Brianna Bauch

A Streetcar Named Desire

5 February, 2017
THR 240

Plot:
Blanche DuBois decides to move in to live with her pregnant sister and brother-

in-law, Stella and Stanley Kowalski, in New Orleans after loosing the Belle Reve (the

family property). Blanche says shes taking a break from her job as a school teacher

because it frayed her nerves, but we learn later its because she was sleeping with a

student. Blanche and Stanley have a lot of tension and dislike for each other from the

start. Blanche does not like Stanley's hyper-masculinity, outbursts, vulgar language, etc.

Stanley believes that Blanche is putting on an act and that really she sold the Belle Reve

and is holding Stella's share of the proceeds from them. Blanche starts to date Mitch, one

of Stanley's friends and he becomes very adamant about them needing each other. After

Stanley drunkenly throws a radio out of a window on night, Stella defends Blanche, and

so Stanley beats her. Blanche tries to convince her sister to leave Stanley and mentions

that they should contact a millionaire named Shep Huntleigh and ask him to help them

escape from New Orleans. Stella rejects this idea but Stanley overhears and threatens

Blanche with hints that he has heard rumors of her scandalous past. Stanley tells Mitch

about her past and he meets up with Blanche and tells her he can never marry him but

tries to make advances on her that she is able to avoid. Stella goes into labor and Blanche

and Stanley have a fight that ends with a rape. Stella does not believe that this happened

when she tells her, and a few weeks later, a doctor shows up to the door to take Blanche

to a mental hospital. Everyone believes she is insane and has lost grip on reality. Blanche,

after resisting for a while, goes with the doctor, and Stella and Stanley are left embracing

with the baby.

Conflict and character struggles:

 The major conflicts in A Streetcar Named Desire are seen mostly within the

relationships of Stella, Stanley, and Blanche and their personal struggles. The first major

conflict is that Blanche is struggling financially and she is very promiscuous. After being

caught sleeping with a student, she looses her job and then becomes so broke she looses

the family property, the Bella Reve. Then, she gets kicked out of the hotel she was

staying at because she had so many male suitors. Blanche moves in with her sister and

Stanley because she has no other place to stay, because she has no money. The next

major conflict is that Blanche is struggling with alcoholism. Blanche shows signs of

alcoholism throughout the play. She is always drinking and this ends up worsening the

fights with Stanley. Also, when Stanley drinks he becomes much more violent and angry,

which causes many more issues in the house. The other major conflict is the idea of

battling mental illness. Stanley and Stella believe Blanche has lost touch with reality,

which allows for the big plot point that they send her to a mental institution.

What will be lost by failing:

There is a lot to loose by failing for these characters. If Blanche cannot make the

living situation work at Stella and Stanleys house, for the time being, she will be

completely alone and without a place to stay. Also, after seeing how terrible Stanley

treats her sister, she needs to convince Stella to leave this man and make a better life for

herself. And if Stella leaves him, she can run away with Blanche, which would make her

not alone or broke anymore, because she could use her resources. Additionally, Stanley

loves Stella and the baby they are going to have, and he feels he cannot afford to loose

them because of Blanches presence in their life.

The big events:

A Streetcar Named Desire is a play full of tension and drama, and full of many plot

points and shifts and big events. The biggest events were: Blanches loss of her job and
the Belle Reve, Stanleys beating of Stella, Stanleys rape of Blanche, the blackmail

Stanley uses against Blanche, and sending Blanche to the mental hospital.

The initial incident:

The initial incident that causes the conflict is Blanche loosing the Belle Reve,

losing her job, and showing up at Stella and Stanleys door. The minute she arrived to

their place the tension and story really begins.

Tension increases and climax:

The tension of the play is increased, as Stanley and Blanches antagonistic

relationship begins to become blackmail and a question of him telling her secrets. The

climax of the show would be the scene when Stanley begins to mentally torture Blanche

with the reminders of her past and then him raping her.

Characters reaction to the resolution:

There really is no clear resolution, in my opinion. The story ends with Blanche

leaving with the doctor to go to the mental hospital. Stella is stuck with her abusive

husband Stanley and their newborn baby, and Blanche is forced to go to the hospital

because her family thinks shes crazy.