Violence as a Driving Force and Theme in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’’ Anonymous 12th Grade

Throughout ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, Williams presents violence as a multifaceted and complex issue that manifests itself almost constantly in varying guises. However, despite acknowledging that violence is almost certainly the central theme of the work, I would not argue that it is the ‘driving force’, unlike the majority of works from the Southern Gothic (to which otherwise the play belongs) which focus heavily on violent characters and warped physical actions. Although the main effect Williams achieves on-stage is the effect of violence, I believe that it is in fact the clash between the Old South and New America that is the driving force behind character dynamics, thus the plot is pushed forward in its quest for violent effects.

The first violent example of characterization the audience is shown is in Scene Two where Stanley appears extremely aggressive and visceral onstage; when he becomes angry at Blanche’s seductive flirtations "he seizes the atomizer, and slams it down on the dresser”. Here, Williams has deftly chosen the dynamic verbs “seizes” and “slams” to direct the actor of Stanley to conduct himself on stage not just as brash and violent, but also with an air of superiority and unquestionable power, so we can...