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fkshg8465's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Such a sad story. Reread it after watching it at my kid's high school play. Full of triggers, and not for the faint of heart. Brave of Tennessee Williams to tackle these topics. A classic for a reason.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Bullying, Classism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Outing, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Grief
gabriella_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i cried reading this. considering the time it was written, it’s so rare to find a male writer center female characters, from their own POV, and treat them with so much love and sympathy. he doesn’t forgive or excuse any of his characters, but he really breathes life into them in a refreshing way
there are moments where Tennessee’s fruitiness show in his stage directions and that really adds to the experience!
there are moments where Tennessee’s fruitiness show in his stage directions and that really adds to the experience!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Infidelity, Cursing, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Classism, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Death, Medical trauma, Outing, and Pedophilia
zakcebulski's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I remember watching the film adaptation of this play when I was younger. When I was much younger I was very much in to film, and as such, I went through a period when Elia Kazan was my Christ. Watching his film On the Waterfront was a transcendental experience in the acting and storytelling of all involved. This viewing experience urged to me seek on the film he made four years prior- the film adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire.
Now, I thought that the movie was fantastic. Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Karl Malden? Fucking hell yeah.
Reading this book, however, was more painful than I could have imagined. The trials and tribulations of Blanche DuBois- a former Southern Belle who is coming to live with her sister Stella and her husband- Stanley in a low-esteem apartment in New Orleans.
Throughout the story Blanche's character is seen as hifalutin, where she constantly bashes on Stella and Stanley's living situation. Blanche has no qualms with throwing shade at the couple's living situation, and at Stanley as a whole- calling him common, and ape-ish. Blanche has views of her life which are shaded with colors of unreality.
Blanche states that she is on a holiday from her work as a teacher, which is later revealed to be a falsehood as she was forced to leave Mississippi due to rumors of many affairs.
While living with her sister and her brother-in-law Blanche is exposed to the type of person who Stanley is. That is, to say, a domineering, overbearing, angry man, who served in the military during the Second World War. Stanley, more or less from the start, is very suspicious of Blanche and the stories for how she ended up in New Orleans.
He does not believe that she is a victim of circulmstance, rather, he sees her as someone who is trying to take advantage of the situation she is in. He acts very, very cruelly toward Blanche after snooping around and finding out the truth about her past. He even goes so far as to throw a birthday party for her, and give her a one way ticket back to where she came from. That is the most dickish of dick moves.
The saddest character, to me, however, Is Stella. Throughout the story Stella struck me as the best person, but she truly is a victim of horrid circumstances. She is married and is pregnant with a man who is manipulative, and coercive and violent- and with whom she has no escape from.
She is as well forced to face the trauma of her past when Blanche shows up telling her all of the things that she missed. She is as well forced to be in the middle of the blows between her husband and her sister, ultimately culminating in picking a side after Blanche tells Stella that Stanley tried to rape her. In the edition which I read, Stella said that she is unable to bring herself to believe Stella, and stays with Stanley. However, the revised story has Stella leaving Stanley. To me, I like the ending wherein Stella leaves Stanley. It feels like a more complete ending, wherein the seeds of doubt sewed by Blanche in the beginning of the play are ready to be reaped, which has Blanche essentially saving Stella from her marriage.
I thought that the back and forth between Stanley and Blanche was exquisitely done in the saddest way possible. They go back and forth in terms of mental and emotional sparring which leads to Stanley forcing himself on Blanche. Blanch suffers a mental breakdown on account of the attempted rape by her brother-in-law, which ends up with her in a psychiatric hospital.
Williams' writing throughout this play is nothing short of immaculate. There were so many scenes where I re-read passages over and over just to experience them again. Williams is able to so perfectly capture the raw emotions of grief, self-loathing, pain, and the feeling of chronic misplacement, that it is truly scary. I thought that Blanche's soliloquy surrounding the tragedies which she endured which led her to the steps of Stella and Stanley's is some of the best writing I have read recently. He is able to write such bombastic scenes with such a controlled nuance, it is absolutely awe-inspiring. The way that he conveys the mental state of Blanche, or the quiet (and then explosive) seething of Stanley, or the helpless indecision of Stella is fantastic, and is how real people would act. I think that the character work in this play is an absolute achievement.
I think that all of these characters in this play are absolutely fantastic. That is not to say that they are good people, but, they are not supposed to be. They are characters who are beleiveable. Their actions and their intentions are believable, which makes the bad that they do even more hellacious.
This was the first play which I have read by Tennessee Williams, and, after going through it, I can absolutely understand why it has such a high reverence. I thought that the subtle exploration into the frailty of the human mind, the analysis of self-esteem and self-worth, and the tragedy of not feeling that you are enough is amazingly realized to a level of uncomfortability, which is the point.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, Alcoholism, Death, and Sexual assault
purplelake's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Suicide
Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Rape, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, and Terminal illness
Minor: Body shaming, Abandonment, and Death of parent
arianappstrg's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
4,75: A lot of moral dilemmas with this one. Is it people that make society or society people?
Raunchy and carnal, Streetcar skitters from eroticism to brutality so quick it makes you wince. I have read that Williams' intention in writing problematic characters is not to throw blame at them or make the readers point fingers but to shed light on what happens when different worlds, cultures, classes, economies and upbringings collide. From this collision, springs violence and silence and the simple fact that all characters, on the page as well as in real life, are problematic. With Streetcar, I found it very hard not to throw blame and judge based on the individual. An individual is indeed, to some extent, a product of their society. Their choices are bound to be influenced by said society's teachings and yet it was still incredibly difficult to refrain from putting everyone into categories; innocent and guilty, mad and reasonable, civilized and uncivilized. Among working-class brutish men, Stanley is quite civilized and even loveable. Among old money tycoons and estate owners, Blanche is quite sane, reasonable and lovely. When they enter each other's orbit, the only possible outcome is violence and insanity. It was upsetting to witness such a resolution and kept thinking that if Stanley was visiting Blanche in her world, he would have probably been met with a similar fate. If not a mental institution, it would have been prison. Because, ultimately, we do not understand each other. To bridge that gap between such opposing worlds would perhaps take much more strength of character and determination than people possess.
It feels like it is all about necessity. In fact, I caught myself using necessity and desire interchangeably. Stanley needs to reaffirm his control every chance he gets. His macho sexual energy is the one thing he has a grip on, the one thing that assures him he is an honest and hard-working husband therefore superior to the privileged. When threatened, he bursts into random acts of violence and cruelty. Stella needs gratification, she needs to know that it is acceptable for her to desire and to want to be desired, to want such things as pleasure and roughness, considered base and primitive by the class she was born into. Blanche seeks stability, mental and financial, in others because she cannot attain it on her own. She tells stories and puts up pretences to stay afloat and safely tucked away from reality. She wants to be saved. In spite of all her questionable choices and inconsistencies, it is infuriating how she had to be sacrificed on the altar of other people's needs. It reads like she had to go down so that Stanley could continue to reassert his macho nonsense and so that Stella could feel better living with a man responsible for her sister's mental breakdown. And yet it makes total sense that it should happen that way if you see it from Williams' perspective. Stanley and Stella are only protecting their interests, interests that are formed in accordance to their environment, interests that their environment dictates they should protect. What is a woman with a newborn supposed to do in wretched New Orleans in the 40s-50s? And what is Stanley supposed to feel about his actions when he just did what he thought was in his nature to do? He is not expecting to be punished for anything. So bleak to think about.
Raunchy and carnal, Streetcar skitters from eroticism to brutality so quick it makes you wince. I have read that Williams' intention in writing problematic characters is not to throw blame at them or make the readers point fingers but to shed light on what happens when different worlds, cultures, classes, economies and upbringings collide. From this collision, springs violence and silence and the simple fact that all characters, on the page as well as in real life, are problematic. With Streetcar, I found it very hard not to throw blame and judge based on the individual. An individual is indeed, to some extent, a product of their society. Their choices are bound to be influenced by said society's teachings and yet it was still incredibly difficult to refrain from putting everyone into categories; innocent and guilty, mad and reasonable, civilized and uncivilized. Among working-class brutish men, Stanley is quite civilized and even loveable. Among old money tycoons and estate owners, Blanche is quite sane, reasonable and lovely. When they enter each other's orbit, the only possible outcome is violence and insanity. It was upsetting to witness such a resolution and kept thinking that if Stanley was visiting Blanche in her world, he would have probably been met with a similar fate. If not a mental institution, it would have been prison. Because, ultimately, we do not understand each other. To bridge that gap between such opposing worlds would perhaps take much more strength of character and determination than people possess.
It feels like it is all about necessity. In fact, I caught myself using necessity and desire interchangeably. Stanley needs to reaffirm his control every chance he gets. His macho sexual energy is the one thing he has a grip on, the one thing that assures him he is an honest and hard-working husband therefore superior to the privileged. When threatened, he bursts into random acts of violence and cruelty. Stella needs gratification, she needs to know that it is acceptable for her to desire and to want to be desired, to want such things as pleasure and roughness, considered base and primitive by the class she was born into. Blanche seeks stability, mental and financial, in others because she cannot attain it on her own. She tells stories and puts up pretences to stay afloat and safely tucked away from reality. She wants to be saved. In spite of all her questionable choices and inconsistencies, it is infuriating how she had to be sacrificed on the altar of other people's needs. It reads like she had to go down so that Stanley could continue to reassert his macho nonsense and so that Stella could feel better living with a man responsible for her sister's mental breakdown. And yet it makes total sense that it should happen that way if you see it from Williams' perspective. Stanley and Stella are only protecting their interests, interests that are formed in accordance to their environment, interests that their environment dictates they should protect. What is a woman with a newborn supposed to do in wretched New Orleans in the 40s-50s? And what is Stanley supposed to feel about his actions when he just did what he thought was in his nature to do? He is not expecting to be punished for anything. So bleak to think about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Rape
The rape happens off stage and is not even mentioned in the stage directions. It is implied by the mention of the change in music if I remember correctly. And obviously, Stanley's remark cannot be misinterpreted. It's all too clear what is about to happen and in fact, it's all been building up to this moment. Sadly.dawnblade's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Even though I read this play for school, it captured my attention more than any other book I've read for a class previously. The story is quite depressing, but the symbolism and character morals make the play a must-read in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, Homophobia, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Sexism
amylouise_'s review
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Racism
Minor: Rape and Racial slurs
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