Williams being a real master of images. He is especially famous for his bright
and unusal female characters. He depicts women from different perspectives revealing
every hidden aspect of their personalities. Despite the fact that all three
female characters are absolutely different from the first sight: these women
have different surrounding, they deal with different problems and think in absolutely
different ways, however, they all have tragic destinies. They do not see sense
of their life, they are plunged into problems and see no way out. Blanche DuBois
being a pure kind girl at the beginning of the play becomes a disappointed depredated
person. She has lost not only her house and her relatives she has lost belief
in herself and hope in her heart. She is weaker than circumstances and she is
not able to resist them. The Princess is also loses any hope for future. Chance
ruins her life as he infects her with a venereal disease. He destroys her life
not being aware of this fact. Hannah Jelkes, being an old spinster and traveling
with her old grandfather, get lost and does not know how to live further after
her grandfather’s death.
Another main theme that makes all the three female characters so similar is
their attitudes with the opposite gender – the world of men. In Williams’
works these are men who oppress women and ruin their lives.
All three novels describe the complexities of gender relations, which existed
in the middle of the 20th century in America. Society described by Tennessee
Williams is men-oriented. Women play there a subservient role. They are led
by men. Stanly Kowalsky, one of the main characters of the play believes in
patriarchal order in his household. He chooses dominant and imposing manner
of behavior in order to prove his masculinity to his wife and other members
of the family. Stella, his wife is mild and obedient woman, who doesn’t
even think of arguing with her husband. Even her older sister Blanche, who seems
to have strong personality and set up goals in life can not resist the power
of Stanley. Blanche and Stanley are attracted and withstand by each other at
the same time. Stanley is an incarnation of masculine ideal of those times –
strong, self-sufficient and able to protect himself and his family. He can be
rude to his family and dear ones but that reflects the spirit of his time when
such an attitude to women was not considered like something abnormal. He feels
no respect to his wife and does not even feel ashamed when he affords physical
abuse. Stella tells her sister after one of his attacks "He was as good
as a lamb when I came back and he's really very, very ashamed of himself (Williams,
270). His behavior is justified by the fact that he is a man and all women should
obey to his desires. Domestic violence wasn’t treated like something abnormal
during the times described and Stanley behaved accordingly.
Hannah Jelkes another female character which gives an idea about the time described.
This woman possesses her own artistic vision of life and people who surround
her. Hannah travels together with her grandfather and sells objects of art.
She is not very experienced in love since she had only two affairs in her life
but at the same time she possesses good knowledge of other people and herself.
Hannah makes a good thing persuading Shannon to stay with Maxime. At the same
time she stays absolutely alone by the end of the play after her grandfather
dies. Despite original way of thinking and talent Hannah is not used to take
decisions of her own. Like most women of her epoch she is dependant on men,
despite her original way of thinking helps her to make her own decisions.
Heavenly Finley, another female character from Sweet Bird of Youth by Williams,
is completely dependant on the will of her father. Heavenly's life is ruined
after she becomes ill with venereal diseases after a romantic affair with Chance.
Chance does not even know about problems he caused to young girl. Heavenly has
to go though humiliations and gossips of her family and other people. Lovely
affair, which costs nothing for Chance, ruins the young girl’s life. The
situation described was a typical situation for the male-dominated society of
the time described.
The behavior of Blanche, as well as the Princess and Hannah in William’s
other plays, is typical for the epoch described. Their passive obedience is
a usual reaction at that time. They take passive roles and do not want to take
the responsibility for their lives. Rude attitude and violence become the price
for their passiveness. They do not have any kind of freedom, including financial
one. Blanche, together with Hannah and the Princess can not find her place in
the society. Trying to escape her routing life and come in terms with the loss
of her beloved husband, she makes a mistake getting involved in several love
affairs. These mistakes can not be forgotten by the society and Blanche’s
life is ruined by social opinion at the time when she is close to find her happiness.
All the three female characters are described as helpless victims of social
changes they can not adapt. Women are not allowed such a freedom as men and
they become victims of their own feelings and desires, which society does not
let express freely.
Williams, Tennessee (1998), A Streetcar Named Desire, Cambridge University Press.
