As we have read in class, A Street Car Named Desire, By Tennessee Williams I have yet to think that Stanley Kowalski is to blame for all the misfortune that has happened during Blanches stay at Stella’s and Stanley’s home in New Orleans. Blanche Dubious who is the older sister of Stella shows obvious signs of stress disorder and suffers from Alcoholism. Even though Blanche is obviously unstable, Stanley is the one who takes full advantage of her weakness and later on in the novel you will find that Blanche is the victim not Stanley.
Class mates have claimed that Blanche is manipulative and only came to New Orleans to pick on her sister Stella. I’ll make things clear for many people and cite my point of view before I get into detail with how Blanche is the victim not Stanly. Anyways Blanche came to New Orleans because she had no money and did lose the plantation after playing all those debts. Blanche has every right to be mad at Stella for leaving her with everything and starting a new life without her consent. Blanche had no where else to go but to stay with Stella until she figured things out.
Coming to New Orleans was new for Blanche, who came from a more refined background. Blanche seeing the lifestyle that Stella have adapted to shocked Blanche and Blanche being the opinionated one spoke out and told Stella what she thought of the place. The new lifestyle was something different that Blanche realized she needed to adapt herself to. Its not just Stanley that bothered Blanche, it was also the environment and the atmosphere that was all new to her. That just added more problems to the situation between Blanche and Stanley.
Of course Blanche had a problem with Stanley from the start. Coming unexpectedly to New Orleans and telling both Stanley and Stella what happened to Belle Reve. Stanley instantly assumed that she sold the house and went on a big shopping spree for herself and spent all the money on useless things. Stanley jumped to conclusions and was wondering where the money went and how exactly did she lose Belle Reve.
Stella: You saw how she was last night
Stanley: uh-hum, I saw how she was. Now let’s have a gander at the bill of sale.
Stella: i haven’t seen any
Stanley: She didn’t show you no papers no deed or sale or nothing like that, huh?
Stella: It seems like it wasn’t sold.
Stanley: Well what in hell was it the, give away? To charity?
Stella: Shhh! She’ll hear you.
Stanley: I don’t Care if she hears me. Lets see the papers!
Stella: There weren’t any any papers she didn’t show any papers, I don’t care about papers
Stanley: Have you ever head of the Napoleonic code?
Stella: No Stanley i haven’t heard of the Napoleonic code and if i have, I don’t see what it-
Stanley: Let me enlighten you on a point or two, baby.
Stella: Yes?
Stanley: In the state of Louisiana we have the Napoleonic code according to which what belongs to the wife belongs to the husband and vice versa. For instance if i had a piece of property, or you had a piece of property-
Stella: My head is swimming!
Stanley: All right. I’ll wait till she gets through soaking in a hot tub and then ill inquire if she is acquainted with the Napoleonic code. It looks to me like you have been swindled, baby. and when you’re swindled under the Napoleonic code I’m swindled too. And I don’t like to be swindled.
Stella: There’s plenty of time to ask her questions later but if you do now she will go to pieces again. I don’t understand what happened to Belle Reve but you don’t know how ridiculous you are being when you suggest that my sister or I or anyone of our family could have been perpetrated a swindle on anyone else.
Stanley: Then where’s the money if the place was sold?
Stella: Not sold- Lost, lost!
On that note, this shows how manipulative and selfish Stanley is. First he was wondering what has happened to the money and was wondering if there was a piece of land that he was suppose to own under the Napoleonic code. secondly he tried to manipulate Stella that Blanche is trying to “swindle” her.
not done..
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