A Street Car Named Desire
Alcoholism
Tennesse Williams’ A Street Car Named Desire is a clear reflection of social realism and the common challenges encountered in the past and present world. Alcoholism is one of the major social issues found in this play. The main characters in the play; Blanche and Stanley appear to be using alcohol as a way of escape from the reality of life. Blanche Dubois distracts herself with alcohol so as to maintain her untouchable life of fantasy. She cleverly escapes the reality that she is an emotional wreck by hiding herself to take a few shots. Evidently, habitual drinking seems to be a disguise, especially for the ladies. It is unfeminine for a woman in the 1940s to take alcohol. Such a habit is often done in secret and away from men who may not take it lightly. For the men, alcoholism is related to one’s physical aggression. It plays a part in initiating violence among the characters. For instance, Stanley fights Blanche and goes to an extent of raping her after a small disagreement between them.
Fantasy
Fantasy appears to be the order of the day for Blanche Dubois. A Streetcar Named Desire reveals a romantic lady, Blanche, who explains to Mitch that she keeps on lying because she is unable to accept how fate has dealt with her. Walking in lies helps her to view life normally other than one filled with various challenges. Stanley, who appears to be a practical man, is determined to unravel Blanche’s past. They suffer an aggressive relationship between them which reflects a struggle between reality and accurate appearance. Fantasy creates tension in this play. It propels its plot hence bringing in new ideas about the characters.
Despite the fact that reality wins over fantasy in this movie, William tries to suggest fantasy is important in any play. When the play comes to an end, Blanche retreats into her private fantasies. She does this objectively to run away from the reality that she can no longer hide her past. Her state of insanity heightens when she perceives her exterior world as that which is in her head.
In my view, A Streetcar Named Desire discourages individuals from alcohol addiction. All the characters that were alcoholic in this play did not end well. Blanche, an addict, suffered emotionally and physically and ended up in the hospital. Stanley, on the other hand, ended up involving himself in rape and hitting his wife resulting to abusive relationship. The playwright presented the characters in this manner to display the reality of life. Her main aim was to communicate with the society in the simplest way possible. For example, she presented Blanche as one who spends her life in fantasy to warn such individuals in the present society. Many people live in an unreal state. They refuse to face their challenges and hide in fantasy hoping that things will be fine with them. The playwright’s aim was to help individuals to overcome states of emotional instability as well as encourage morality.
In summary, A Streetcar Named Desire has several themes such as alcoholism and fantasy. Today, a good percentage of individuals suffer from alcohol and drug addiction. Such people live lives of suffering and pain. Many of them end up being emotional wrecks like Blanche. One of the main reasons why Williams decided to present the characters the way she did was to warn individuals against alcohol addiction and living in a fantasy.