Desire and Death

One of the major themes in this play is desire and how it can ultimately lead to a character’s downfall when it is left unbridled. Both Blanche and Stanley’s stories are excellent examples of how unchecked desire can quickly run rampant, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. In Blanche’s case, she was completely swept off her feet at the age of sixteen by her first love Allan; according to Stella, Blanche “didn’t just love him but worshipped the ground he walked on! Adored him and thought him almost too fine to be human!” (1583). Emotion that strong often blinds people to reality and when Blanche walks in on her husband with another man, reality comes crashing down upon her. This moment and his resultant suicide shatter her completely, leaving her feeling vulnerable and insecure. She also loses control of the next desire she longs to fulfill, security. She goes from one man to another, granting them sexual favors, seeking a sense of security. As she admits late in the play, “it was panic, just panic, that drove me from one to another, hunting for some protection.” In the end, NOTHING could protect her from the reality of her loss; she remains insecure and unable to endure the blinding light of the truth. As a defense mechanism, she creates the illusion of being a young genteel southern belle and constructs elaborate lies to maintain this façade.

Throughout the novel, Blanche’s attraction to young boys shows her yearning to recapture the magic of her first love. After the exposure of Blanche’s affair with her young student, she is dismissed from her position. These events lead to the death of her social status. She makes one last attempt at finding security with Mitch, but this fails as a result of Stanley’s meddling. She also desires to maintain the illusion that she is superior to Stanley, something which enrages him and ultimately leads to her demise. Stanley desires to become successful and to be respected. Blanche’s airs of superiority and the insults that she slings at him, put them at odds. Stanley resents her for being in his house and interfering with his relationship with Stella. In the end, he rapes her in what can only be seen as a show of power. He forces her down and completely takes away any sense of control she still maintained. He forces her down off of her illusionary pedestal. This moment signifies the death of her sanity and that of his previously happy marriage.

Williams reinforces this idea that unbridled desire can lead to a type of death by having Blanche’s journey to her sister’s house involve a streetcar named Desire, then transferring to Cemeteries and getting off at Elysian Fields. In Blanche’s case, desire lead to the death of her social status and perhaps her sanity. Stanley’s marriage suffers as a result of his indiscretion and while it isn’t over because Stella has the baby, things have definitely changed in their relationship. This can also be considered a type of ending or death. It is interesting to note that in order to get to Elysian Fields, Blanche has to go on a journey that is highly reminiscent of how in mythology, a long journey was required in order to reach the afterlife.

Blanche

While it is easy to dismiss Blanche Dubois as an aging delusional woman obsessed with maintaining the illusion of being a southern belle, readers discover throughout the span of the play that her character is far more complex. At first glance, she can easily appear pretentious. She is obsessed with her heritage and the prestige associated with it. She portrays herself as a young southern belle and constructs elaborate lies to maintain this illusion. Blanche attempts to be seen as refined and genteel, especially when in the presence of potential male suitors such as Mitch. The reality is that the southern aristocracy, this beautiful dream, is becoming obsolete. The new American society consists of people like Stanley, immigrants working towards what is considered the American dream. She and Stanley perfectly contrast each other in many ways, but like Stanley, there are many levels to Blanche. Much like the pretentious lifestyle and codes of conduct that she yearns for so much, that southern belle part of Blanche is also a thing of the past. However, that doesn’t stop her from clinging onto it and still pretending to embody that image.

As the play unfolds, more about Blanche’s tragic history is revealed, providing the reader with more insight into her actual identity. Stanley discovers and exposes Blanche’s lies about her past. She is not a demure dainty woman but rather one that does what needs to be done in order to survive, even if it involves depending on other people. She even says to the doctor in the final lines of the play “Whoever you are—I have always depended on the kindness of others” (1602). The sad truth is that many of the people in her past were only there for her in exchange for sex.

While to others she is delusional, in her eyes, she is merely making “magic” which she tries to explain to Mitch when she states, “I don’t want realism. I want magic! . . . I try to give that to people . . . I don’t tell the truth, I tell what ought to be the truth” (1590). Her reason for lying is because her fantasy world is so much more glamorous than poverty, losing Belle Reve, her fading beauty, and Alan’s death, all of which are reality. She has been hurt by reality in the past and it is understandable that she attempts to escape it through drinking, leaving the lights off, dressing up in expensive clothes, and lying.

One moment in which Blanche does appear to be truthful and faces brutal reality is during her conversation with Mitch in which she tells him about Alan’s death. She seems to get caught up in her story and continues talking until she tells Mitch everything, until she finally gets it all out in the open. Another moment where the reader sees Blanche for who she really is instead of the person she wants to be, is when Blanche breaks down in front of Mitch and admits to her past. She acknowledges that she slept with strangers and her seventeen year old student. She explains that she was “played out” and had nowhere else to go (1590-1591). These two passages allow the reader to gain a better understanding of Blanche and perhaps see her in a kinder more forgiving light.

Joyce's stories

In James Joyce’s short story, "Eveline," the main character is faced with a life-changing decision. She contemplates leaving her childhood home and along with it, her memories, people she knows, and the security she feels at having shelter and food. She even reminisces about the time her father took care of her and when he put on her mother’s bonnet. She considers the promise she made to her dying mother to take care of the family. On the other hand, she can leave the country with Frank and start a new life in Buenos Ayres. She wouldn’t have to work as much or take care of the family, she would be married and respected, and she would be able to escape her father’s abuse. She gets carried away in her romance with Frank; she loves having a boyfriend and having someone to take her to the theater. Additionally, she wants to escape her life and she believes that Frank is the one who can save her and perhaps even love her. She frantically decides to leave behind everything she knows in order to start a new life. Standing in the station in a daze, she catches site of the boat whose image awakens her to the seriousness and finality of her decision. She prays to God to guide her. The bell tolls and he grabs her hand pulling her forward. She panics and becomes paralyzed by the sudden realization that she must stay. She grips the railing with both hands.

This moment of paralyzing epiphany is reminiscent of one in Joyce’s story "Araby" in which the boy is manipulated by the girl he likes into going to the bazaar and buying her something. Waiting in front of the stand, he is ignored by a woman who is busy flirting with a group of soldiers. When she finally notices him, she asks him if he wants to purchase anything. He realizes that she only pays attention to him because of the possibility that it might benefit her. He connects this with how the girl he likes is using him and he doesn’t buy anything.

In both of these stories, the characters are faced with the option to follow their hearts or make the more practical choice. They both experience paralyzing epiphanies which result in their decisions. Eveline decides to remain home and take care of her family and the boy refuses to be deceived by the girl he likes.

Petrus' Voice

I do not mind Lucy being here. She is “forward-looking.” She understands what it takes to live here. Her father needs to return to the city. He does not understand our way of life. He does not belong here. He called my relative a thief in front of family and friends. And now “I am the one who must be keeping the peace.” He is bringing up the past instead of letting it die. We have had our lands stolen from us. We are moving on. He should move on too. I have worked hard to get back what was taken from my family. Some of our people do what is necessary to get what we are owed but that is only because the law did not protect us. We want what we are owed. Besides, the insurance company will give him a new car. Accusing the boy does nothing. He cannot give the car back. Besides he is too young to be put in jail. He is the future generation and he is family. Lucy will be safe here. I will protect her. I will marry her. She knows I will protect her in exchange for land.

I wrote Petrus’ story using short simple sentences because during the few times he is allowed a voice in the novel, this is how he speaks. It gives him a very practical and matter of fact tone. Additionally, he does not speak as eloquently as Laurie because he does not have the same level of education; he is not an intellectual, he is a farmer. It can be presumed that due to the apartheid, he did not have the same opportunities as Laurie. I incorporated into my writing a lot of what Petrus says throughout the novel because that is all the insight that the reader has about his thoughts. I emphasized some of his phrases because they seem very representative of his ideas. While he does not show the hated of whites that the rapists demonstrated, the reader definitely gets the sense that Petrus wants what the apartheid took from his family. He does it through working hard and perhaps by manipulating Lucy into giving up her land. He knows that others take more drastic measures, but he seems to see it as redistributing the wealth. He does not seem to understand why Lucy’s father is so wrapped up in getting justice because he gets his car back. Petrus sees what happened in terms of material goods not morality. He does not seem to think it should be punished. After the apartheid justice is impossible; the best that can be done is to move on. There is no reason to allow the incident to ruin the life of yet another person (the boy). I purposefully left out any mention of rape because Petrus seems eager to avoid this subject. It is left up to the reader to contemplate the reason Petrus does not acknowledge the rape. Being the practical man that he is, it is likely that while he thinks the situation is unfortunate, he does not see the point in discussing it. After all, what has happened has happened, and there’s nothing that can be done about it but move on.

David Laurie

“For a man of his age, fifty-two, divorced,” David Laurie still acts like an immature teenager and gives into his desires without fear of retribution. Although desire is common among humans, adults are usually expected to curb those urges. Instead of following the rules of the society to which he belongs, Laurie rapes a student, a blatant abuse of the power he gleaned from being a white male professor in post-apartheid South Africa. While he prefers to regard himself as one of the Romantics who embrace and express their powerful surges of emotion, to other members of society he can come across as manipulative, impulsive, stubborn, irresponsible, and a womanizer. He manipulates women into sleeping with him and rarely gives them voices in the story. He even has sex with the wives of his colleagues. His impulsiveness becomes apparent when he rapes Melanie and also later when he attacks the boy. His stubborn attitude is most evident during the hearing in which he pleads guilty to sexual harassment and of tampering with grades but adamantly refuses to admit any wrongdoing on his part. The members of the committee want him to show remorse for his actions and offer to lighten his punishment if he agrees to issue a statement of repentance. He does not deserve to be fired because he denies a lapse in morality, but rather for his abuse of the power given to him by the university. Anyone can claim to be sorry; whether or not they actually are is another story. It is imperative to note however, that instead of taking responsibility for his actions and their consequences, he uses word play in order to portray them in a less severe light. For example, he refers to one of his interactions with Melanie as “Not rape, not quite that, but undesired nevertheless, undesired to the core.” Even his ex-wife addresses his tendency to delude himself and others when she informs him “. . . you were always a great self-deceiver, David. A great deceiver and a great self-deceiver.”

Laurie’s transgression resulted in publicity from which he sought refuge in the country. Upon arriving at his daughter’s house, he is faced with the brutal reality of post-apartheid South Africa where wounds are still fresh and hatred remains unbridled. He is no longer the respected figure he was in the city and after the attack he becomes an even more pathetic character. Not only is his appearance altered from being set on fire, he is transformed from a respected intellectual to the dog-man. In addition to beginning to see dogs as creatures with souls, he also shows more respect towards women. Laurie becomes more of a father figure, taking care of his daughter and showing genuine concern for her well-being.

Miss Emily Grierson just wants some time alone...thirty years ago





















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About Me: In my younger years, I taught girls how to paint china. I love going for buggy rides on Sunday afternoons. I am now a very private person and like to spend my days indoors.
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Networks: Yoknapatawpha County
Relationship Status: Complicated
Religion: Episcopal
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3 friends:
Homer Barron
Rose Grierson
Evelyn Grierson
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This is the only way to contact me as I do not have a mailbox.
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Miss Emily Grierson replied to Rose Grierson 30 years ago: Don’t worry about me and please don’t bother coming all the way over here on my account. I am fine I just need some time to myself. In fact, I feel as though he never even left.


Rose Grierson wrote 30 years ago: I heard about Homer. I am sorry for your loss cousin. If I may say so, you are way too good for him anyways. I will visit you soon.


Homer Barron wrote 30 years ago: I’m sorry, please don’t be upset. I will visit again this weekend. I’ve just been busy with the boys lately.



Since Miss Emily obviously did not worry about the upkeep of her house, I made all the dates 30 years in the past to emphasize her lack of maintenance. Her status is a method of warding off anyone who may want to visit her and stumble upon her secret. She would have limited pictures and they would have been posted by other people. For her profile picture I tried to find one that illustrated how the townspeople saw her: just a silhouette in the window. I made her relationship status complicated because she has just killed Homer Barron and has been sleeping with him and if that isn't complicated, I don't know what is. She only has a few friends. I created names for her two cousins. I purposefully did not include her servant as one of her friends because Miss Emily would not have seen him as her equal. Her privacy is set at private because she clearly does not want the town involved in her affairs. She is in the Group The Grierson Family because she is very proud of her family name and the weight that it carries. Her first post is from Homer Barron saying he is sorry that he has been away. This was posted when he went away for awhile right before she killed him. I made it sound as though she was upset about him leaving her. The other one is from her cousin and it shows the high and mighty attitude of the Griersons. The final one is Miss Emily's response, clearly making sure her cousin does not visit. Her reply also indirectly suggests his continued presence in her life even though he has supposedly "left her."

nightingale

In his poem, “Ode to a Nightingale,” Keats conjures an image of a “light-wingéd Dryad” (Nightingale), who “In some melodious plot of beechen green, and shadows numberless, singest of summer in full-throated ease.” The nightingale’s song is a commonly used symbol for poetry as both are expressions of inspiration and powerful emotion. Using a concrete object to refer to a more abstract one allows for greater interpretation and stimulates creativity. It forces the reader to think of something in a new imaginative way; a description of poetry is much less stimulating compared to a comparison of poetry to birdsong through metaphor.

It is also imperative to note the diction in this poem and its effect on the image that the poet wishes to portray. A dryad is a wood nymph, something not of this Earth but rather a creature belonging to an enchanted world. The speaker yearns to join the bird in its blissful weightless state of unconsciousness for he is pained by his awareness of mortality. The speaker decides that poetry will enable him to transcend the material world and join the Nightingale.

The picture shown above illustrates a nightingale singing amidst greenery. The focus is primarily on the bird. The blurry background is reminiscent of the part in the poem where the speaker cannot see his surroundings and instead has to rely upon the nightingale’s song for guidance. The visual representation of the idea, although endearing, oversimplifies and detracts from the purpose of the poem. Relying on an image instead of the poem decreases the imagination required to interpret and derive meaning from the metaphor. The detailed imagery and language of a poem is pivotal in spurring the imagination to great heights, which is one of the aims of Keats’ poem “Ode to a Nightingale.”