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..
Lan's Weblog 
“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.” I completly agree with that statement. Blanche is an alcoholic, a liar, and I’m not saying that Stanley didn’t go to far, but he has everyright to be angry with Blanche for intruding on his life.
haha ohhhh croteau I never said that Standly didnt have the right to be mad at Blanche. Of course they didnt get along. I’m saying that Stella should be more understanding to where Blanche was coming from. The only thing I remember stella lying about is going on a cruise at the end with a millionaire. Blanche never really lied about anything. She just did’nt tell the whole story. It wasnt necessary for her to tell Standly everything but notice how she told Mitch everything. As if Mitch was worth while to tell the truth too and what shes been through, hoping for sympathy. But no, mitch is like everyother guy in this play. Also notice how Blanche did’nt denie the facts that Stanley has found about Blanche throughout the novel.
=P !!
i agree with Jeff. She isn’t perfect. All she does is whine and complain about the living conditions, actions, and people
I think that we have to remember three things. For one, Blanche certainly came to New Orleans after her job was gone and she had nowhere else to go, but she then told Mitch that she was there to “help Stella with her problems.” She also lies about Shep and Mitch. Second, we should remember that Blanche took up her issues with Stanley to Stella behind Stanley’s back when he wasn’t there, and was visibly very worried when he appeared on that scene. Lastly, we have to all decide for ourselves and with our own opinions as to whether or not Stella leaving Blanche to make her own life for herself and later Stella having her relationship with Stanley are any of Blanche’s business, and if she should act on them to the extent that she did.
nice job lan, seeing past the idea that just stanley was causing blanche’s problems, and that it was the living environment too. but, i do not believe blanche had the right to be mad a stella for all that you stated. sure i agree with you that she had the right to be mad with her for leaving her to deal with everything. but she doesn’t have the right to be mad at stella for starting a new life. it is stella’s life so she is free to do what she pleases and does not need her sister’s consent for it.
You’re right, Blanche is the victim, but just invades Stanley’s territory, that’s all. She does become a victim when he rapes her, though. But I kind of think of that as… “You’re not so great as you think you are” and Stanley doing so is not even making a mark in her reputation. She can’t do anything about it.
I think that the blame is on both Stanley and Blanche, since they both butted heads and created contraversy. However, I was thinking about the whole outcome of this play, and I think that Stella is as much at fault as Stanley and Blanche. If Stella had just listened to Blanche and wasn’t so consumed with her “hubbie”, there would have been far less contraversy. What do you think? Was Stella really a victim, or could she have helped the situation by listening to Blanche?
I somewhat agree with you it is hard to make a clear decision butttt Mrs. Baz says that Blanche is the victim and from the evidence provided with her i’m must side with her. But i see where you’re coming from.
How about you stop slacking off and write some more and add some quotes. Also fix this “shockedBlanche” make a space between the two words please. Other then not doing anything on this blog I thought you did a nice job.
I’d have to agree that Stanley isn’t the the only thing that caused Blanche to go insane but it sure did help. I think alcoholism and being a compulsive liar can only bring you so far. Without Stanley’s constant intrusions, her phycosis would have deteriorated at a much slower rate.
Oh yeah and Blanche is definitely the victim, not Stanley, that is for sure.
Saying that the environment and atmosphere of New Orleans also contributed to Blanche’s trail towards insanity was a really good point. That must’ve been a huge culture-shock for her, and it definitely didn’t help that Stanley was like, “Hey, I hate you” all the time. I also agree with you that Blanche should be mad at Stella for leaving her with all the death and debts at Belle Reve, but I don’t really think Stella needed to get consent from Blanche to go start a new life, even though Blanche was older than her. It would’ve been nice if she had come to try and help out Blanche instead of just coming to the funerals and leaving right afterward, though.
Good point Blanch does get some credit. It must be tough going into a house like that with a person who doesnt stop getting involved in your past that you have tried to move on from Good start
Nice points you made about Blanche being the victim. However, I’m just having one problem and that is understanding where your attribute falls into this… Hmm.. Maybe you might want to start incorporating your attribute and not just giving your opinion of Blanche. =)
Blanche had no where to go and the only option was heading off to Stellas’. The environment had a huge factor in the problems that Blanche faced with Stanley. Growing up and learning Blanche could be considered a proper girl, getting thrown into a town where being proper was not a well- known thing didnt make it easy for Blanche to feel comfortable.
I liked the comment you gave yourself to clarify for Jeff C. I have to say I agree with alot of what you are saying. I think Blanche is the victim and Stanley is the bad guy and has been from the start. I aslo liked how you said that Blanche didn’t really lie instead she avoided telling the complete story. You should add this to your essay because its just oh so good. “She just did’nt tell the whole story. It wasnt necessary for her to tell Standly everything but notice how she told Mitch everything. As if Mitch was worth while to tell the truth too and what shes been through, hoping for sympathy. But no, mitch is like everyother guy in this play.” (thats what you said in the comment to yourself)
Oh I have a question. It might be stupid, but I’m going to ask anyways. What does your title stand for? Stupid question. Ok sorry. haha
first of All, Your opening statement is in complete contradiction to your essay. saying that you have yet to think something means that you dont believe it because there isnt enough substantiated evidence to back it up. Secondly you show a single example, one that is shakey at best to support your claim that stanley is the sole problem for Blanche, im sorry but I cant accept that. and finally stanley, up until the second to last scene, tells the truth. the legal code may suck be he lives in it, and blanche is as manipulative as he is so she understood his game and would not have been trapped so easily. No, she was destroyed by her own problems.