Formalist Criticism In A Streetcar Named Desire By Tennessee Williams

In the play, A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, we are introduced to three main characters; Blanche, who is the vain, emotionally fraught, penniless, educated sister of Stella. Stella, is the opposite of her sister, she’s content with life and her appearance, humble, happy and loves her husband, Stanley, unreservedly. Stanley is the quintessential dominant male; loud and opinionated, confident, coarse, and exudes sexuality. While one of the themes of this play is the power struggle between Blanche and Stanley, I found the struggles that Stella faces to be more evocative. We get the impression that up until the time she left home she lived her life in the shadow of her “perfect” sister Blanche, being little more than her servant. And now she is caught between the two people she loves the most and has to make some exceptionally hard decisions that will mark all of their lives. I have chosen to use Formalist Criticism, also known as New Criticism, as my critical perspective because as it states …show more content…
Stella accepts that her sister had a questionable past, is prone to lying, has a drinking problem and is starting to lose her sanity. And she knows that Stanley is not without his faults either, he has a bad temper and drinks too much at times. Stella decides that in order to save her growing family she has to send Blanche to a mental institution in the country. Stella tells her friend/landlord, Eunice, “I couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley.” (Williams 165) Eunice, being a true friend, tries her best to comfort Stella and replies, “Don’t ever believe it. Life has got to go on. No matter what happens, you’ve got to keep on going.” (Williams 166) In conclusion I believe that Stella made the only decision she could have made without tearing apart her little family, she’s willing to look past Stanley’s faults and keep moving forward with her