In her book Contending Forces Pauline Hopkins writes “and, after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural agency.” And, after all, Blanche’s surroundings in A Streetcar Named Desire have a great effect on her emotional and mental state. By the end of the play, Blanche is reduced to a confused and almost girl like state by her surroundings. Blanche is thrown into a very new environment shortly after losing Belle Reve. Blanche is already in an unstable state when she arrives in New Orleans, and the new people, culture, and geography she encounters doesn’t help to calm her down.
Right from her arrival at Stella’s house, Blanche finds herself in a conflict with Stanley. Stanley creates tension in the household as he pushes against Blanche and tries to discover her secrets. Stanley is one of the primary factors that drive Blanche’s descent into madness. On multiple occasions, Stanley actually attacks Blanche, both physically and emotionally. On page 100, Stanley harshly reveals Blanche’s scandalous history at the Hotel Flamingo. He throws his words at her in an accusatory fashion, and refuses to stop when she says “I don’t want to hear any more!” It is obvious by Blanche’s speech that she is having trouble dealing with the situation at the time, but Stanley doesn’t care and continues to push. Stanley’s emotional attack on Blanche does a great deal to upset her emotional state, but he later goes as far as to physically attack her. On page 130, Stanley is at home alone with Blanche while Stella is at the hospital with her baby. Stanley comes at Blanche, lunges at her, and then rapes her. This is the final straw that pushes Blanche over the edge. A rape is obviously a traumatic experience and it is easy to see why such an experience would scar Blanche and cause her to become delirious.
Before the incident with Stanley, Blanche is rattled by some of the social customs and culture of Louisiana. Because the culture of Louisiana is very different from the life Blanche is accustomed to, she becomes startled when she experiences things that she is not use to. Blanche is not use to the drinking, card playing, and domestic violence that are part of Louisiana culture. This creates tension for Blanche in the poker scene in scene three when she is exposed to the drunken men and the domestic violence against her sister. Stressful situations like this push Blanche’s threshold of sanity and set her up to completely lose her mind.
Another thing that may have caused Blanche to become stressed was her geography. In literature, hot and muggy environments are used to portray tension and conflict. The reason that heat is used to imply conflict is because heat is actually proven to increase conflict and crime. In the United States, it is actually proven that crime rates are at their highest during summer and at their lowest during winter. Unconsciously, Blanche’s descent into madness may be directly correlated with the high temperatures in Louisiana. Blanche’s delirium and stress may be elevated by the hot and muggy climate of Louisiana.
In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche’s surroundings are a major driving factor in her psychological breakdown. The environment that Blanche finds herself in is much different from what she is accustomed to. The only reason that this story happens is because of Blanche’s inability to conform to her surroundings. If Blanche stayed in Belle Reve, she never would have become mad. The setting of New Orleans, Louisiana is an important part of the play, because it allows for the conditions that drive Blanche insane. Blanche experiences many stressful situations as a result of her surroundings that accumulate until she is pushed passed her breaking point when Stanley rapes her.
Right from her arrival at Stella’s house, Blanche finds herself in a conflict with Stanley. Stanley creates tension in the household as he pushes against Blanche and tries to discover her secrets. Stanley is one of the primary factors that drive Blanche’s descent into madness. On multiple occasions, Stanley actually attacks Blanche, both physically and emotionally. On page 100, Stanley harshly reveals Blanche’s scandalous history at the Hotel Flamingo. He throws his words at her in an accusatory fashion, and refuses to stop when she says “I don’t want to hear any more!” It is obvious by Blanche’s speech that she is having trouble dealing with the situation at the time, but Stanley doesn’t care and continues to push. Stanley’s emotional attack on Blanche does a great deal to upset her emotional state, but he later goes as far as to physically attack her. On page 130, Stanley is at home alone with Blanche while Stella is at the hospital with her baby. Stanley comes at Blanche, lunges at her, and then rapes her. This is the final straw that pushes Blanche over the edge. A rape is obviously a traumatic experience and it is easy to see why such an experience would scar Blanche and cause her to become delirious.
Before the incident with Stanley, Blanche is rattled by some of the social customs and culture of Louisiana. Because the culture of Louisiana is very different from the life Blanche is accustomed to, she becomes startled when she experiences things that she is not use to. Blanche is not use to the drinking, card playing, and domestic violence that are part of Louisiana culture. This creates tension for Blanche in the poker scene in scene three when she is exposed to the drunken men and the domestic violence against her sister. Stressful situations like this push Blanche’s threshold of sanity and set her up to completely lose her mind.
Another thing that may have caused Blanche to become stressed was her geography. In literature, hot and muggy environments are used to portray tension and conflict. The reason that heat is used to imply conflict is because heat is actually proven to increase conflict and crime. In the United States, it is actually proven that crime rates are at their highest during summer and at their lowest during winter. Unconsciously, Blanche’s descent into madness may be directly correlated with the high temperatures in Louisiana. Blanche’s delirium and stress may be elevated by the hot and muggy climate of Louisiana.
In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche’s surroundings are a major driving factor in her psychological breakdown. The environment that Blanche finds herself in is much different from what she is accustomed to. The only reason that this story happens is because of Blanche’s inability to conform to her surroundings. If Blanche stayed in Belle Reve, she never would have become mad. The setting of New Orleans, Louisiana is an important part of the play, because it allows for the conditions that drive Blanche insane. Blanche experiences many stressful situations as a result of her surroundings that accumulate until she is pushed passed her breaking point when Stanley rapes her.