Tennessee Williams Reflect His Personal Struggles and

¶ … Tennessee Williams reflect his personal struggles and serve as vehicles for poignant social commentary. From "Glass Menagerie" to "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" to "A Streetcar Named Desire," Williams served up a set of masterpieces that delighted critics and audiences alike. His screenplays are among some of the most famous in American history, as big name film stars like Elisabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando, Kirk Douglas, and Paul Newman filled his leading roles.

Plays like "A Streetcar Named Desire," for which Williams earned the Pulitzer Prize in 1948, unearthed unpleasant realities in American family and social life. Filled with irony, dark humor, and symbolism, "A Streetcar Named Desire" remains one of the most significant screenplays in American literary history. Williams was born Thomas Lanier Williams in 1911, in Columbus Missouri. In 1939 began using the name Tennessee. His childhood was filled with turmoil and struggle, which prompted Williams to weave themes of pain and abuse into his writing.

His sister Rose had schizophrenia and received one of the first prefrontal lobotomies performed in the United States. Her illness impacted Tennessee severely; in 1935 he suffered a nervous breakdown. His mental and emotional instability did wonders for his creativity, however, and that same year he gained some fame as a playwright. All Williams's plays tend to address controversial and complex issues including homosexuality, wife beating, and mental illness, even as they attempt to uncover deeper existential issues underlying these unpleasant realities. "Streetcar" is no exception.

Blanche DuBois is the protagonist in "A Streetcar Named Desire," and her refined, snobbish attitudes clash severely with her brother-in-law Stanley. Events in Blanche's life, including the loss of her family's estate, cause her to move to New Orleans to live with her sister and brother-in-law. A remnant of the Southern aristocracy, Blanche struggles with her past, present, and future. Her denial of and lies about her past, coupled with her fears of aging and isolation, lead up to her eventual commitment to a mental asylum.

Her sister Stella is pregnant and gives birth by the end of the play. Her marriage to Stanley is ugly at times and abusive, but moments of tenderness, mercy, and love exhibit her character's strength. Her forgiveness and compassion for her brutish husband and her treatment of Blanche paint Stella at once weak and strong. Her husband Stanley is violent, abusive, and harsh to everyone in the play, and he serves as Blanche's downfall. But though his domineering veneer, his love for Stella shines through.

All three of these main characters are somewhat tragic figures, as are minor characters like Mitch, who briefly courts Blanche. Streetcar" opens with Blanche arriving in New Orleans. Dressed up in garbs that seem out of place in the lower-class neighborhood, the reader is immediately aware of Blanche's isolation. She gives off airs, but we soon see that her attitude belies her insecurity and emotional instability.

Because the family estate (Belle Reve) has been lost, and she no longer has a viable life in Laurel, Blanche moves in with her sister in New Orleans. But the apartment is small and personalities clash. Stanley automatically feels hostile towards his sister-in-law despite Stella's pleadings and kindness. The poker game early in the play sets the stage for moments to come, for Stanley's temper becomes a central issue of the play. His violence, coupled with Blanche's craving of stability and happiness, form genuine conflict and psychological tension.