American Literature

Naturalism abounds in the story. From the trip of Blanche towards her sisters house to the conflicting interactions among the characters, everything looks real. The setting itself looks like the one that can be seen in ordinary life pulsating crowded urban scenery.

The characters are portrayed so realistically that a reader may believe that Streetcar is a true story. There is Blanche, who suddenly finds herself destitute after losing everything. Her situation is common for many people during the depression period, which is the setting of the story. With nowhere else to go, she seeks refuge in the house of her sister, Stella.

The interaction among Blanche, Stella and Stanley seems to flow naturally. Every character possesses the traits and behaviors appropriate for their respective roles. Blanche, with an air of pride, regards Stanley as a lesser being and refuses to stoop down to his level. On the other hand, Stanley is a brute, uneducated macho man who always has his own way in almost everything. He takes the presence of Blanche as threat to his abode and assumes that, soon, the woman will have him and Stella fighting. This assumption fits his narrow-minded personality. His character resembles real-life egoistic males who take no order from anyone, and who will rather let their muscles do the talking for them. The clash between Blanche and Stanley is interrupted by the appearance of Mitch but Mitch is no knight in shining armor as he abandons Blanche when he learns about her dark past. This makes Mitchs character realistic, because the author does not portray him as a martyr who will pursue Blanche against all odds. Stella, on her part, claims that she loves Stanley and refuses to believe that he rapes Blanche, but this is seen instead as her fear for living alone. Like Blanche, Stella depends on someone else to survive. Stellas character is common for many women who either do not want their marriage to be broken or do not have the courage to leave their husbands, the men who feed them.