When the idea of an “insane” person comes to mind, a certain perception of behavior has been programmed into many minds by society. Insanity can be defined as the “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.” As the definition states, “...having the mental capacity required by law…” people of authority have determined what is considered reasonable behavior and what is not. In Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, one of the main characters, Blanche, becomes accused as a person suffering from insanity. Blanche’s actions are the effect of unfortunate circumstance, yet several disregard the facts and view her as insane.
Blanche had endured a great amount of loss. The beginning of the play reveals the loss of her family’s mansion, Belle Reve. She is forced to move into an apartment above her sister, Stella, and her sister’s husband, Stanley, and has to adapt to a whole new lifestyle. She also undergoes the loss of her husband by suicide, after claiming he was homosexual. Blanche turns to alcohol and sexual intercourse with young men, hoping to cure all the pain from death and loss her heart aches. Blanche meets a man named Mitch, who leads her to heartbreak, again, after coming aware of her past relations. She engages in lying, and it gets to the point where she starts to believe in her lies herself. She imagines dates with rich prominent men, where she actually gets dressed and dolled up for the occasions. Stanley grew sick of her lying and fantasized life that he eventually rapes her to prove some kind of authority and structure over her. It is apparent that Blanche’s behavior did not form to the societal norms of that time period, but her way of coping with all the destruction was to escape from reality. The fantasy she created in her head with all the kind gentlemen and her upper-class Southern belle lifestyle was what made her joyful. The life she imagined in her head was clearly a more decent place than the life she was really living. Although she did drink and have sex constantly, her behavior was not obscene, taking into consideration her situation.
Blanche’s reactions to the loss of her old luxurious lifestyle, the death of her husband, and Stanley raping her, is rational. If Blanche were to be happy after all of what has happened, that would be insane. Her surroundings are what drove her to a mental institution. Stella could not see for herself that the trouble Stanley caused was not worth it, and it drove Blanche crazy as well. All that she received was judgement instead of any sort of help. Her every move was watched, nothing she did was perceived as “okay” by anyone. The people in her head made her content and gave her a sense of life again.
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Mary Lopez
Your essay was well organized and detailed. Your point was clearly expressed through your analysis on the societal definition of insanity and the detail on the downfall of Blanche. You analyzed Blanche's fall to "insanity" as the result of her circumstance, as a rational response to her situation. She prefers the imaginary to the reality of her life. You could have provided more detail on how society should change their perception of insanity. But overall, your essay proves the prejudice in society's idea of insanity.
ReplyDeleteI think you did an awesome job organizing your essay and going straight to the point to your purpose of writing it. Also, I appreciate you adding a short summary of all the misfortunes that Stella went through in the story. However, I think you could had went a little more in depth of your explanation on how exactly these events changed her, and maybe connect it back to the definition of insanity that you provided in your introduction. Overall, great job on your essay since it was very easy to read and follow.
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