The Poker Game
A game of skill, psychology, and deception, poker has rightfully earned its spot as one of the most unique game of all time. Based around human interaction, the game tests one’s ability to read the human eyes. Tennessee Williams, a master of symbolism, uses the game of poker as the framework for his most well-known play, A Streetcar Named Desire (SNL). The whole play represents a metaphorical poker game, with Blanche and Stanley as the players, and Stella as the dealer. Stella, like all poker dealers, attempts to stay neutral; however, in this game, Stella is also the prize Stanley and Blanche are competing for. While the cards dealt at an actual poker game are playing cards, the cards that Stella deal are love, desire, and deceit. Throughout the play, the themes of love, desire, and deception are explored through the metaphorical poker game, and by the end of the play, Williams makes an eye-opening analogy of a poker game and life. In order to understand a game of poker, the audience must also understand the players involved. In SNL, Stanley and Blanche are both battling for possession of Stella, but they are two very different players. Stanley is a …show more content…
The play ends with a second poker scene with hinted tension between Stella and Stanley. Stella is aware that Stanley raped Blanche, as shown when she tells Eunice, “I couldn't believe her story and go on living with Stanley”, and Eunice replies, “Don’t ever believe it. Life has got to go on. No matter what happens” (166). Although Stella is aware of Stanley’s horrible actions, she cannot leave him because she now has a baby and depends on Stanley. Eunice even emphasis that Stella has no choice but to ignore the truth and continue on with her life. Stanley, therefore, gains possession of the prize in the end, and Blanche therefore loses the poker
A game of skill, psychology, and deception, poker has rightfully earned its spot as one of the most unique game of all time. Based around human interaction, the game tests one’s ability to read the human eyes. Tennessee Williams, a master of symbolism, uses the game of poker as the framework for his most well-known play, A Streetcar Named Desire (SNL). The whole play represents a metaphorical poker game, with Blanche and Stanley as the players, and Stella as the dealer. Stella, like all poker dealers, attempts to stay neutral; however, in this game, Stella is also the prize Stanley and Blanche are competing for. While the cards dealt at an actual poker game are playing cards, the cards that Stella deal are love, desire, and deceit. Throughout the play, the themes of love, desire, and deception are explored through the metaphorical poker game, and by the end of the play, Williams makes an eye-opening analogy of a poker game and life. In order to understand a game of poker, the audience must also understand the players involved. In SNL, Stanley and Blanche are both battling for possession of Stella, but they are two very different players. Stanley is a …show more content…
The play ends with a second poker scene with hinted tension between Stella and Stanley. Stella is aware that Stanley raped Blanche, as shown when she tells Eunice, “I couldn't believe her story and go on living with Stanley”, and Eunice replies, “Don’t ever believe it. Life has got to go on. No matter what happens” (166). Although Stella is aware of Stanley’s horrible actions, she cannot leave him because she now has a baby and depends on Stanley. Eunice even emphasis that Stella has no choice but to ignore the truth and continue on with her life. Stanley, therefore, gains possession of the prize in the end, and Blanche therefore loses the poker