Taking place during the late 1940's in a run-down, working class district of New Orleans, A Streetcar Named Desire opens with a showcase of Stanley Kowalski as both an egalitarian and the portrait of the perfect male prototype for that specific time period. He is faithful to his friends, proud of his Polish heritage, and, shows a love for his wife, Stella, that is absolutely awe-provoking. However, at the same time, Stanley has, time and time again, been referred to as a character who possesses an intensely "€¦animalistic physical vigor that is [more than] evident in his love of work, of fighting, and, of sex" with his main amusements being "€¦gambling, bowling, sex, and, drinking."
All of these animalistic and brutish qualities of Stanley are especially exposed after Stella's sister, Blanche, decides to make an unannounced visit to the home of Stanley and Stella. Right away, Stanley begins to look down on and form an intense hatred for Blanche because she is "€¦a relic from a defunct social hierarchy" and had an aristocratic past that she still has a tendency to showboat. Also, she was seen as a prostitute in her hometown because of her various liaisons and sexual encounters, not to mention the relations that she had with one of her seventeen-year-old students. Therefore, Stanley sees her as toxic, untrustworthy, and, he by no means, appreciates the fact that she constantly makes it apparent that she thinks that she is better than him and Stella; not to mention the fact that she consistently talks down to Stanley and openly labels him as being primitive, ape-like, and, bestial – all while demeaning his Polish roots by calling him such offensive names as a "Polack." As a result, not surprisingly, Blanche becomes Stanley's target and force to beat for the remainder of the play.
Throughout the play, it is obvious that both Stanley and Blanche are fighting for Stella. Stanley wants his wife to remain on his side and continue being the passive, supportive wife that she is to him. On the other hand, Blanche wants Stella to leave Stanley in hopes that she will return with Blanche back to their childhood days of wealth and luxury. Stanley notices these motives of Blanche and relentlessly stops at nothing to ruin Blanche and win the ultimate prize – Stella.
With alcoholic and abusive tendencies towards his pregnant wife, Stanley, by no means, has the patience for Blanche that Stella has. With the intention of making Blanche's life a living nightmare, Stanley goes to great lengths to make sure that she is not getting her way. He exposes information that he discovers about Blanche's past to both Stella and to Blanche's newfound lover and friend of Stanley's, Mitch, subsequently sabotaging the relationship between Blanche and Mitch. He constantly criticizes her, he buys her a bus ticket back home for her birthday in order to rid her from his home, and, towards the end of the play, he rapes her while he is in a drunken stupor. The most unnerving part about all of this is that, in the midst of all of his fits of aggression and proofs of dominance, he does not show the slightest bit of remorse and sympathy for Blanche. All he wants is to see her squirm.
It is at the very end of the play that the constant battle between Stanley and Blanche comes to an immediate conclusion. The play ends with Blanche falling into a state of extreme psychosis and delirium and, as a result, is taken away to a mental institution – an executive decision unanimously made by the members of the household. This, of course, means that the villain, Stanley, has prevailed. Stella obviously sided with her husband, thus endowing upon Stanley the trophy that he constantly sought throughout the entire ordeal. Not only that, but Stanley also succeeded because he had won the prolonged war against his enemy and was able to proudly retain his position as the dominant, "€¦social leveler," that he had always been. The play so poignantly comes to an ultimate end with an image of Stanley, Stella, and, the new baby – the seamless American family in the 1940's, or so one might think.
It is pretty obvious and can easily be argued that Stanley Kowalski is a villain. From his constant string of verbal and physical abuse, to the ultimate extreme act of raping his sister-in-law, Stanley is infamously known as one of the most aggressively dominating characters in American theatre. However, Stanley's ability to do a complete 360-degree rotation and all of a sudden turn on the charm and win-over Stella, (no matter how aggressive he might be towards her), makes him a villain who, in my opinion, has the potential to be rather lovable. Or maybe my admiration for Stanley Kowalski purely stems from the fact that I have a tendency to associate the character with the stunning Marlon Brando. Regardless, Stanley Kowalski will always be a villain who, with the tiniest smile and faintest bat of the eye, could become an image of desire. The title of the play does not lie.
Below is a video clip from the 1951 film, A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski, Vivien Leigh as Blanche, and, Kim Hunter as Stella. The video really does a great job showcasing the rollercoaster ride of Stanley's moods – charming and pleasant to aggressive and abusive, not to mention how the smallest push could be enough to completely set him off. The hateful relationship between Stanley and Blanche is also very well-represented while he completely ignores her presence at the dinner table.
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