A Streetcar...
It is actually only recently that I read this magnificent play written by Tennessee Williams. Considered one of the American classics, and rightfully so, the play captures the deepest depths and complexities of human nature while subtly reminding us once again to never judge a book by its cover.
It is not the location of the play or the fast paced action that make this play so special, but rather the intense complexity of the characters, especially that of Blanche, the protagonist of the entire story. Considered by many one of the most difficult and complex characters to play on a stage or on film, Blanche is a plethora of things, and yet at the same time is so opaque it is almost impossible to describe her in any concrete way.
The play takes place mostly in a lower middle class apartment in New Orléans, Louisiana. Blanche comes here to stay with her sister Stella, and her husband Stanley. Once again I will not dive into the plot of this play because I do not want to give a summary of the play but rather the important themes that it decides to touch upon.
Blanche is a character who projects herself to be one way: a lady of culture, manner, money, and of a good pedigree. She sometimes verges on the line of being condescending, however this brash demeanor is an act to cover the secrets and lies that are hiding in her closet. A person who has had an equally interesting as tragic, and drama filled life. Throughout her stay with Stella, Blanche does not learn to accomodate and learn from her mistakes, but rather digs an even deeper hole for herself. A hole so deep, she eventually cannot get out of it.
Being born into a world of expectations and pressure about the person she was supposed to become, Blanche became fixated on these points which in turn prevented her from becoming her own person. She became so engulfed in this image that she created for herself, yet was completely untrue, that ultimately the glass had to break. And once that beautiful façade broke it was already too late to fix it. The most important thing that I took from this play was the question of why and when do we allow others to decide our lives for us? Why don’t we realize that it is okay to break out and be our own person?
