A Street Car Named Desire

As I read this play, I could tell immediately the author, Tennessee Williams, had some very strange characters in his writings. The more I read, the more I realized, unfortunately, this is reality in most homes.

The drunken behavior of Stanley, the trap (as it seems) of Stella, the weird thoughts of Blanche, and your finally introduced to a man that seems normal and he is the only one you can't help but to feel sorry for Mitch.

I worked as a deputy sheriff for 4 years before joining the ranks of the State Troopers. As sad as it was, I saw first hand some women whose living conditions were the same as that of Stella. They were so in love with their man that it didn't bother them to be beat, to be treated like property and to be disrespected.

These women would go through some horrible abuse, call 911 and then come begging for you to drop the charges! I definitely see where Tennessee Williams gets this character from. I remember taken battered women and going through the troubles of finding them a safe house, a hot meal, and helping them get off their feet. Sadly, you would learn within days they are back home in a living hell, simply because they "love him!"

Blanche on the other hand deserves exactly what she got. She needed some kind of mental help. I began to be confused with her truths and her lies! What a sad condition a person is in when you can't tell the truth from lies. No doubt she did not deserve to be raped (if you will), she had told so many lies, no one believed her. A lady that is not even creditable to her own self and can not testify on her on behalf because she has told lies for so long.

Stanley-- a loser! What kind of man beats on his pregnant wife, wakes up the neighborhood, and has an affair while is wife is giving birth to his first child? It seems these brutes always have the sweetest wives! You find the biggest abuser, drug abuser, spouse abuser, and cheater; then you will find a sweet little woman whom he calls wife. Why is this the trend? Makes you wander if the excitement is part of the relationship. This seemed to be what kept Stella around.

Finally, my poor buddy Mitch. Mitch is a man that is longing for a lady that will become his mate, his soul mate. He is ready to have a family, to settle down, to move on. While taking care of his mother, it seems these thoughts may have ran through his mind. Blanche led him to water, only to offer him the poison! A humble man that falls for such a fake lady. Just as a good woman falls for the terrible men, it seems the most humble, good men are those that have been taken and used by "crazy women." They come up with the biggest losers!

Tennessee Williams didn't have to think much about the characters he wanted to portray in his play. He, more than likely, just used common people. The examples are all around us in our communities.