While working on my Collo project and
reading the classic literature, I have started comparing not only the literary
works to their film adaptations, but also to each other. Thus far, I have
discovered my favorite work to be A Streetcar Named Desire. In Cronin's
class, we worked with The Glass Menagerie, so I decided to
read this other play by Tennessee Williams. I greatly appreciate the style of
writing Williams uses; I thoroughly enjoyed reading and analyzing the work.
Although the work is relatively easy to read, there is a tremendous amount of
depth within this play. The extensive amount of symbols used and the
not-so-easy to deal with themes make this play my favorite. It reminds me that
there is a lot more to something than its face value. Just reading this play,
you would assume it's about the simple tale of Blanche coming to live with her
sister, Stella, and brother-in-law, Stanley. But, this work brings up ideas of
pedophilia and rape that are not just simple. They cannot be brushed off. These
major components of the play made me further look into certain characters,
especially Blanche, Stella, and Stanley. It also raises many questions. How can
a wife stay with her husband while knowing he raped her sister? Why does
Blanche blame her husband's suicide on herself? And why does Blanche cope with
the guilt of "killing" her husband by seeking sexual gratification
from much younger men? These questions are never directly answered by Williams,
which I actually appreciate. It requires the reader to delve into the play
deeply in order to truly examine each character and study their motivations.
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