Descent of a Decent Belle in Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire

Abstract

Tennessee Williams was one of the greatest American dramatists of the 20th century. Most of his plays take us to the southern states and show a confused society. In his works he exposes the degeneration of human feelings and relationships. His heroes suffer from broken families and do not find their place in society. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche is an intelligent and sensitive woman who values literature and creativity of human imagination, but emotionally repressed, addicted to alcohol, succumbing to illusions, lies about her past, sexual aberrations, and madness. Her need to be special and loved originates from her loneliness and her failure with her relationships. This article analyses the basic instincts of Blanche and explores the causes of her moral descent from the position of American southern belle who is the victim of her own passions, frustrations and loneliness. In this drama Tennessee Williams created such an impressive and salutary plot which revolutionized the American theatre and made him famous