expectations of women in society were rapidly changing. Previously, women had very little voice in society and were stereotyped into staying at home and being good housewives and wives. The 1940s were different, women's lives were expanding, men were at war and so women had to step up and take men's place. Not only were men going to war, but the war was so great that in 1942 the "Women's Army Corps" and the "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" were established. Once these organizations were accepted, Congress authorized.