Why Stanley acts toward Blanche with violence and hatred

Humankind is social organism who lives together in groups to make communities to

support each other. Everyone in the society cooperates and relies on each other in order to

develop for example a person need to buy car from others who are specialize in that field to

make their transportation more convenient. It is important for human to fit in and be accepted by

other people in the same community since everyone need something from others people need to

behave in the norm of social expectation to be accept by the society. Stanley who is from

working class is also influence by social pressure as a man in the household he should be

dominant, however Blanche who has high class background presence makes him feel like some

of his power in the house has been taken by her. In A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee

William, the reasons that influence Stanley to act toward Blanche with contempt are their

differences in social class, Blanche’s power over Stella, and social pressure that is put on

Stanley.

Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire reflects how contrast in social class

causes hatred between Stanley and Blanche because Stanley does not understand Blanche’s life

style and her appearance remind him of his lower-class background and make him feels like he

does not deserve Stella. Blanche spends all of her life in a wealthy society living in her plantation

even though after she lost all her wealth she still tries to up hold her luxurious appearance and

life style, however Stanley upbringing is in working class and he also fought in WWII shaped his

primitive and animalistic behavior. An example of this can be found on page 47, which states

“There’s even something-sub human about him-something not quite to stage of humanity yet!

Yes, something-ape about him,” where Blanche criticizes Stanley’s action toward Stella in the

poker night that Stanley throw the radio outside. The quote demonstrates that Blanche is
unfamiliar with a person with animalistic behavior like Stanley and she tries to convince Stella

that she deserves someone better than Stanley. Blanche bringing up in high class society shaped

her ideal type of man to marry and live with to be totally different from Stanley for instance

Blanche wants to be with a gentleman. Moreover, Blanche also denounce Stanley about his

identity and behavior convince Stanley to feel like he is inferior to the DuBois sisters because he

is from lower-class and his primitive nature. This leads Stanley to feel more hate toward Blanche

because Blanche of Blanche’s insult and her appearance emphasize inequality and differences

between Stella and Stanley makes him feel like he is not enough for Stella.

In A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, the theme of relationship dynamic

is highlighted that after Blanche moves to live with Stanley and Stella, Stanley lost some of his

power over Stella to Blanche. Before Blanche’s presence in the house Stanley had power over

Stella, however Stella gives her attention to Blanche when she arrived because she knows that

Blanche is sensitive and unfamiliar with the society Stella and Stanley is living in. According to

the text, “I want to go away, I want to go away!” on page 36 Stella is threatened by Stanley

brutal behavior during the poker night before his friends help take him away from her. This

quote indicates that sometimes Stella cannot bear with Stanley’s animalistic behavior even

though Stella said she is thrilled by his habit. Stella says she want to go away from Stanley, but

she would not really run away from him without Blanche taking her away to stay with Eunice.

When Blanche saw what Stanley tried to do with her sister, Blanche wants to protect Stella by

staying with Eunice who lives upstairs. This is demonstrated by “I want my sister’s clothes!

We’ll go to that woman upstairs!” on page 36 when the men are trying to calm Stanley down

Blanche takes upstairs to stay with Eunice in order to protect her sister. This explains how

Blanche has taken some of Stanley’s power over Stella because Stella has never leave Stanley
even though this is not the first time Stanley shows his animalistic behavior. Blanche’s action

causes Stanley who has always been the person with power in the household to feel insecure

because he lost some of his power over Stella to Blanche. Stanley’s insecurity when Stella left

him convince Stanley to feel contempt toward Blanche and act powerful toward her to make her

stop taking power over Stella from him.

Through the focus of social pressure, Tennessee Williams examine social expectation of

gender role that men should strong, dominant and aggressive in the play A Streetcar Named

Desire. Stanley animalistic and primitive characteristics in the play illustrates that gender role

shaped and influenced his identity by the social norm in the time and the community they are

living in where men use violence toward women is seen as common for example Steve and

Eunice argument. For example, when the author describes “Remember what Huey Long says –

Every man is a King! And I am the king around here,” on page 77, it says, the social expectation

in patriarchal society that the play is set in that men should be the person who have power over

women. The quote demonstrates social pressure of gender role that has shaped Stanley to

become aggressive, violent, threatening when he is looked down and insulted on by Blanche.

Stanley demonstrate his brutal behavior to present that he has power over Blanche and Stella

because he is a man to show a facade the feeling of insecurity that he feels when Blanche and

Stella insult and look down on him because of his working class and Polish background. Stanley

decides to use his primitive behavior to exhibit his power because of the social norm in the

setting that men should be masculine and dominate women in the society.

Finally, it may be concluded that Stanley’s hatred toward Blanche is led to by

misunderstanding caused by differences Blanche’s and Stanley’s in social class, Stanley losing

power over Stella, and effects of gender role on Stanley’s behaviors. Throughout the play
Stanley covered up his feeling with aggressive behaviors because he tries to follow social

expectation of gender role in order for him to be accepted into the society. At the present time,

most people around the world are still influenced by gender role limiting people’s thoughts, and

expressions that do not correspond with their gender role. For example, there is a norm that

women should be in charge of taking care of the house, and raising children, however it is

irrelevant to life style in modern society because women are also working. Should every social

expectation be followed just because it is accepted in the society.