Society and Love: The Themes of "Streetcar"

A Streetcar Named Desire, originally written in 1947, is a play whose purpose is to show women's place in society and the nature of love. Streetcar is both a play and a movie, each with separate endings that change the final theme of the story.

One of the major themes of Streetcar is women and men's role in society. Throughout the play, Blanche and Stella are seen as less powerful and less important than men like Stanley and Mitch. Stanley outright says this when he gets into an argument with Stella in Act 1. "Since when do you give me orders?" Stanley says. Right from his mouth, a wife isn't supposed to talk back to a husband. Although Blanche comes from a more high-class upbringing than Stanley, she is forced to submit to his will. For example, Stanley asks Blanche where the deed to her house is. Blanche is initially hesitant to let Stanley go through all her paperwork, but Stanley doesn't wait. He doesn't care about Blanche's opinion and starts searching through her paper box anyway. Blanche has to reason with Stanley to stop him from hunting through every last letter she has to find what he wants. A more obvious example would be during the climax when Stanley rapes Blanche, however, I think a scene like this is more telling. Rape is a major act, and a crime. It makes sense that Blanche can't fight back. However, even in daily life when discussing paperwork Blanche is shown as always being a step behind Stanley. The play is commenting on the social roles of women. They are expected to be lower than men, to be controlled by the men in their life. Stella is shown as being weak and dependent on Stanley. When he tries to explain the idea of the Napoleonic Code to Stella, she swoons and is unable to comprehend the simple law.

However, the stance Streetcar takes on these social roles drastically changes between the two endings. In the play, Stanley and Stella stay as a couple, with Stanley continuing to take advantage of her. This presents women's role in society as being inescapable. Stella couldn't leave Stanley if she tried. The movie ending has a far more optimistic tone. Stella decides at the end to take her baby and leave Stanley. The movie ending presents women as being in control of their fate. Although society expects certain things from women, it is possible for individuals to choose their path in life. Therefore, the purpose of the story is to show women's role in society, either positively or negatively depending on the version of the story.

The second big theme Streetcar deals with is the nature of love. In the story, there is no fairytale happy ending marriage between characters. Love is messy and difficult, and sometimes it goes wrong. Blanche had a husband who died young. She later had an affair with a student where she worked as a teacher. Stanley and Stella have an abusive relationship. No one in the story is that perfect couple we all think of. In fact, the subplot with Mitch and Blanche is an opportunity for them both to leave their pasts behind and try to forge a loving bond. However, it turns into a cautionary tale instead. When Mitch learns about Blanche's tragic backstory, he rejects her. Because Blanche isn't the perfect fairytale wife he wants, Mitch gives up on marrying her. Streetcar doesn't take a firm stance on love, but instead shows how it can go wrong. Choosing the wrong person, or holding everyone to an impossible standard causes love to be harder and more painful than society wants to admit.

Overall, the purpose of A Streetcar Named Desire is to highlight two aspects of society: the roles of women and the difficulty of finding love. Female characters are repeatedly shown as being below the male cast. The two endings either accept or reject that idea, showing how women are either doomed to conform or able to think for themselves. The relationships in the story also show how love isn't perfect, and finding a partner for life is often about settling for what you think you deserve.