PUB #2: REALISM VERSUS MAGIC: STELLA'S DISILLUSIONMENT
Taha Albaloushi
Prof. Brady
EGL 102
April 2, 2024
Realism versus Magic: Stella’s Disillusionment
In A Streetcar named Desire by playwright Tennessee Williams, Stella is put in a difficult position in which there is a clash between her loyalty to Stanley, her husband, and Blanche, her sister. The clash symbolizes human relationships and the complexity that comes with navigating them. Stella slowly becomes aware of the manipulation and lies told by her sister Blanche. As she becomes aware of these falsehoods, it becomes harder to believe her sister's words. In scene 11 of the play, Stella states “I couldn't go on believing her story and live with Stanley,” (Stella, Scene 11). This climactic point at the end of the play is the moment of Stella’s disillusionment as she realizes that the words from her sister Blanche hold dire consequences for her and Stanley's relationship.
Stella’s coming to reality at the final moments of the play is a late pivotal moment in which Stella decides that she must prioritize her marriage and child with Stanley and sacrifice her sister in order to do so. As Eunice says to Stella in the play, “Don't ever believe it Life has got to go on. No matter what happens, you've got to keep on going,” (Eunice, Scene 11). This is a sacrifice that has to be made by Stella in that she has to ultimately live with the knowledge whether she chooses to believe it or not. Stella chooses to do this by ignoring it and continuing her life with Stanley while giving up Blanche to a mental institution. This ordeal brings with it a comparison of sacrifices that are made by people in society for family. It symbolizes the struggle that many in society go through giving up things or enduring inconveniences for family.
Ironically Stella’s pivotal line also brings up the teachings of a childhood tale, “The boy who cried wolf” by B.G. Hennessy. As stated in the text “ But this time the villagers, who had been fooled twice before, thought the boy was again deceiving them, and nobody stirred to come to his help,” (Hennessy). Since the majority of Blanche’s words to Stella have been lies, when Blanche does tell the truth about the events with Stanley, it is hard to believe and Stella chooses not to accept her version of the events. This is similar to the childhood tale since the boy who cried wolf would lie and since he had exhausted the trust of his neighbors, he was helpless when he most needed it, similar to Blanche. Through all the deception that Blanche had dealt to the people she interacted with, she broke down the trust that any of them had with her, and by doing so she became the boy who cried wolf in her own respect. When it was most important for her sister to believe in her, she pivotally did not, and that being most likely because of the trust that Blanche broke with her deceiving lifestyle.
Stella’s pivotal line “I couldn't go on believing her story and live with Stanley,” (Stella, Scene 11), becomes instantly relatable to modern day events. A notable and well known modern event that people are living through is climate change. Much like Stella, people have been being informed of the adverse changes to the climate that humans have been causing and the potential consequences it could bring. However many choose to not believe this information and continue living on with their daily lives because they do not want their life to be affected, much like how Stella does not want her marriage and child affected. This in a way makes both Stella and people’s disillusionment, a path back to illusion. Often times, humans want safety and stability over the truth, and while the truth is important and freeing, it is not convenient, and some avoid it for this reason. An example of this is when it is stated to Mitch, “I like it dark. The dark is comforting to me, (Blanche, Scene 9). This is a clear example of how people can sometimes hide from the truth because of how it feels safer or more stable when ignoring the harshness of reality.
In conclusion, playwright Tennessee Williams delves into the intricacies of human nature and ties in many themes from deception, illusion, realism, and societal expectations in A Streetcar named Desire. Through Blanche’s actions and with it Stella’s reaction to the events that unfold, Williams showcases the nature of a human and is able to relate the events in the play to the way the world interacts with one another. Williams highlights the destructive yet comforting nature of illusion among many important themes. He also makes clear the importance of trust in relationships. This solidifies the play as a masterpiece with enduring relevance in today's modern day world.
Works Cited
Coutinho, Renato, et al. A Streetcar Named Desire. 1965.
Hennessy, B G, and Boris Kulikov. The Boy Who Cried Wolf. New York, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, 2006.