Blog post #3-Topic #3-Mingyu Zhang

According to Oxford English Dictionary, insanity refers to “the condition of being insane; unsoundness of mind as a consequence of brain-disease; madness, lunacy.” The etymology of insanity describes the unhealthy mind condition of people and how unreliable they are. It leaves out what causes this state of mental illness, and whether it is treatable.

In many cultures, people are expected to follow norms and one who acts against normal behaviors would be considered insane. However, sometimes it is the custom of society that are insane and obtrusive. For instance, those who refuse to use cellphones and social media would probably look weird to others in this tech era, but many forget that they are simply getting addicted to cellphones under the influence of commercials made by companies in Silicon Valley, yet people still claim themselves to be sane. Face-to-face communication becomes less valued and even ridiculous, but what sanity requires of people unfortunately defines their behaviors, and ultimately deprives people of different choices and they become insane.

Norm and expectations of certain behaviors make Blanche insane in “A Streetcar Named Desire”. Throughout the play, Blanche leaves audience the impression of a woman who desperately wants to lead a fortunate life with a reliable husband. However, when things turn against her expectations, she rapidly proceeds to her inevitable destiny. The madness of Blanche is caused by her living condition and people in her life.

The imaginary wealthy Mr. Huntleigh reflects Blanche’s lunacy, but she is forced to create an ideal figure to only save her dignity in front of her sister. In a time when women still financially depend on men for support, Blanche maintains her living and the family plantation all by herself. Thus, it is no wonder that she keeps looking for a man whom she can rely on. However, self-consciousness propels her to come up with the nonexistent man because she doesn’t want pity from Stella. This imagination eventually causes a lunatic state of mind, when she waits for her savior coming to her rescue at the end of the play.

The marriage and love between Stanley and Stella also contributes to Blanche’s madness because as someone who grows up in a wealthy family, she finds Stanley intolerable. Some may argue that the madness is out of jealousy, but Blanche doesn’t like Stanley when they first met as Stanley possesses all the qualities against her requirement of a man: impulsion, rudeness, vulgarity, and violence. Even worse, he rapes Blanche, which makes him a criminal as well. After such a terrible crime, it is understandable for the vulnerable Blanche to lose her mind completely.

The breakup with Mitch destroys Blanche’s last hope for a stable and happy life, leaving her to deal with the miserable past which she desperately tries to hide from others. However, this is just one of her attempts to get love. The numerous failed love affairs make her vulnerable and sensitive to the extent of becoming paranoid and crazy.

The intolerance of homosexuality also drives her to madness. At the time when discrimination against homosexuality is prevailing in society, Blanche suffers from the conflict between love for her husband and his homosexuality. What’s worse, she blames herself for pushing her young husband to commit suicide, which causes permeant trauma and a lack of confidence in later relationship.

People in Blanche's life and the norm of society make her crazy and go to the metal institution at last. However, this tragic ending might not be too bad for her because it is hard to imagine how she can carry on with her life after what has happened. After all, Blanche always “depend on the kindness of strangers”.