Blanche: Villain or Victim in the Play A Streetcar Named Desire

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Blanche: Villain or Victim in the Play A Streetcar Named Desire
Introduction
In the current patriarchal society, women often find themselves at odds with the societal standards set by men. These standards influence how women are supposed to behave, dress, act, or even treat men. A Streetcar Named Desire is a play by Tennessee William. A woman character, Blanche, is faced with such challenges forcing her to make decisions that she would otherwise not have made in an ideal society, such as one that does not objectify women (Nawaz and Awan 62). It is indisputable that factors within her environment pushed Blanche into a mental asylum facility which, in a way, suggests that she is the victim in the story while the society is the villain. On the other hand, however, it is also widely accepted that what matters is how people react to the inevitable challenges in life. From this point of view, it appears as though Blanche is not a victim but a villain of her downfall (Afshan). Blanche is not a villain because of the wider influence of forces in her environment to which she has no power. Instead, she is a victim of a patriarchal society where women are forced to depend on men to realize their agency. Thus, the current paper aims to present Blanche as a victim while appreciating counter-arguments.
Play Summary
After the death of her wealthy husband and the loss of her Belle Reve home to creditors, Blanche travels from the North to the South to live with her married sister Stella and her husband, Stanley. Blanche does not tell the truth about her past or her current intentions on her arrival. For instance, she does not reveal that she has lost her estate, that her husband was homosexual and committed suicide, and that she does not work (Williams 12). Instead, she lies that she has taken a leave of absence from her teaching job, which initially suggests that her stay would be short. She also tried to hide her drinking habits. However, during her visit, it is clear that she is a hypersexual person who has turned classist based on how she frowns upon her sister's house, yet she is too broke to afford to lodge. Her presence becomes a cause of conflict between Stanley and Stella, and she constantly lives in the past. She tries to reconcile her wealthy and comfortable past with her current reality, which causes her to live in imagination. She becomes a victim of rape by Stanley, an event that Stella cannot believe. Eventually, Blanche's actions cause her to be taken into a mental asylum.
Blanche as a Victim & Villain
Blanche comes from a traditional southern family, but she is considered a decay because the North threatened southern families' traditions in her times (Afshan 1259). Thus, when her husband dies and loses the wealth, she finds it difficult to reconcile with the imagination of living at her sister's place. Stella lives in a place of working people because of the industries present. In Bele Reve, however, the settlements are plantations for rich landlords. Blanche is conditioned to behave like a lady throughout her life, and she prioritizes her appearance, especially where men are involved. This is why she is always nervous about her looks when she has plans to meet ...