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Victim of the Heart Tennessee Williams masterpiece A Streetcar Named Desire is being rightly referred to as one of the most realistic plays in American dramaturgy of twentieth century. Despite the fact that plays plot is related to the social issues that used to be actual in Americas South, after the end of WWII, it would be wrong to suggest that author saw this play as a tool of making a political statement, on his part. We can say that the key to understanding characters behavior needs to be sought within a context of psychology. A Streetcar Named Desire has also been described as play about victims and victimizer's, where characters psychological antagonism serves as foundation, upon which plays tragic properties are based. Such statement can only be true to a certain extent, because the process of victimization suggests a malicious intent, on the part of victimizer's. Stanley does not treat Blanche badly, only because he wants to hurt her, but because he subconsciously feels that there is something wrong about her.
He perceives this wrongness not as Blanches inability to embrace conventional morality, but as her metaphysical weakness, as individual. What really adds up to the literary value of Williams play is the fact that author does not strive to rationalize the existential incompatibility between Blanche and Stanley, for example, because the essence of such incompatibility is purely irrational, which nevertheless, does not make it less real. The reason why Stanley became mentally alienated from his sister-in-law is that, in his eyes, she was guilty of the biggest sin of all the lack of biological vitality. Stanley hates Blanche in the same way that many contemporary immigrants from Eastern Europe often hate native-born White Americans, over their willingness to subdue themselves to the notions of political correctness and over their inability to stand up for themselves, while facing racial challenges. Blanche is definitely a victim. However, this is not because she was being victimized by Stanley, but because she had chosen in favor of pain and suffering, without realizing it.
Just as we can describe a slave as person with atrophied sense of freedom, we can say that Blanche is an aristocrat who does not posses spiritual qualities that would justify her ignorant attitudes, in the first place. She is the victim by choice. The character of Mitch, on the other hand, is better described as the victim of social circumstances and of his own narrow-mindedness. Williams portrays him as person who is capable of operating with purely abstract categories, which is exactly what sets him apart from his friends. Mitch possesses the essential ingredients that could have allowed him to gain social prominence he is physically strong and healthy individual with inquisitive mind.
He and Blanche have many things in common; however, what prevented them from getting married is the fact that Blanche saw marriage as the mean of gaining psychological adequateness, whereas for Mitch, marriage was nothing but socially motivated deed. Within the context of relationship, between these two characters, both - Mitch and Blanche are better described as victims of conventional morality. It appears that both characters were simply seeking an emotional and sexual companionship and that they were equally happy from having a little romance. It is only when they realized that their relationship needs to be legitimized that things started to go wrong. Thus, it would be wrong to refer to Mitch as male chauvinist, simply because he wanted to have sex with Blanche, after having told her that he will not marry her. Sex between two young and physically healthy individuals of opposite gender is perfectly natural and, therefore, moral.
Only the sick Christian morality requires man and woman to enter holy matrimony, in order to make their sinful desires socially acceptable. It is very regretful that Mitch proved to be incapable of stepping over the outdated moral dogma, which resulted in great deal of suffering, on his part, especially after he saw Blanche loosing her marbles, at the end of the play. Nevertheless, he has nobody to blame for it, but himself. In its turn, this prevents us from referring to Mitch as tragic figure, in classic sense of this word. Despite the fact that he was capable of overcoming social pressure, in order to achieve happiness, Mitch preferred to suffer.
Therefore, he can also be referred to as victim by choice, just as Blanche.
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Research essay sample on Streetcar Named Desire Conventional Morality
