Street Car Named Desire: Gender Roles in Southern Society - Essay Example

Streetcar d Desire: Gender Roles in the Southern Society Introduction Gender equality has been an issue affecting the society for years. Both genders especially, women, have been fighting for fairness politically, economically, and socially. The play and movie A Streetcar Named Desire, written by Tennessee Williams, played and filmed in 1947 and 1951 respectively has brought out the gender roles of the southern society. This essay will look into the summary of this play and movie, A Streetcar Named Desire, and how it has brought out the gender roles in the southern society. A Streetcar named Desire The play is about a southern belle named Blanche DuBois who is attractive but fading. She lives under a veil virtue but in a real sense, she is under the bondage of alcoholism and delusion of magnificence. Her delusions and her insufficient possessions are a form of attraction to new suitors and a weapon to shield her from the reality. She leaves her town to pay her sister, Stella Kowalski, a visit in New Orleans. The directions she is given involve her taking a streetcar named Desire. She arrives and the steamy urban atmosphere comes as a shock to her. Her sister, Stella, is happy to see her but is surprised at how he husband, Stanly reacts when he learns that Stella’s family possession is lost. Blanche says she has decided to take a leave from her job of teaching but the reality is that she got fired because of being involved in an a three month affair with a seventeen year old male student. Her brief marriage to Allan Grey left her with emotional scars after she found out that her husband was gay and after he committed suicide. She therefore plans to stay with her sister and brother-in-law for good. She is not afraid of airing out her views about her brother in law and about his relationship with her sister. Stanly is an individual who can be described as a force of nature. He dominates Stella physically and emotionally but Stella is too in love to care, especially when she finds out that she is pregnant. She runs upstairs to her neighbor’s place every time they two of them have a fight but comes back to him. The presence of Blanche upsets the normal routine of Stella and Stanley. One of Stanley’s friends, Mitchell, grows fond of Blanche to an extent of believing her fake stories. However, Stanley spoils things for her by setting out to find the truth behind her furnished stories and confronts her cruelly about it. He ends up raping Blanche thus leading to her nervous breakdown. He then commits her to an asylum which leaves Mitchell weeping as the doctor takes her away. Stella is so dumbfounded by her sister’s fate that she runs to her neighbor's place and vows never to come back (O'Shea 150). Gender Roles in Southern Society Gender roles can be described as responsibilities or chores given to people according to their sex. A Street car Named Desire has put across the responsibilities of men and women in the southern society quite clearly. Women are placed as cleaners and cooks of the house in this play. When Stanley comes back home from work he tosses a parcel containing meat to his wife Stella and goes away to meet other men to play poker. He probably expects to find food ready when he comes back. An instance where the women are put across as cleaners of the homes is when Stella is seen cleaning the house after the previous night’s fight, she had with Stanley. Despite Stanley being the one who messed up the place it is still his wife doing the cleaning and tidying up. We also see Stella trying to make the house presentable during Blenches birthday (O'Shea 23). Women are seen as people who should only be seen and not heard in the southern society. When Stella comes back to the house after her girls’ night out with Blanche she still finds the men in her house playing poker. In her opinion, she thinks they have overstayed so she asks them to leave. Her husband simply refuses and the men continue playing as if she had not talked at all. Stanley also refuses to listen to Stella when she tells him to treat Blanche with some kindness. When Blanche and Stella try talking to Stanley, he roars out that he is the man of the house. Promiscuity is very immoral with women but not so immoral with the men. A woman who gets sexually involved with several men loses her respect in the society. Blanche is regarded as immoral when she gets involved with a number of men after she loses her husband to suicide and moves to a hotel. She is even kicked out of the hotel and loses her job. Her husband on the other does not get judged after being sexually involved with another partner who happens to be a man. Stanley is not judged either when he rapes his sister-in law. Actually, people are in doubt if he really did it. Another instance that shows how women are disrespected they engage in sexual immorality is where Blanche struggles to ignore Mitchell sexual advances in an effort to win his respect and even refuses to have sex with him (Grawe 12). Women are also seen as people who cannot manage their properties. Properties should not be taken care of be the women. Although this is not directly put across in A Streetcar Named Desire, it is hinted. When Blanche says that the Belle Reve is lost, Stanley gets angry. The property that got lost was none of Stanley’s business. If there was anyone who was to get anything from it was his wife. However according to Stanley Stella’s property is his property (Williams 2). Women are seen as sexual objects for men in the society according to this movie. Men use Blanche in her hometown for their sexual needs and discard her as immoral when they are done with her. Stanley uses his wife to off his animal like sexual desires (Williams 67). According this play, women cannot survive alone and they need men to survive. Stella does not leave his violent husband and comes back to him after they fight. Blanche has not had enough of the men and still looking for a suitor even after having all the men she wanted back home. Eunice goes back to her infidel and violent husband despite all he does to him. This concludes that women cannot survive without men (O'Shea 37). Men on the other hand are regarded as breadwinners of the family. They are also seen as peace makers after a fight. Stanley brings food to his wife to cook and gives her ten dollars for her personal use. When Stanley and his wife fight, he is the one who brings peace back and he also consoles his wife when they fight. When Eunice and her husband fight, the husband goes for in the bar and makes peace with her. It seems that men in the southern society are not supposed to respect women according to A Streetcar Named Desire. This is evident seen where Stanley talks with Blanche in a disrespectful way and orders her to switch off the radio. When she does not obey, he comes in and hurls the radio out of the window. Stanley also fights and goes violent with his wife when she asks him about throwing out the radio. He also makes it clear to Blanche and Stella that he is the man of the house so no one should talk to him in a way he does not like. Eunice husband beats her up when she confronts her about an extramarital affair he is having. This is all disrespect but it seems the women are okay with it and the men take it as their pride. Mitchell disrespects Blanche by making sexual advances towards her despite her resistance. Stanley disrespects Blanche by confronting her about her past that was none of his business and even goes ahead to rape her and send her to an asylum. He also disrespects the wife’s opinion that the men had overstayed and needed to go home by brushing her off and not engaging her in his decision concerning her sister (Kierig 68). Men are also put across as people who love entertainment. They have no house chores after work and they hence resolve to entertain themselves. Stanley and his friends are seen to be playing porker or drinking liquor or both after getting out of work. Their love for entertainment is such that they do not even allow their wives to interfere with it (Williams 52). Men are regarded as the sole decision makers in their homes. This is quite evident where Stanley is the one who decides how long his friend will stay in the house. He also makes decisions on taking Blanche to an asylum without even consulting his wife. He assumes his wife's opinion on how they should treat Blanche and he even tells Blanche about his wife’s pregnancy despite her opinions of not doing so (Williams 26). Conclusion This play and film have tried bringing out the roles and places of men and women in the southern society. However, women are not well treated in this society. Their needs are seen as their immorality. For example, Blanches need to be loved and find someone who will take care of her feminine needs makes her to be regarded as immoral and promiscuous. The only man who comes close to understanding her is Mitchell. Men also beat their women in such societies. Men, on the other hand, are put across as superior to the women such that they do not even listen to their opinions. They are also viewed as creatures that are insensitive and they laugh at Mitchell when he says he should be taking care of his sick mother. A Streetcar named desire has tried to vividly bring out the distinct men and women's roles in the southern society. Work Cited Grawe, Michael. Tennessee Williams' "a Streetcar Named Desire" - Contrasting the Play with the 1951 Movie Production. Mu?nchen: GRIN Verlag GmbH, 2008. Internet resource. Kierig, Katharina. Tennessee Williams' Play "a Streetcar Named Desire" - an Opera Missing the Music?Mu?nchen: GRIN Verlag GmbH, 2009. Internet resource. O'Shea, Rosemary. A Streetcar Named Desire. St Kilda, VIC: Insight Publications, 2001. Print. Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams: A Lively Learning Guide. Sunnyvale, Calif.: Shmoop University, 2010. Internet resource. Read More