"A Streetcar Named Desire"

Paper Summary:

This paper compares the movie version, directed by Elia Kazan, to Tennessee William's version of the play and examines the differences which come across in each of these. The writer shows the way that in the movie, the three major elements of the play's structure in the form of character, plot, and dialogue are all coordinated into such a consistent and clear, yet subtle and complex theme. The paper focuses on the character of Blanche and how one receives a deeper understanding of her character in the movie version.

From the Paper:

"The most famous line of both the film of A Streetcar Named Desire and the play that the movie is based upon is: I have always depended upon the kindness of strangers. Put another way, as Williams spoke of both the play and the film in an interview, the story can be read as a plea for the delicate people in life. In the play, the strong and brutal individual overcomes the weak. Stanley brutalizes and rapes his sister-in-law Blanche Du Bois. Blanche, having lost her old childhood home, her profession as a school teacher, and her reputation in her old town and her new chosen location, loses her mind as well because of his brutality."

More papers on "A Streetcar Named Desire":

• Book Review # 86079 : "'A Streetcar Named Desire'"
• Term Paper # 75074 : "Seeing Through Blanche: "A Streetcar Named Desire"
• Analytical Essay # 58795 : "Symbols and Metaphors in "A Streetcar Named Desire"
• Analytical Essay # 120764 : "Power and Conflict in "A Streetcar Named Desire"

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