Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Named Desire

Thomas Lanier Williams, later known as Tennessee Williams became an essential author in the late 1930’s. Today, Williams is recognized for writing remarkable plays. He wrote one of the most famous plays about an American family called The Glass Menagerie; a play that is a reflection of his life (Kellman 2737). Williams was often ridiculed and criticized for his perverse style in his writing; however, he won memorable awards for his poems, short stories, and plays. In his award winning play, A Streetcar Named Desire attracted major talents like Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter and Nick Pennis (2739). Tennessee Williams is an influential American dramatist who changed American literature by using elements of his life and memorable lines …show more content…
In The Glass Menagerie he used theme of abandonment. He used a character named Mr. Wingfield who deserted his wife and children. This character was a portrayal of his father. “He had fallen in love with long distances…. and skipped the light fantastic out of town” (Kellman 2737). In this quote Williams is trying to say that his father spent most of his time missing the beauty and importance of his family. Tom Wingfield’s story is about himself. He was a young clerk that had to work because of his father’s absence. Tom had to provide for his sister and mother (2737). One day, Tom decided to escape the suffocation of his family and lack of job, but oddly enough returned. “Then all at once my sister touches my shoulder. I turn around and look into her eyes. Oh, Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you behind me, but I am more faithful than I intended to be”(Williams 69). The play closes with this line said by Tom. Tom remembered the absence of his dad and returned to promise he would not leave his sister or mother. On balance, Williams used his homosexuality in his …show more content…
In his award winning play, A Streetcar Named Desire, he created a character named Blanche, she had a homosexual husband that had an affair.(Streetcar 1. 5-6). He also creates a character named Stanley. This character shows aggression and sexaual appealing qualities, but rapes Stella. Sex is the destruction of the play including rape and death. This is an aggression between husband and wife, husband and man. “But there are things that happen between a man and a woman in the dark – that sort of make everything else seem – unimportant” (StreetCar 4.103-4). This is an example that the play is based on a sexual importance. Additionally, Williams used his abuse of alcohol in his