Summer Reading assignment: Journal #2: A Streetcar Named Desire-- Fred

In my opinion, provocation becomes the one of the central themes Tennessee Williams tries to shed light through different points of view in the heart of the play. By the end of the 6th scene, a well fit package of provocative behavior has passed, whether it is to start a row, manipulate, or even just to discover how truthful one character is to another. Firstly, throughout the whole poker scene, this is the theme, as Stella, in keenness to keep his sister conscious that she has no lost the pompous lifestyle Belle Reve acquainted them too, provokes Stanley into a chaotic rage. But just as a soothing tune calms a raging beast, Williams displays the conquest love has over all other emotions, as the New Orleans couple re-embrace as the whole poker row had never happened. Reading this may give you the impression that “Streetcar” is just a basic romance, but on the contrary it expresses how limited peace and love are do the human species, and how some people like Blanche search for love in other forms of metamorphosis like money, posture, and upbringing, but its only the real geniuses that recognize true love in simple people.
This summer in Europe, an Irish friend of mine passed on a quote to me that their president Mary McAleese had stated in speech: “This child who talks about scattering the seeds of peace over our land has told us…. to renew and recommit ourselves no matter how much provocation…. hurt… bitterness or anger. ” Quite a bit of similarity between this quote and a couple of the themes William’s expresses in his play. Once again the idea that peace and love prevail over provocation and sullenness, but also the stress McAleese gives into “to renew and recommit.” Blanche’s shadowy past says that she once loved a young boy, and in this novel she seems to fall for Stanley’s co-worker Mitch. I couldn’t help but admire the diction the author uses in scenes with Blanche and Mitch. It seemed to express that Blanche was making an attempt to fashion a whole new side of her, despite the somber past Stanley is trying to dig out of her. Whatever happened with Belle Reve and the death of this “young boy,” Blanche sees Mitch as her escape ride from it, and it will be interesting to see how it turns out, assuming I don’t already know the ending. However after plunging into this story for the second time, by scene seven it is still not clear who is the protagonist or antagonist. Perhaps this is the special skill Tennessee Williams is trying to create with this play, because in my honest opinion it can go anyway with who has good intentions, who are faking, and what’s going to happen. Otherwise can this be a book that doesn’t follow that mainstream plot data?