Streetcar Characters
Stanley
Stella
Blanche
Mitch
She appears in the first scene dressed in white, the symbol of purity and innocence. She is seen as a moth-like creature: delicate, refined. She doesn't want realism; she prefers magic: being one of Williams' characters who do not belong in this world and will always be at the mercy of the brutal, realistic world.
She married a young boy who she caught with another man. Saying that he disgusted her, this deliberate act of cruelty on Blanche's part caused him to commit suicide, causing Blanche to believe she failed her young lover when he most needed her. Immediately following this event, Blanche was subjected to a series of deaths in her family and the ultimate loss of the ancestral home
To escape from these brutalities and to escape from the lonely void created by her young husband's death, Blanche turned to alcohol and sexual promiscuity. The alcohol and intimacies with strangers allowed her to seek distraction for the constant encounter with cruelty
Blanche has still retained a degree of innocence and purity. She still plays the role of the ideal type of person she would like to be, refusing to see herself as she is but instead creates the illusion of what ought to be. She realizes that she must captivate men in order to function as a woman, and thus, making her life valid.
Mitch presents Blanche with someone who can give her a sense of belonging, and in turn causes her to deceive him into think her prim and proper: an element that forces Mitch to leave.
Stanley Kowalski lives in a basic, fundamental world with no refinements and sees the man's role as giving and taking pleasure. His frankness will allow for no deviation from the straightforward truth. His dress is loud and gaudy, mirroring the loud bellow of his voice.
To Blanche, Stanley is bestial and brutal like a man from the Stone Age. He is the man of physical action and animal-like, with symbols connected supporting this appearance: he is seen bringing home the raw meat, his language is rough and crude, and his clothes are torn and loud
Blanche becomes a threat to his way of life; she is a hostile force, feeling that she is a threat to his marriage. This is seen when he finds out Belle Reve has been lost. He feels that it was something that belonged to him, only concerned if he has been swindled rather than the property itself. Similarly, the poker game fight suggests that her presence is causing the dissension between him and his wife
In turn, he feels that Blanche has only taken what's his; his liquor, his food, his wife, and only belittled him. With his ego harmed, he feels that having to prove how inferior Blanche is will justify his punishment and thus, make "king" again
Stanley, then, is the hard, brutal man who does not understand the refinements of life. He is controlled by natural instincts untouched by the advances of civilization. Thus, when something threatens him, he must strike back in order to preserve his own threatened existence.
By simply having her married to Stanley and by having her be Blanche's sister, Williams then creates the perfect opportunity of bringing these two opposing worlds together under one roof.
Stella is the middle ground for the DuBois-Kowalski battle, where she is the only bridge between two opposites and both use her to accomplish their own ends. Blanche tries to manipulate Stella away from Stanley belittling him, with the argument in Scene 3 being a direct influence of Blanche's opinion. Stanley also manipulates her into believing their life was better without Blanche.
She is both the only hope of compromise between two different backgrounds, yet is portrayed as a submissive object, to be merely swayed from one side to another.
Thus, Stella fulfils two basic functions. She is torn between the two factions unmercifully. But she is also the only one who can attempt to bridge the gap between these two arch enemies and all that they represent. She certainly does have some thoughts independent of the dynamic forces in her home; however, on the whole, she maintains a passive role.
Mitch is the distinguished man out of the four poker players, teased for his soft-heartedness caused by the empathy for his sick mother. Thus, his personality characterizes himself as the most sensitive member of the Kowalski world
Mitch is a representation of a man who could save Blanche, however, his limitations of education and temperament differ from the attributes Blanche looks for. However, his capacity for devotion, due to his mother, allows Blanche to forget the division of social status
Yet, when confronted with her past, his loyalty and the very attributes Blanche desired, diminished. He was unable to understand her world of truth and fiction, as both blended together, breaking his trust in her word. He was unable to perceive the depth of Blanche's feelings. In the end, Mitch too was left as loney and alone as Blanche