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    Final Assignment g12 Eng 1

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    The play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams explores power dynamics between characters. Stanley wields power over both his wife Stella and her sister Blanche through physical and mental domination. Though Stella loves Stanley, she is unable to gain his respect and lives in fear of his anger and abuse. Stanley asserts his dominance over both women, manipulating their relationships through displays of power and aggression. The play highlights how Williams used Stanley to represent the power dynamics of the time period, where males held authority over females in the family structure.

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    Final Assignment g12 Eng 1

    Uploaded by

    api-439198935
    32 views4 pages
    The play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams explores power dynamics between characters. Stanley wields power over both his wife Stella and her sister Blanche through physical and mental domination. Though Stella loves Stanley, she is unable to gain his respect and lives in fear of his anger and abuse. Stanley asserts his dominance over both women, manipulating their relationships through displays of power and aggression. The play highlights how Williams used Stanley to represent the power dynamics of the time period, where males held authority over females in the family structure.

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    The play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams explores power dynamics between characters. Stanley wields power over both his wife Stella and her sister Blanche through physical and mental domination. Though Stella loves Stanley, she is unable to gain his respect and lives in fear of his anger and abuse. Stanley asserts his dominance over both women, manipulating their relationships through displays of power and aggression. The play highlights how Williams used Stanley to represent the power dynamics of the time period, where males held authority over females in the family structure.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    32 views4 pages

    Final Assignment g12 Eng 1

    Uploaded by

    api-439198935
    The play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams explores power dynamics between characters. Stanley wields power over both his wife Stella and her sister Blanche through physical and mental domination. Though Stella loves Stanley, she is unable to gain his respect and lives in fear of his anger and abuse. Stanley asserts his dominance over both women, manipulating their relationships through displays of power and aggression. The play highlights how Williams used Stanley to represent the power dynamics of the time period, where males held authority over females in the family structure.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 4

    Kongkiat Charoenjarasrerk (Jay)

    1204
    Question prompt: 2
    Analyze how Williams explores the presentation of power
    dynamics in the play, ASND.
    The word power dynamics have their meaning of how people or groups of people

    commute in each other and where one of the sides is more powerful than the other. A Streetcar

    Named Desires by Tennessee Williams shows power dynamics through the character

    relationships. Blanche and Stella were the two characters who always got into a conflict with

    Stanley. Their power dynamic was tilted to Stanley due to power and domination during their

    conversions.

    Therefore, Stella respects and loves Stanley but she fails to gain respect and recognition

    from Stanley. Even though Stanley is very offensive against Stella. She still fights with the

    remaining power to insult her husband about their relationship…

    STELLA

    “Your face and fingers are disgustingly greasy. Go and wash up and then help me clear

    the table”.

    (William, 116)

    After Stella insults her husband he reacts furiously. Stella was in deep fear after Stanley wiped

    the dish because he often uses his power and loud voice to gain attention. Stella was royal and

    dependent on Stanley. This leads to a close environment that Stella will never leave her husband

    because of her desire, even in a case of abuse. And Stanley claims himself to be the king of this

    place and Stella shouldn’t insult him in any way. This ripped all of the power in Stella and she

    will never gain respect nor power from her husband.

    On the other hand, Blanche never gets along with Stanley since they met. Blanche

    escapes from her flaw and tragedy, she then shows up in her sister’s apartment. The first time

    that Blanche and Stanley flirted with him. But Stanley backed off and refused her desire. Stanley

    starts sketching about Ms. Blanche DuBois’s background and he found out her situation. Later
    on, Stanley and Blanche were together chatting about a made-up story from Blanche. Stanley

    snaps out and shout out loud:

    STANLEY:

    There isn't a goddamn thing but imagination!

    ...

    STANLEY:

    And look at yourself! Take a look at yourself in that worn-out Mardi Gras outfit, rented

    for fifty cents from some ragpicker! And with the crazy crown on! What queen do you

    think you are?

    (William, 138)

    Blanche was terrified by his action and voice. She was about to run away from him but she

    failed. Stanley uses all of his strengths and carries her on his shoulder and walks right to the

    bedroom and fulfill his desire. Blanche came to Stella for help, but she was helpless because of

    her mental status. Stanley was interested in her from the beginning but she never showed it and

    he knew that Blanche was unstable. Blanche’s mental situation was influenced by her husband

    Allan Grey which he dies because of her discovery and she felt guilty of it. At that time

    William’s male characters were the head or lead of the family but females were seen as a weaker

    type. In addition, the power dynamic was clearly on Stanley because he used dominance and

    power to dominate their relationships.

    In essence, Tennessee Williams uses Stanley as his main character to show the audience

    the power dynamic. Stanley was represented as a family man but throughout the play, William

    reveals that Stanley has used his power and desire to manipulate both Blanche and Stella
    physically and mentally. Dominance was just a kind of power where everyone can use no matter

    what gender but use it wisely.

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