Drew's journals: A Streetcar Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire

Journal #1-

The first thing that came to mind when reading this book was that there were a lot of conflicting personalities. Immediately Stella and Stanley’s personalities seemed to clash. Stanley is a very dominant man while Stella is more subtle and willing to do whatever he says. As soon as Blanche entered the picture I knew Stanley and her would definitely bump heads. They both have distinct personalities that clearly do not mix well. I was a little confused by Blanche. I feel like something is wrong with her but I can’t quite put my finger on it. One thing that I really enjoyed was the atmosphere that it put me in. I could easily imagine old school New Orleans and the two story building which they lived in. Stella appears to be very dependent on Stanley. The way she tells Blanche how she cries like a baby while he is gone and lies in his lap as soon as he gets home shows her dependence.

Journal #2-

The drama is beginning to develop now that I am in the middle of the book. Blanche has progressively become more annoying in my opinion and I give Stanley a lot of credit for putting up with her odd activities such as bathing for an hour every night. I like the character that Mitch is being given. He seems like an average good guy who is just looking for the right girl, unfortunately I feel like Blanche is not the one for him. She is too much of a mental case. I still can’t figure her out. The story that she told about her first love did bring things into perspective for me but I am still a little lost. Was she saying that she walked in on her boyfriend and another man making love? She is also quite the liar. I feel like she is being dishonest about the real reason that she lost her house. I think I have also found some sort of symbolism. The bottle of whiskey is a symbol for alcoholism which Blanche and Stanley resort to in order to escape reality. It doesn’t do well for either of them because Stanley begins to act crazy and Blanche starts to act too flirtatious with random men, including Stan. However I have to keep in mind that this is the older times where alcohol was much more casual to drink as opposed to the modern day where it is used for different reasons.

Journal #3-

I think I am missing something. I understand that Blanche was taken away by doctors because she is a crazy woman, but what exactly was wrong with her, and why? I can’t believe that Stanley raped her! I knew that he had some problems of his own but I didn’t think he was that messed up. I’m a little disappointed in Stella. She seriously gave up on her sister all because her husband wanted her out. I understand Blanche was a handful, but I felt like Stella did not really give enough of an effort as she should have being her sister. I am happy that Mitch got the hint and backed off because Blanche is quite the loose girl, he deserves better. I would have really liked to see this play in real life. The music that is supposed to be playing in the background would have made the scenes have a lot stronger of an effect. I wonder if things are going to go back to normal now that Blanche is gone or will things be different between Stanley and Stella now. She really put their marriage to the test, which is not good on account of the fact they were about to have a baby. I hope to find out exactly what was wrong with Blanche and why but overall it was a good book to read!