blog post 3, topic 3, kungyao

Blog post #3----topic #3

Kung Yao Wang

According to the dictionary, the word “insanity” is defined as “the state of being seriously mentally ill, so that one cannot live normally in society.” In terms of laws, “insanity” refers to “unsoundness of mind or lack of the ability to understand that prevents one from having the mental capacity required by law to enter into a particular relationship, status, or transaction or that releases one from criminal or civil responsibility”. “Insanity” is often regarded as a kind of mental illness by humans, but the incomprehensive definition of the word makes the “diagnose” of such illness obscure. It is unlike cancer or fever that once the body temperature has reached a certain degree or the number of the cancer cells have reached a certain number that the doctor can diagnose someone as having the illness. The definition of “insanity” leaves out what external factors might drive the person “insane”, and it does not consider the cultural backgrounds where a sane person might seem insane to other people. In the play “A Streetcar Named Desire”, Tennessee Williams address how external factors and cultural backgrounds can drive an individual to be “insane” by creating the character Blanche.

The biggest factor that drives Blanche to be crazy is the suicide of her husband that results from her disapproval of his homosexuality. The play was set in postwar America, a time when women still have a heavy reliance on men, which can be reflected from Blanche’s and Stella’s reliance on their husband to gain physical and psychological satisfaction. For example, Blanche’s fantasy is about leaving New Orleans with a millionaire, Shep Huntleigh, instead of having her own financial support. In addition, when Blanche tries to convince Stella to leave her physically abusive husband Stanley, Stella chooses to stay with Stanley instead of trusting her sister. Obviously, both Blanche and Stella see male as their only means to achieve happiness, which makes Blanche’s mental status worse after the death of her husband.

Blanche’s alcohol abuse also makes her seem more insane under the cultural context. During the play, Blanche and Stanley are both alcoholics, with Blanche drinking for escaping from the reality while Stanley drinking for socializing. However, Stanley’s drinking seems justified while Blanche’s drinking is totally anti-social norms. Abused drinking isn’t ideal for a woman’s reputation in the 1940s, so Blanche attempts to conceal her drinking habit from Stella and Stanley. The depression caused by people’s standard for women induces Blanche mental illness.

In conclusion, Blanche is driven crazy by the sharp contrast between the reality and what she believes and expects. Her response to the world is rational because her response is no longer a voluntary reaction, but a passive one driven by the circumstances she is going through. Supposed Blanche is a character living in today’s world, she might remain sane after all the things she has gone through, but her behaviors under the historical context have transformed her sanity to be “insane”.