In the play, Streetcar Named Desire, the author shows two different characters, who try to conceal from their true needs through hiding and fantasizing about their own way of desire. Particularly, Stella DuBois Kowalskis, who is in the middle of every conflict in the play, is doomed from using temporary solution. She was the one who abandoned her own sister, her own family behind to escape the “tradition”. Only in Stanley’s society, she was able to fine her own desire. Having pleasure with Stanley, she is able to have the terrific price.
Eventually, Stella’s perspective towards Stanley is change from her sisters’ arrival; she would never have the same life that she had with Stanley. “Stella is doomed too. ” From the arrival of Blanche, Stella is reminded of her traditional way of life. The life she left behind for Stanley Kowalskis. “Stella is a refined girl who has found a kind of salvation or realization, but at a terrific price. ” (Pg. 304 Kazan) She likes the idea of waiting for Stanley every night, where he makes her feel special and she has no reminder of the price she is paying.
Reason for her action is not proven in the play, but it is definite that Stella was in similar position as Blanche was in when she ran away from her tradition, and searched for her desire. “She tries to conceal from herself her true needs through hiding and drugging herself in a sex relationship. ” (Pg. 305 Kazan) No matter how Stanley treats her, Stella is so dependent on him that she gives up so much of herself. Stella is relatively very slow on reading people’s mind and she gives in, accepts, let things slide.
Nevertheless, Stella is in her own paradise, but when Blanche enters, Stanley and Blanche’s conflict ruins her and makes her abandon her own sister once more. At the end of the play, her life is entirely different, and she does not have same feeling towards Stanley again. Even though she fines Stanley to be dependent only as long as Stanley wants her, she still makes the decision to choose him for her own sister. From the beginning of the play, Stella fears Blanche, pities her, and is really through with her tradition way.
Because of Blanche’s character being so demanding and superior towards Stella, makes her so useless, old-fashioned and helpless. All the stuff that Stanley got her out of, Blanche brought it back to her. She makes her “return to the subjugation of childhood, younger-sister-ness. ” (Pg. 303 Kazan) Because of these uncomfortable relationships between her sister, makes Stella to want Blanche to be rescue by Mitch so she would be out of her life.
When Stanley ruins the plan, Stella unconsciously, believes the story that Stanley is telling about Blanche and lives her for Stanley. That lead Blanche to end up in the mental hospital, and Stella being little slow, realize later that she deserted her sister and blames herself. “She doesn’t seem to see much. She laughs incessantly like a child tickled and stops abruptly as the stimuli, the tickling, stops and returns to the same condition, a pleasantly drugged child. ” (Pg. 4 Kazan) Comparing Blanche with Stella, these two characters have similarities.
It is noticeable in the play that Stella is in search for “Desire” like Blanche. When she finally got to the paradise, she did not let go of the pleasure she had, even though, her sister need help. Stella was very selfish in a way to push away Blanche out to the world where she had no one but Death. In the Notebook for a Streetcar Named Desire, the author wrote “She (Blanche) has worth too-she is better than Stella. ” (Pg. 1 Kazan) Blanche was looking for some kind of progress, “new light”, and a person to cling to, and hold them to begin her life again.
She as a woman in the tradition, desperately needs protection from Stella. Stella sees Blanche being lost in the crude society but she is to late on recognizing the problem and faces tragedy. In conclusion, Stella DuBois Kowaski will live life that her own traditional sister lived her life. Being blinded by Stanley, “she has sold herself out for a temporary solution. ” (Pg. 5 Kozan)
Just as if Blanche suffered from her truth; truth about her husband, truth about her reality, Stella will find out the truth about Stanley’s real side, and truth about Blanche being rape by him. However, she is going to blame everything on herself and destroy her paradise. She is never going to be the same with Stanley or Blanche. She is going to have different view towards the society that she was suck in by Stanley. Eventually, she will wait traditionally like Blanche for a knight to rescue her from an wild animal, away from dark interior.