Streetcar Named Desire - Individuals conflicting Needs
...feels she owes them her complete loyalty. It is not possible for her to be loyal to both. The last thing Stella wishes to have happen is for either person to be hurt emotionally. Stella becomes very insecure in her actions, as someone is always telling her what she is doing wrong. To add to the stress she is feeling, Stella becomes impregnated by Stanley and feels she must do what is right for everyone involved. Eventually Stanley wins Stella over. Once Blanche is out of the house, Stella’s comfort level returns. Stanley, surprisingly, appears to be apologetic. Stanley's stubborn independence creates conflict when others come to depend solely upon him. He tends to isolate himself, revealing his issues with trust and belonging. Stanley’s psychological disposition causes him to try to control every aspect of his life. He may in fact have some obsessive-compulsive tendencies, as he only feels a sense of security when he has complete control of a situation. He has the illusion of keeping Stella under control and he believes this fulfills his need for independence. In truth, he is just as dependent on Stella for a sense of being in control as Stella is on Stanley for a sense of being controlled. This dynamic keeps the couple together, allowing them to each have a false sense of security. In the beginning he seems to be loving to his wife and loyal and kind to his friends. However, as the play progresses the audience begins to see his true character. The reader discovers his abusive nature and his fear of others seeing his vulnerability. The stoutly independent side of Stanley, which is the side he believes everyone sees, requires him to keep quiet about his needs and fulfill them completely on his own. When Blanche enters the scene she threatens this delicate scenario, throwing Stanley into a place where he no longer feels secure. She uses derogatory terms that make him feel inferior to both Stella and Blanche (an underlying emotion he tries so persistently to ignore). Blanche refers to him as a “Polack”, reminding him of his supposed inferior (non-American) ancestry. Stanley uses this opportunity to attempt to make Blanche feel ignorant and inferior regarding current racial and political issues. However, due to her limited education he fails. He believes he should attempt to educate society about these issues and conveys this to Stella. Although he attempts to make this a reality, Blanche will not allow it. He will do anything in his power to get his sense of security back. First he attempts to send Blanche a message by giving her a ticket back to her hometown for her birthday. When this does not work, he discovers things about Blanche’s past and uses them to turn Stella against her sister. He believes that Blanche is not being honest and tries to reveal this to Stella and Mitch. When Stella still won’t turn on her sister, Stanley gets angry and takes out his frustration on Blanche by raping her. Blanche tells her sister, but she doesn’t believe her. This causes Stella to doubt her sister so much that she sends her to a mental institution. This brought Stella to Stanley’s side, thus re-instating his false sense of comfort. As his sense of security returns (and after apologizing to Stella) he falls back into his usual patterns. Blanche's excessive focus on being independent often creates tension in her life because she does not recognize her human need for security. Blanche plunges into sexual promiscuity, believing she is acting in ways that reflect her independence. However, no matter how many men use her (or perhaps, are used by her) she cannot find satisfaction. While she believes she is forging an independent new life, her true desire is to recover the life she had before Allan’s death. When Blanche starts to form a real relationship with Mitch, she begins to regain some of he...