/Portals/2/logos/__TFMF_1map3y45akowpquktdpw2m3c_4a0548b4-1408-4164-a4e1-2f57a18f50c3_0___Selected.jpg en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 21:33:58 GMT 15 By Clint Yoos
U se your imagination. But at the same time, don’t let it run wild. Unfortunately, it is inevitable; no one can escape reality. In “A Streetcar Named Desire,” we take a journey back in time to the late 1940s. Stanley and his wife, Stella, are living happily in a small flat in New Orleans . They’re not a particularly well-off couple, but they are happy. However, their entire world gets flipped upside down when the notorious Blanche Dubois arrives at their doorstep. Blanche is a southern bell who arrives in a world completely foreign to her. She used to live at Belle Rieve, the family’s ancestral lodging in the town of Laurel . The city is bustling and frightful to her because she and her sister, Stella Kowalski, had grown up as an affluent family. Because of this, she already has an aversion to Stanley Kowalski, a man of Polish descent. Dame Blanche immediately begins to offend Stanley Kowalski after her arrival. Blanche reveals that she has lost Belle Rieve; she had no place left to go. Soon thereafter, Stan becomes suspicious, and the novel’s main conflict is born. Blanche has begun to create a dream world, and Stan has set out to tear it down. Throughout the entire play, Blanche tells about the world in a way that she believes it should be, but Stan is firmly set in reality. This conflict reflects many of the work’s central themes, which is why Blanche is completely afraid of harsh light. Light serves to expose her flights of fancy and reveal that she is aging and unable to avoid her sordid state. Additionally, Tennessee Williams explores the adverse effects of drunkenness. Stan drinks socially, but dame Blanche drinks secretly and constantly avoids the truth of her alcohol dependence. All of the characters suffer from the effects of alcohol, but it is Stan who can recover and repent from his fits of rage that occur as a result of excessive drinking. In contrast, Blanche continues her chronic deterioration. Lastly, the secrets of Blanche’s past keep the story moving, and the blur between the lines of what’s real and pure fantasy give the plot a whimsical feel. The story is steeped in sexual promiscuity and its relation to fatal consequences. It explores the psychology of various relationships and the consequences they can have for the rest of your life. The book that retells Williams’ classic play is riveting until its very end, and you’ll be torn between whether or not you want to know what happens next. And hey, this was originally a play. So, whether you read it or not, make sure you see Marlon Brando in the play’s most famous movie. Because there’s no denying it, Brando is the man. ]]> Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:24:55 GMT