Blog post #3 Topic #3

            Insanity is defined as a “disordered state of mind,” whereby a person has a “lack of ability to understand;” a person with “extreme folly or unreasonableness” (Merriam Webster). It is mental illness that distorts reality, and thus causes someone to live in a delusional state of reality. In the play “Streetcar Named Desire,” Tennessee Williams depicts this illness and in doing so challenges society’s perception of insanity through the use of his characters Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski. In this essay, I will explain why society’s ideas and definition of insanity are inaccurate. First, I will analyze Blanche’s downfall to ‘insanity’ as a result of her circumstances. Then, I will analyze Stanley who culture has perceived as a rational and sane man even though his actions prove him to be the opposite.

            Blanche’s delusions or fantasies about her life classify her as insane. But her insanity is a result of the misfortune in her life. Blanche grew up in a wealthy Southern family and her outdated ideals on femininity and class cause her to be exploited. Southern society taught her to be fragile and dependent on men to take care of her. Because of this mindset, she is used and mistreated by the men in her life. Before Blanche goes to New Orleans, she lost her job as a teacher and drove her husband to suicide. When Blanche discovered her husband with another man, she called him disgusting and later he killed himself. Blanche blames herself and is haunted by his death. Throughout the play, she hears imaginary polka music that was playing when her husband died. To replace her husband’s affection and attention, Blanche turns to other men including her students, which gets her fired from her job and forces her to move. When Blanche arrives in New Orleans, she lies about her past. She rejects the reality of her life, “I don’t want realism, I want magic…. I misrepresent things to them. I don’t tell the truth, I tell what ought to be the truth.” (Williams). The final push towards Blanche’s insanity was rape. It was Stanley’s abuse that finally destroyed what was left of Blanche’s sanity. Rather than accept her terrible reality, Blanche lives in her imagination and is forced into an insane asylum. Her reaction and denial of her circumstances is natural. It is not Blanche that is insane, but rather the society around her that drove her to this point.

            Although Stanley is viewed as a rational and normal man, he is obsessed with power and wealth. When Blanche arrives in New Orleans, she acts superior to Stanley and Stella. She disproves of their lifestyle and the marriage itself. Stanley is used to having the power in the household and with Blanche’s arrival and criticism he feels disrespected, “Pig-Polak-disgusting-vulgar-greasy! - them kind of words have been on your tongue and your sister’s too much around here! What do you think you are? A pair of queens?” (Williams). He turns to violence and aggression towards both Stella and Blanche. He abuses Stella and rapes Blanche just to prove his power over them. He also shows no remorse when Blanche is driven insane by his actions. Stanley’s obsession with class and power drove him to madness and resulted in his violent crimes. Even though Stanley is accepted by society as sane based on his understanding of reality, his violence and abuse prove him to be mentally unstable. Society’s definition and perception of insanity is too close minded. Even if a person does not show signs of delusions or denial of reality, such as Stanley, it does not mean they are in a rational state of mind. Rather, it shows how different mental illnesses can be manifested. And how often times, society’s own version of who is ‘sane’ and ‘insane’ is distorted.