In
today’s society, mostly all individuals struggle with accepting the truth in
difficult situations at one point or another in their life. However, the way
people choose to bury the truth varies person to person. In the play “A Streetcar
Named Desire,” by Tennessee Williams, one of the main characters, Stella,
decides to ignore the harsh truth that her husband, Stanley, raped her sister,
Blanche. She does this so she is able to continue living the fantasy life she
has created in her mind. Individuals try to conceal the reality of certain situations
in order to live what is believed to be a “picture perfect” life.
In the play, the author writes "I couldn't
go on believing her story and live with Stanley" (Stella, 1232). Stella
said this to her neighbor, Eunice, while discussing the fact that Blanche was
raped by Stanley. Stella cannot accept the harsh truth if she plans on
continuing to live in the illusion she has created. If Stella chose to believe
Blanche, she would have had to sacrifice the ideal world she has formed in her
head. Instead, Stella chose to send her sister to a mental asylum to avoid
facing the truth. However, in reality Stella is aware of the type of person
Stanley is. He is both physically and mentally abusive towards Stella. Unfortunately,
there were many factors that led to Stella’s ignorance, one being that divorce
was frowned upon in the 1940’s. Instead of facing the cruel and violent side to
her husband, she forces herself to believe that Stanley’s actions are normal
for a male and justifies all that he does in order to avoid ruining her fantasy.
For example, in Scene 3 Stanley abuses Stella physically. At first, Stella
calls Stanley a “drunk-drunk-animal thing” because she knows that the way he
treats her is completely wrong (Williams 1190). Although, after he cries out
for her forgiveness, she accepts his apology in a heartbeat, showing that
Stella is too scared and weak to let go of Stanley. Stella justifies Stanley’s
actions by 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 (Williams 1194).
Stella is so content with the idea of Stanley and what he provides for her that
ignoring the truth seems to be the better choice.
The
constant, underlying theme seen in the play is the reluctance to accept the
truth. This is not only seen in literature, but it is also seen in today’s
society. For the past few years, there has been a dramatic rise in the use of
opioids, especially on Long Island. The question that still arises is why? Opioids
act on many places in the brain and nervous system, including the limbic system. This system controls
emotions, giving opioids access to creating “feelings of pleasure, relaxation,
and contentment” (How Do Opioids Work 1). Individuals are constantly turning
to drugs to escape reality. Even though they know it isn’t what is best for
them, they are scared to face the truth that they have been trying to conceal in
their lives. This relates to Stella because she is too scared to stand up for
what is right, knowing that if she does, she will lose Stanley. Stella is too
reliant on Stanley for love, sex and the happiness that follows. Similarly,
people use drugs to provide a sense of temporary happiness. Just like drug
users, Stella is consumed in the temporary happiness Stanley provides her with.
She is so caught up in the idea that she must live a socially accepted life
with her husband and child. This causes Stella to send her sister to a mental
asylum rather than face the harsh truth that Stanley really isn’t a good person.
By doing this, it also allows her to avoid divorcing her husband in a time
period where it wasn’t supported.
The way Stanley
is perceived by the audience reminds me of the way drugs are perceived in
society. For example, Stella is using Stanley as her drug to keep her alive and
happy, however, she is not thinking of the realistic outcomes because she is
too caught up in her fantasy. She has formed a false illusion that her life is going
good and that it is filled with positivity and happiness. Her husband’s abuse
has become a normal thing to accept just like drug users think using drugs is a
normal way to cope with pain. Many times, people begin to believe that these
drugs do no harm. Rather than shining light on the issue, Stella
ignores it to make herself feel better about staying with Stanley even though
she knows realistically that he did indeed rape Blanche. Another reason Stanley
reminds me of the rise of opioids is because often, these drugs have the power
to ruin individuals and families, just like Stanley ruined Blanche and Stella’s
relationship since Stella chose him over her own sister. Like the effects of
drugs, Stanley also stripped Blanche of all the dignity she had left. Once
Blanche got a dose of Stanley, he destroyed her, just as drugs do to a person.
Throughout
the world, individuals are constantly avoiding the truth. In the play “A
Streetcar Named Desire,” by Tennessee Williams, Stella chooses to ignore the
fact that her husband raped her sister. She does this in order to live an ideal
life that she has created. Stella finds it easier to stay with Stanley rather than
going through a divorce and revolting against him. Similarly, individuals in
today’s society find it easier to do drugs then face reality. It gives people a
chance to escape the real world. However, drugs are so overpowering. They cause
people to lose sight of what is really important. Opioids are so controlling,
just like Stanley is portrayed to be in the play.
Work
Cited
1. Williams,
Tennessee. “A Streetcar Named Desire.” The Norton Introduction To Literature,
10th ed., W.W. Norton & Company , Inc, 2006, pp. 1165–1238.
2. How Do Opioids Work?” NIDA
for Teens,
teens.drugabuse.gov/teachers/mind-over-matter/opioids/how-do-opioids-work.
3. “The Opioid Epidemic: a
Central Role for the Blood Brain Barrier in Opioid Analgesia and Abuse .”
Farmingdale Data Base, by Charles P Schaefer et al.
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