Streetcar Named Desire Essays (1118 words) -

Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire is considered by many critics to be what is called a flawed masterpiece. This is because William's work utilizes and wonderfully blends both tragic and comic elements that serve to shroud the true nature of the hero and heroine thereby not allowing the reader to judge them on solid actuality. Hence, Williams has been compared to writers such as Shakespeare who in literature have created a sense of ambiguity and uncertainty in finding a sole ?view or aspect ? in their works. Because of the highly tragic elements encountered in Streetcar, many immediately label it tragedy. Nevertheless, the immense comical circumstances encountered in the play contradict the sole role of tragedy and leaves the reader pondering the true nature of the work, that being whether it is a tragedy with accidental comic incidences or a comedy with weak melodramatic occurrences. It has been said that the ?double mask of tragicomedy reveals the polarity of the human condition.? The contrariety of forces in the work serves to enforce a sense of both reality and drama that are present in everyday human life. The comic elements in the play serve as a form of determined self-preservation just as the tragic elements add to the notion of self-destruction. This is the true nature of a tragicomedy. By juxtaposing two irreconcilable positions, ambiguity is produced in the judgement of the main characters, most notably Stanley Kowalski and Blanche Dubois. Ambivalence in the play is largely caused by the relationship between Stanley and Blanche. They concurrently produce both appalling and appealing tendencies. Both characters display elements of the profane and sacred yet on two distinct levels. This is what creates the double entendre. In the social sense, Blanche can be considered the heroine of the play. In a desperate last attempt to preserve her aristocratic values, she must combat everything that Stanley Kowalski is. While she represents everything that is sacred within cultural boundaries, that of which being the love of language, music, art, etc?Stanley is the brute opposite. He is highly animalistic and primitive in his ways and serves as the sole destroyer of everything Blanche embodies. ?The first time I laid eyes on him I thought to myself, that man is my executioner! That man will destroy me This goes to show that since there can be no coexistence between classes, Blanche, the romantic delicate southern belle, will meet her doom at the hands of the crude and savage Stanley. However, on a psychological level, Stanley emerges as the Hero. The sexually healthy and ?sacred? marriage he shares with his wife is in staunch contrast to the perverted and debauched sexual exploits of Blanche. In the role as the psychological ?profaner,? Blanche is just as much to blame for her rape as Stanley is. Blanche is a profane and perverted intruder into his sacred yet crude domain. Thus, he reacts violently when he feels that his household is being threatened. Stanley seeks above all, to retain order and symmetry within his created existence. Stanley and Blanche on their respective ?levels,? serve as the classic heroes struggling for self-preservation. One must deal with both the social and psychological elements simultaneously in order to fully see the ambiguous duality of these two characters. The comic aspect of the tragicomedy is displayed through irreconcilability. Through the character Mitch, Williams successfully juxtaposes the comic with tragic elements, which are central to the tragicomic genre. While Blanche's world is increasingly closing in on her becoming more tragic in implications, hence her wanting a husband, Mitch is almost completely blind to her overtures and sexual advances. For example, while Blanche is virtually dying inside and looking for someone to confide in and share herself with, Mitch totally misses this and instead thinks that Blanche wants to have a conversation concerning weight. This instance of comedy is positioned between two highly dramatic and potentially tragic confidences in which Blanche shares with Mitch. Namely, her belief that Stanley will ultimately destroy her and the sense of guilt for destroying Allan Grey. The conflict between Stanley and Blanche throughout the novel is permeated with humorous incidents counterpointing the dramatic action. Another example of this would be when Stanley initially feels slighted and put down by Blanche's infringement into he and Stella's abode, than after finding out that she has let the Belle Reve estate get away goes into justifying his claim to it according to the ?Napoleonic code.? In most drama, comedy serves as a relief from too much tragedy. In the Elizabethan era, mostly transfigured