Dynamic or Dependent?: Williams’ Portrayal of Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire. Anonymous 11th Grade

Tennessee Williams portrays the character Stella as an adaptable character who has changed to fit in with her new surroundings in order to survive. She is also portrayed as a vulnerable possession, quite primal and driven by desire but also as a slave to the patriarchal society – showing the structure in the Kowalski household and what her jobs are in it if Stanley is the bread winner and in control of the money. A Streetcar Named Desire was written and set right after the second world war – a time where old traditions clash with modernism which is shown through the contradictions in Stella’s character.

Williams portrays Stella as an adaptable character, who has managed to transitions smoothly from the old world to the new world. A Streetcar Named Desire was published in 1947, just after the Second World War, the play is also set in this era. This period of time is foreign and the world has changed immensely – Williams shows that Blanche is unable to cope with this but Stella is; which can be seen through the change in her last name and how easily she mingles with the society in New Orleans which is ‘a melting pot of culture’. Stella’s last name changing is Williams showing that she has adapted and changed from the old world to...