Book Review : A Streetcar Named Desire By Tennessee Williams

This is a play that we read in class recently as part of the curriculum for year 12 English Literature. 

I give this play a rating of...4 stars out 5.

(movie adaptation)

Before I begin reviewing this, in class an interesting comment was made. A character basically gets raped in the play and a girl in my class says that she - and I quote, 'was asking for it, she kept wearing satin.' Someone needs to read Asking for it by Louise O'Neil I think. Thank goodness the rest of my class reacted immediately, disagreeing with this very closed minded very annoying comment. No one deserves rape, they are never asking for it. If there is no consent, then there is something wrong there.

Now onto the review...

A Streetcar Named Desire By Tennessee Williams

What I loved?

I loved the character Blanche. She is crazy and fun and sweet. I feel like she is easily judged, and needs more sympathy. She has had a hard life that has unfortunately taken a toll on her mental health. 

I love seeing how people react to things during different era's, and this book showed how people of the 1940's reacted to gay people, people of colour and women. 

Because the author himself is gay - and was openly gay whilst writing this, he presented the gay character in a positive light trying to create some sympathy for him. This must have been odd seeing as in society, gay people were viewed in a very negative light. In the movie adaptation, they had to censor the gay content.

The way women were treated is something I was aware of from reading other novels set in this time period. Women were seen as submissive, child bearing housewives. 

Black people or people from other cultures that were not white were also looked down upon greatly, but since this play is set in New Orleans, we get to see a more open, more modern society in contrast to the rest of America.

I also loved this particular scene: 

"Mitch: you lied to me, Blanche.

Blanche: Don't say I lied to you.

Mitch: Lies, Lies, Inside and out, all lies.

Blanche: Never Inside, I didn't lie in my heart." - Tennessee Williams

What I disliked?

I disliked the ending, I feel as though Stanley should have been killed. I also wanted Blanche to finally get her fairy tale ending, but as we all know....authors love to torture!

I disliked Stella's - Blanche's sister, constant betrayal and the final one ruined her sister completely!

I dislike Mitch. A lot. Full Stop.

***

A Streetcar Named Desire is a play about realism and fantasy, sadly reality took over in the end.

(Disclaimer: The images used in this post are not mine.)

Yours Faithfully, 

~ She Who Writes