The final pages of Williams’ play would leave me as bluntly bewildered as ever. The late scenes of Streetcar show a lot of literary class, but I’m forced to criticize its most standard elements. At the last page of the book, I still am not 100% sure who the protagonist and the antagonist is because every character in the story either did something reckless that canceled the gallant air, or simply didn’t step to my expectations of a good character. It was like a trivia game show to see who is the most chivalrous, and everyone lost. However I still caught other sheds of brilliance in the novel. For one I love how after Mitch discovers the dirt on Blanche, in the final conversation he has with her, he quotes “I don’t think I have ever seen you in the light.”(Page 110) Now this is not only fact, but the quote holds a metaphor too. He proceeds to turn on every light in the room discovering the lost years Blanche was trying to hide from him, but notice also its only when the light is on that Blanche finally confesses all her intimacies, and the real reason she’s in New Orleans. Its remarkable how Williams’ can personify (I think that’s the term) light as being some sort of emotion parallel to honesty. Now our time already makes us used to terms saying coming to light is confessing, but Tennessee Williams basically keeps a consistent chain between Blanche trying to hide her age with Blanche telling Mitch all these pompous lies to make him fall for her. Did anyone else catch that, because I might just be really slow on analysis?
Now with all this repulsive information revealed about Blanche by scene 10, naturally from that point I was forced to accept Stanley as the triumphant protagonist, helping out his good friend Mitch. Right? Wrong! In that same scene where I locked in my final answer, Williams’ turns the roof upside and has Stanley do the unthinkable to Blanche. He rapes his son’s aunt; my assumed protagonist would now be a definite antagonist. Personally that’s all I could think about when the book ended, and all that mattered to me. Blanche could be considered a tragic hero I suppose, but what’s a hero that spends the whole play being full of lies. Nevertheless, A Streetcar named Desire is meant to be a romance, a genre that I’m not quite used to reading. So there is any point that I’m missing from the story, it’d be great if someone could contribute and enlighten me.
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Similarly to you, Fred, I couldn't distinguish who the protagonist was supposed to be, and who the antagonist was supposed to be. However, that was when I was first reading it in our 11th grade English class.
ReplyDeleteThis time around, I think Blanche DeBois is meant to be the protagonist. A protagonist isn't necessarily a character that does a chivalrous action, or saves the day. A protagonist is the central/main character of a drama. Without Blanche, there wouldn't be a story or a conflict. She is the main focus of Williams' playwright.
The antagonist of the play would easily be Stanley. A direct definition of antagonist is "someone who offers opposition." Notice how Stanley was the only one in the play suspicious, and against Blanche from the very beginning. Stella loved her sister, and was willing to aid her. Mitch was fond of Blanche, and willing to introduce her to his mother. Stanley wanted to know all of her scandals, and get her out of his life. Does that make sense? It's a guess on my part.
Also, I think Blanche is a tragic hero. A tragic hero is someone whose future held a lot of hope, and potential. However, a twist of fate has that character spiraling into a future of doubt, and helplessness. Did Blanche lie about a lot? Yes. However, how can you admit that you had a sexual affair with one of your students, or that you were basically run out of your own town? Don't forget, she caught her husband having sex with another man. That occurrence in itself probably took its greatest toll on Blanche. My theory is that after discovering her husband with another man, her confidence and self-esteem plummeted, which is why we see a Blanche that is vying for male attention, and hoping to keep her youth. After finding out her husband was gay, I can assume she blamed herself for not being attractive or desirable enough for him. Ever since the incident, she has probably been trying to prove that she is attractive enough to get any male (i.e.; her own student).
I could not figure out who was the protagonist or the antagonist in the play either. Like Rema said the protagonist is the main character of a drama, I would agree that Blanche was the protagonist. Even though Blanche did not do anything heroic, the play was mainly focusing on all of Blanches problems. Stanley in a way could be seen as the antagonist because he tryed to reveal all of Blanches wrongs meanwhile, he was a drunk and he rapped his wifes sister. I believe this would make him the antagonist and even a hypocrite. Blanche was just looking for something to fill the hole she had inside of her. Blanche definatly had psycological problems. After seeing her husband with another man and then killing himself would traumatize a person. I know if I was in Blanches situation i would be psycologicaly unstable too.
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