Pub #2

 

Matty Wagner

Professor Brady

EGL102

2 April 2024

 

The Balance of Accepting the Truth and Denial

            In the play, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” written by Tennessee Williams, the balance between illusion and reality is continuously explored through the lives of the characters presented in the play. The play is set in New Orleans, and it takes place right after World War II. The play also dives into the complexities of societal norms, the human spirit, and the devastating impact of the truth colliding with fantasy. Throughout the play, the reader can constantly see the struggle that occurs between the characters trying to figure out what’s real and what’s pretend, and this is played out by the characters throughout the play. Through this lens, the play examines the delicacy of our assessments of ourselves and shows the consequence of our attempts to evade the truth. Stella’s confession, in which she says, “I couldn’t go on believing her story and I live with Stanley,” reveals to us that she is struggling between facing the hard truths of life and seeking comfort in denial of reality. This moment highlights to us the choice to be honest in our own lives is not always easy.

            Stella’s confession shows us her struggles with facing reality. One example of this struggle that Stella is experiencing is evident in which she chooses to go back to Stanley, even though she has witnessed Stanley’s outburst of violence. Despite the clear signs of Stanley displaying abusive behavior, Stella downplays the incident and decides to return to Stanley. She says to Balance, “You’re making too much fuss about this” (Stella, Scene 4). She tries to justify Stanley’s actions to Blanche by also saying “He didn’t know what he was doing… He was as good as a lamb when I came back and he’s really very, very ashamed of himself” (Stella, Scene 4). In addition to this, another character in the play who is unable to accept reality is Blanche. Her inability to accept reality throughout the play is shown throughout Scene Nine, in which she says to Mitch “I don’t want realism, I want magic!” (Blanche, Scene 9). This shows her rejection of her true personal circumstances, and her choice of believing in her illusion of life in order to be more comfortable with herself. This is a defense mechanism that she uses in order to protect herself from the truth of her life.

            Another character that is shown to have problems with accepting reality is Mitch. Mitch’s struggle can be shown throughout his conversation with Blanche, in Scene Nine, in which initially, Mitch seems to be charmed by Blanche, seeing her through the lens that Blanche has portrayed for herself. However, throughout the conversation, Mitch begins to see Blanche for who she truly is, and rejects her by stating “You’re not clean enough to bring into the house with my mother” (Mitch, Scene 9). This moment is a clear representation of Mitch’s struggle between his own desires, and society’s expectations of purity in finding a woman. This struggle leads him to a denial of his genuine feelings for Blanche due to him being unable to accept the reality in front of him.

            Not only do we find examples of being unable to accept reality throughout the play, but we also can find examples of this in our everyday life. A major example of this can be found through music. Many artists talk about feelings of betrayal in their songs. An example of this can be found in Playboi Carti’s song, “Over”. Throughout the song, Carti delves into themes of betrayal, which helps explain his emotions of being let down by those he trusted. His lyrics express a sense of loss and grief, being unable to accept the feelings that he has throughout the course of a relationship. Carti sings “How the f### we got to where we started? / This love don’t feel the same like when we started / Should’ve known this sh## was not real when it started” (Carter 1:50 – 59). Throughout other songs on his album, Whole Lotta Red, such as in the song “ILoveUIHateU”, Playboi Carti talks about his drug use in order to cope with his personal problems. These examples show that it is not just in fiction in which we see examples of denying reality, but all throughout different aspects of life.

            In conclusion, it is evident that many characters throughout the play are experiencing some sort of denial as a result of the harsh truths of their personal life circumstances. This collective denial, ranging from Stella’s refusal to acknowledge the full extent of Stanley’s violence, to Blanche’s retreat into her world of illusion to escape the reality of her past and present, shows the complexity of coping mechanisms that people adopt in order to face the seemingly unbearable realities. Through these characters and their mechanisms of denial, the play shows an insight of the ways that people navigate the gap between reality and fantasy. This insight not only helps to enhance the play, but also serves as a sort of self-reflection for those looking to reflect on their relationship between truth and denial

 

 

Works Cited

 

Williams, Tennessee, and Kurt Reis. A Street Car Named Desire.

Carter, Jordan. “Playboi Carti - over (Official Audio).” YouTube, Interscope, 25 Dec. 2020, youtu.be/U93kSTdLfdY?si=CTLVLcJ7QM1b5s3p.