The Visionary Company of Love

Tennessee Williams is regarded as one of America?s greatest playwrights, especially from the South. His plays, which are mostly set in the South, are known for their embodiment of universal themes. One such play is A Streetcar Named Desire, which ?aroused excitement not only for its dramatic effectiveness, but for its frank presentation of sex? (Twayne). Born in Columbus, Mississippi in 1911 as Thomas Lanier Williams, Williams began writing at age 16, winning $5 dollars for third place in a national essay contest. Years later in 1948, Williams received his first Pulitzer Prize for Streetcar.

Streetcar is set in Elysian Fields in the Latin Quarter of New Orleans, requiring one ?to take a street-car named Desire and then to transfer to one called Cemeteries? (Williams 15) to get to. This is the location of Stanley and Stella?s apartment and their upstairs neighbor Eunice and where Blanche Dubois, Stella?s sister comes to find refuge. Streetcar deals with Blanche Dubois?s struggle with love and sanity. Her character is embodied in the epigraph which contains an excerpt from ?The Broken Tower? by Hart Crane:

?And so it was I entered the broken world
To trace the visionary company of love, its voice
An instant in the wind (I know not whither hurled)
But not for long to hold each desperate choice.? (Williams)

The epigraph speaks of the ?visionary company of love,? similar to Blanche?s hopes for acceptance and love among Stella and Mitch both of whom fail to give her that. Throughout the book, both Blanche and Stella endure conflicts with men, but because of their varying methods of resolving these conflicts, both sisters suffer dissimilar downfalls.

Blanche has escaped to New Orleans to try and start a new life with her sister Stella and her husband Stanley. Blanche also meets Stanley?s friend Mitch with whom she starts a relationship with. However, both sisters face problems with Stanley and Mitch. Blanche and Stella?s differing views on love, observances of southern tradition and values influence the methods they use to deal with the men in their lives.

Both Stella and Blanche grew up on Belle Reve, the embodiment of the Antebellum South. Brought up to be Southern Belles, both the sisters were raised with the values and lifestyles of a wealthy tradition. However, Stella, finding her southern lifestyle bland and unsatisfying, escapes to New Orleans to lead a more exciting lifestyle. Blanche still carries the air of the Southern Belle and conforms to the Southern tradition she grew up with while Stella, who has left all of that long ago, takes a more modern, practical and animalistic approach to life.

Blanche values privacy, elegance, sophistication and other privileges of wealthy Southern life. She dislikes the primitiveness that she finds in Stanley, and his apartment. The moment that Blanche meets Stanley she has already figured him out to be ?simple, straightforward and honest, a little bit on the primitive side? (Williams 39), a personality radically contrasting to those that Blanche is accustomed to associate with. Blanche mockingly describes Stanley as a ?survivor of the stone age? (Williams 72). Blanche does not understand why Stella would want to marry a man like Stanley. She believes that ?a man like that is someone to go out with ? once ? twice ? three times when the devil is in you. But live with? Have a child by?? (Williams 71). And then later, she persists with her mockery: ?Now don?t say it was one of those mysterious electric things between people! If you do, I?ll laugh in your face? (Williams 70). Blanche?s incomprehension of Stella?s situation can be attributed to her conformity to her social upbringing. Blanche is accustomed to a notion of love which is artificial and not as primitive and animalistic as Stella and Stanley?s. Blanche observes the lack of privacy to be a ?pretty frightful situation? (Williams 93). Accustomed to Belle Reve, Blanche finds Stella and Stanley?s apartment to be less than satisfying. ?Blanche feels she must ?put on air? in order to bring herself to tolerate the situation in which she now finds herself? (Berkman). Blanche further displays her incomprehension of Stella?s situation when she ?[takes] for granted that [Stella] still [has] sufficient memory of Belle Reve to find this place and these poker players impossible to live with? (Williams 70). Others have come to understand and realize Blanche?s values. ?Stella, despite her genuine feeling for Blanche, must condescend to Blanche and must flatter her or lie to her in order to be able to get along with her? (Berkman). Stella frantically explains to Stanley that ?when [Blanche] comes in [to be] sure to say something nice about her appearance? (Williams 33). Later, when Stanley is rummaging through Blanche?s suitcase, he finds ?Pearls! Ropes of them!? He asks, ?What is this sister of yours, a deep see diver?? (Williams 36). Stanley is further appalled when Blanche remarks that ?the odor of cheap perfume is penetrating? (Williams 77). ?That stuff you use is expensive?? (Williams 77) asks Stanley who cannot understand why Blanche would spend ?25$ an ounce? (Williams 77) on perfume. He, like Blanche, has been brought up to conform to one type of lifestyle and is closed minded in that regard.

Rejecting her past, Stella is attracted to primitiveness, and is satisfied with her surroundings. She ?loved it when Stanley pulled her down off them columns? (Williams 112), referring to the white columns of Belle Reve. When Blanche confronts Stella by asking why ?[she] had to live in these conditions?, Stella responds and says that ?it?s not bad at all! New Orleans isn?t like other cities? (Williams 20). Stella seems satisfied with her normal everyday life despite being raised on the ideals of the Antebellum South. Stella has sacrificed her wealthy lifestyle for one that is less so, but includes a mutually satisfying relationship.

Blanche treats all the men she meets as suitors, consumed by her desire for illusion and magic, while Stella is much more passive and submissive, attracted to physical desire. Blanche is obsessed with her age and beauty. She keeps her living space dimly lit in an attempt to hide her age revealing features, ?I like it dark. The dark is comforting to me? (Williams 118). Whenever someone suggests that the room is too dimly lit, Blanche responds quickly by suggesting that they ?leave the lights off? (Williams 87). Blanche is sensitive about her age. She nervously explains, ?I don?t know why Stella wants to observe my birthday! I?d much rather forget it ? when you ? reach 27, well, age is a subject that you?d prefer to ignore? (Williams 110). Blanche is still under the impression that love must be acquired through illusion and magic. Blanche believes that ?a woman?s charm is fifty percent illusion? (Williams 41). She ?[doesn?t] want realism. She [wants] magic!? (Williams 117). ?Although Blanche flits from one subject or one feeling to another, she always returns to her own delusions about herself? (Twayne). Her vision of love is so delusional that even when the doctor comes ?she immediately recognizes that the doctor is not the man from Dallas; but, when he speaks softly to her and smiles, he is another suitor; she is won? (Twayne).

Stella, while she is abused by Stanley, never fails to return to his howling cry because of her desire for him. Stanley is abusive and dominating. He ?grunts?, ?swills?, ?gnaws?, and ?hulks? (Williams 72) like an animal as Blanche describes him. Stanley?s abusive nature is best exemplified through his abusive treatment of his wife, Stella. Stella returns to Stanley every time he scares her off with violent behavior. After Stanley gets out of control from excessive drinking and hit Stella, she escapes, as always, to Eunice?s apartment upstairs. However, at Stanley?s howling cry, ?Stell-lahhhhh!?, ?Stella slips down the rickety stairs in her robe. Her eyes are glistening with tears and her hair loose about her throat and shoulders? (Williams 60), ready to embrace her husband as if nothing had happened. The ?vulgar? (Twayne) behavior of Stanley and his friends is commonplace. Stella and Eunice, Stella?s upstairs neighbor, seem to have habituated and been desensitized to the violence. However, Blanche?s arrival and protest against this violence helps Stella begin to realize it. This threatens Stanley?s dominant position over his wife.

Stella, ?much to Blanche?s disgust, appears to revel both in her husband?s brutality and his sensuality? (Bigsby), Blanche?s method of dealing with men being radically different. Blanche and Stella?s varying approaches of dealing with men eventually lead to Stella?s submission to Stanley and Blanche?s downfall into insanity.

Blanche, who finally finds hope in a relationship with Mitch and begins to win the support of Stella, threatens Stanley?s power over his wife. Blanche, whose life in Laurel was destroyed, finds hope for a new life in a relationship with Mitch. She believes that Mitch has a ?great capacity for devotion? (Williams 95), a quality that Blanche is in dire need of. Mitch, like Blanche, is lonely and in need of someone as well. Mitch tells Blanche his thoughts, ?You need somebody. And I need somebody, too. Could it be ? you and me, Blanche?? (Williams 96). Those words are exactly what Blanche wants to hear.

?She stares at him vacantly for a moment. Then with a soft cry huddles in his embrace. She makes a sobbing effort to speak but the words won?t come. He kisses her forehead and her eyes and finally her lips. The polka tune fades out. Her breath is drawn and released in long, grateful sobs? (Williams 96).

Stella begins to sympathize with Blanche and supports her new found hope. Stella asks Blanche, ?Blanche, do you want him?? to which Blanche responds, ?I want to rest! I want to breathe quietly again! Yes ? I want Mitch ? very badly! Just think! If it happens! I can leave here and not be anyone?s problem? (Williams 81). Stella gives Blanche her encouragement and support: ?It will happen!? (Williams 81).

Stanley feels threatened by the sisters and is motivated to try and undermine Blanche. Blanche?s superior air of constantly calling Stanley a ?Polack? (Williams 110) and referring to him as ?common? has interfered with Stanley?s ?married happiness and she must go? (Gassner). When the sisters threaten Stanley?s authority, he responds enraged, ?What do you two think you are? A pair of queens? Remember what Huey Long said ? ?Every Man is a King!? And I am the king around here, so don?t forget it!? (Williams 107). Stanley is accustomed to being the dominant figure in his household, even among his friends, and in the army, he was used to giving orders. Blanche?s arrival threatens his dominance.

Blanche?s shaky past and untrustworthy habits lead her hopes of finding stability and love with Mitch being destroyed. Blanche?s sinful activities in Laurel are discovered by Stanley through an informant at the factory. Stanley tells Stella of his findings: ?The trouble with Dame Blanche was that she couldn?t put on her act any more in Laurel? (Williams 100), ?They kicked her out of that high school before the spring term ended? (Williams 101). Every hope that Blanche had to rebuild her life has been destroyed by Stanley telling Mitch and Stella of her past. Stella, still optimistic for Blanche and Mitch?s marriage explains Blanche?s dire situation to Stanley. Stanley responds in anger, ?Well he?s not going to marry her. Maybe he was, but he?s not going to jump in a tank with a school of sharks? (Williams 104). Stanley not only wants to protect Mitch from what Stanley sees as a dangerous relationship with Blanche, but has his own interests in mind as well. Stanley wishes to completely destroy Blanche and her hopes. However, destroying her hopes is not enough for Stanley; he must also destroy her sanity and establish his complete dominance over her. Stanley finally accomplishes his goal when he rapes Blanche while Stella is at the hospital. Not only does this allow Stanley to establish his dominance, but shows that his relationship with Stella is merely superficial. Stanley has no qualms about betraying Stella and violated her sister to prove his authority. This is the point of Blanche?s downfall, where she has tried so hard to escape from her tendencies in Laurel only to be brought back by Stanley?s advance; a ?truth she struggles to escape