essay on Stanley of A Street Car Named Desire and the 6 given circumstances

1. Given Circumstances
Stanley from A Streetcar Named Desire
An actor must get in touch with the character they are to play, in order
to do so he or she must study the six given circumstances to analyze the
character. By using the six given circumstances, the actor will have a better
understanding why the character reacts a certain way at the given situations. I
am going to use the six given circumstances to have a beter comprehension of the
character Stanley Kowalski in the play A Streetcar Named Desire.
The play A Streetcar Named Desire is set in the late 1940s in New Orleans,
Louisiana early May. This was after the World War II had ended. Stanley served
in the WWII along with his friend Mitch. Stanley served as a Master Sergeant in
the Engineers' Corps. Stanley seems proud to have served for his country even
though his family is originally from Poland, he is proud to be an American. Due
to Stanley serving in the war he is a man with a high temper, loud, and at times
physically brutal. He sticts to facts, reality, he is not a daydreamer, no
imagination and no where near romantic. Stanley does not see anything wrong with
his brutal actions most of the time, he just wants to be respected as the man of
the house no matter what he does. Stanley seems like more of a night person, he
likes to go bowling with his friends and play poker.
The setting of the play is in a two story building where Stanley and his
wife live in the first floor. A small place with only two rooms, the kitchen
with a folding bed for Blanche, bedroom and the bathroom. The building
"contains two flatts, upstairs and down. Faded white stairs ascend to the
entrances of both." (pg. 9) On the second floor lives another couple who own the
building, Stanley is friends with Steve who lives upstairs with his wife,
Eunice. The building located on a corner "on a street in New Orleans which is
named Elysian Fields and runs between the L & N tracks and the river"(pg. 9).
The area is poor but with different attractions like the bowling alley, the
galleries, and barrooms in the area. That "you are practically always just
around the corner... from a piano being played with the infatuated fluency of
brown fingers." (pg. 9) showing that it is a cosmopolitan city where there is an
easy interactions of races. It seems like a warm area. Stanley seems to settle
for what he has, in a way proud of his belongings, his apartment, because it is
what he can afford. He does not worry of having nicer things, of climing the
social ladder he sees that as BS. He seems to detest those who feel supreme to
those around them, upper class or those who be think to be aristocrats. The
majority of the scenes take place in Stanleys apartment or right outside, a few
elsewhere.
In the late 1940s after the World War II there was a greater interaction
of races especially in New Orleans, Lousiaca in the play. During this time in
the play African American interacted fine with white people, people with
different ethnicity were accepted in this area such as Stanley. Blanche saw him
as common not good enough for her sister, Stella. Stella and Blanche were
brought up in a plantation family owned ,which she lost to Ambler, "a firm that
made loans on the place"(pg. 45), she lost it on a mortgage. They were brought
up with manners, with the strive to do better, to have the fines things in life,
as aristocrats, a class or group considered to be superior, as through
education, ability, wealth, or social prestige. Stanley loathes people like
Blanche who go around feeling superior than others, he hates how Blanche
expresses herself of him as a commonor, an ape. During this time it seems like
there was alot of people like that because Stanley has very strong feelings
about it. Like when Blanche refers to Stanley as a "Polack" he is furious and

2. tries to belittle Blanche and oldfashioned by stating that they are in America
and that he was born in the U.S. so that makes him a citizen. Stanley hangs out
with Mitch, Steve, and Pablo most of the time. He likes to be surrounded by his
crew, his comrades. Stanleys relationship with Mitch goes way back to when they
served in the WWII, they have very familiar experiences, but Mitch is more of a
person who is sentimental. Stanley loves spending time with his friends, drink,
play poker and have sex with his wife. He likes to impose his wishes on his wife
and anyone else he can. He likes to feel in control of his life and of those
around him. His relationship with his wife is nonromantic, he is speaks his mind
without caring of her feelings. Stanley seems to care for his wife because in a
way she is a little peace of the upper class in which he can tyrannize, to
govern despotically, cruelly, or oppressively. But once Blanche comes along she
is trully represents all in which he hates and finds a reason why to oppress her
and make sure she does not end up marryind Mitch. He finds out she was basically
a slut, she slept with many men and was trully ruined when she got involved with
a 17 year old student of hers.
Stanley works at a car shop, seems to travel alot. Stanleys is obviously
not a wealthy man but has a job and able to support his wife and the coming
baby. They are poor in comparison to other people during the time but do have
the necessary things to survive. Jobs were scarce at the time the economy was
slowly recuperating. To Blanches eyes the place is small, poor, in a bad
neighborhood. Stanley is brutal, curses, and does not care about appearances.
Even though Stanley is a proud man he does look after his wifes interests. He
asks Blanche for any type of documents she may have on the case of how the
plantation was lost due to the Napoleonic code," accordding to which whatever
belongs to my wife is alson mine-and vice versa"(pg. 42) Stanley stated. When he
realized there might be any type of money or anything beneficial to him over the
plantation he wanted to know everything there was to know. He wanted to make
sure that him nor his wife were being ripped off from any types of profit.
Stanley at the begginning does not seem to care much of prospering in the
social class but once the opportunity of easy money comes along he is determined
to get it. He does not like to be anybodys fool or puppet.
In a way Stanley feels like things are changing to the point where he is
now considered an American and proud of it. This was a time when different races
were interacting with each other freely. Women during this time still seemed
very dependent on the men, they let them abuse them mentally and physically. As
Stanley did to Stella and Steve did to Eunice in the play. During this time
women have jobs right to vote and are more outspoken than before. Stanley tries
to opress Stella when she talks back at him or when she raises her voice to him
and he beats her even though she is pregnant.
Stanley does not seem like a religious man he believes in facts in
reality. He hates the games females play in which they want to be complimented
over how they look all the time. Stanley is not the kind of man who is around
the bush he likes to say what he thinks. Stanley may be married but he does not
belief in his oath because inorder to suppress Blanche in the worst way possible
he rapes her and takes her only chance of marriage with Mitch by letting
everyone know about her past. He has no ethics, he rapes his sister inlaw while
his wife is at the hospital giving birth. At the end when Blanche has lost
herself in her own world of allucinations, Stanley finally convinces Stella that
it is best to have Blanche taken to a mental hospital. Stanley shows no remorse
or sorrow of what he has done but acts as if he did not do anything wrong.
Stanley does not have any morals, religious beliefs nor ethics. Stanley beats
his wife, cheats on his wife, and yet goes around acting as if it were perfectly
normal.

3. Stanley is a complex character at the beginning he seems like a hero a man
who has served his country, a loving husband, a humble worker of society. But as
the play starts to evolve his true character is shown. Stanley can not hide
behind his manly charm no more and turns out to be totally the opposite as what
the audience had perceived of him. Through the given circumstances Stanley
evolves into a man who is brutal, cruel, and controlling. Due to his past,
serving in the war, constantly being belittled by the upper class, called a
"Polack", all of these things created a build up of anger. Which made Stanley
into the man he is though it does not give him an excuse as to being so cruel.