Christine's journals: A Streetcar Named Desire

Journal Entry #1:

Some say that you should never judge a book by its cover but it is that very detail that allows us to get an impression of the book without actually reading it yet. At first sight I didn’t understand why there was a half-naked man in the front of the cover, he looked like a working man—that was for sure—but I still didn’t see the connection with him and the title of the book, I couldn’t seem to fathom the reason he was on the cover, which in turn made me want to comprehend why and begin my reading.
From the very beginning of the play I got a sense of the story. When the character of Blanche Dubois was introduced I was presented with a fair impression of the person that she is. Blanche seemed to me, more than anything, a woman who not only craved attention but felt that she deserved it, someone who wanted the shining spotlight placed on her anywhere she went, from anyone around her. She also subconsciously wanted that attention to use it as a substitution for all of the stress and weight that was put on her shoulders when she lost Belle Reve and everyone she cared for. Going further into the book I realized what I thought would be true, was. She was egotistical, vain and always made herself out to be the victim in almost every situation she was placed in.
I was curious to find out what else was in store for our main character, she was fragile, shaky and easily offended, she always suspected the worst, even fancied herself a drink or bath when she felt any anxiety. In many ways she was damaged and losing Belle Reve just put her over the edge. A mixture of all of these things could be disastrous for Blanche and everyone encircling her. Although all of this seems bad, it was the only way that she maintained her sanity—or at least tried to. Without any distractions she could easily become overwhelmed and succumb to the reality that surrounds her and thus fall through the cracks.
As for Stella, I took her as the complete opposite of her sister, Blanche. She was the much more calm and controlled one in the bunch. It appeared to me that she thought highly of Blanche and dismissed anything bad that was said about her. I saw her as an interesting character that only saw the good in people and was in many ways, naïve, especially when considering the true nature of her sister and her intentions on coming to Elysian Fields.

Journal Entry #2:

Now in the middle of the book, I find myself noticing a pattern of writing; in almost every other sentence there are dashes and pauses. I find this a little strange because it sounds like the characters are thinking much before they actually say anything, not that people shouldn’t think before they speak but I just find it odd to start something off, pause and continue cautiously very often, but then again, this is the 1940’s and everything said must be thought out thoroughly.
Straight away, it was evident that Blanche was not very fond of Stella’s husband, Stanley. Blanche has told Stella time and time again that Stanley is not healthy for her, that he was vulgar and beastly. “There’s something downright—bestial—about him!” (Pg. 71) This is what Blanche tells her dear sister about what she thinks of her husband, it’s clear she believes he’s not even a man, “There’s even something—sub-human—something not quite to the stage humanity yet!” (Pg. 72) Now, I see Blanche taking this a bit too far, there are all sorts of men, just because one of them doesn’t follow the rules, worships his wife every waking second and gets drunk once in a while doesn’t make him sub-human, just not well mannered. “Don’t hang back with the brutes!” (Pg. 72) Even though I agree that Stanley isn’t the best husband out there, love is love and if Stella truly loves him to bits and is sure that he won’t severely hurt her then I say, stick with him. Blanche is trying to persuade her sister into removing the problem in her relationship and life—Stanley—and I just think that is completely unfair, she should well enough leave the problem to be handled by the people in it, not intervene and try to solve it.
I have also become aware that Blanche likes to change subjects when she finds the topic going into uncharted territories; she does it so effortlessly and guilefully that it’s become frequent and unnoticeable. I see Blanche become more manipulative as the pages go by but I also don’t see it as her fault. She has been through traumatic experiences where her husband and family died; she lost her job and her home, her glamorous lifestyle and everything that it offered her. All she has is her looks and her sister and is willing to do anything at this point to keep those two.


Journal Entry #3:

Desire—it was the very aspect that created this play. Stella wanted peace among the people she loved, Stanley wanted Blanche out and Blanche just wanted companionship. In the end they all got what they wanted, that is except Blanche. I knew Stanley was rude, inconsiderate, offensive and vile but I never thought that he could commit such a horrendous crime, especially towards his sister-in-law, just goes to show how much you know someone. In a way, the play held many secrets, mostly personality ones. Everyone acted as if on end, they stood on their toes and tried to mask themselves as the perfect people who did not do anything and if they did, they would simply say it was for the good of the people surrounding them.
Everyone knew from reading the first few pages that Blanche was not well in the head. It was clear that she had some psychological problems going on and at the end of the book everyone else realized it. She was taken into a mental facility, which I thought was much needed for her, maybe now she could get the right aid and reclaim her mental health. As for Stanley, he deserves the worst to come, whatever it may be. Raping Blanche or anyone is something that should be and is extremely frowned upon. “We’ve had this date with each other from the beginning!” (Pg. 130) Either this was planned and was inevitable or Stanley had some sort of agenda towards Blanche. Either way, it should have never happened and I can honestly say that I’ve lost all the respect I had for Stanley—even if I barely had any to begin with.
I sincerely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good literature. I have to say, in the beginning I wasn’t crazy about it, the cover intrigued me yes, but it was the ending that truly got me. I couldn’t put the book down. I don’t think there were many plot twists but I do feel like the book wasn’t about the drama and story line; to me it was more about the characters, their personality, allure and actions. I commend Tennessee Williams for writing such a fine book.