Moral ambiguity in A streetcar named Desire

To err is human, as the saying goes. That is particularly true in modernists’ view which questions everything out of its relativity and ambiguity.  As a modernist movie, “A  streetcar named Desire”  successfully constructed no-hero characters who were born with  both good and bad traits.

Blanche was no lily. She was fully aware of that fact, but she was not that pessimistic about her life. She  kept moving on despite having  to “subsist” on very little money,  kindness and respect. She tried to look elitist  by wearing beautiful clothes, spraying perfume, speaking  French, talking about Art and playing hard to get;  such did not seem enough to cover her shameful past of a ‘libertine’.  She went to great lengths to be accepted into a ‘common’ world which she once disdained. She made every attempt to seduce a man who was not compatible to her in any way because  he could provide her a shelter and a home. In this sense, her survial instinct triumphed  over her fear of losing face. Blanche was afraid of being exposed to the direct sunlight, but she could not stand being in total  darkness, so she  lit candles to light up her place. The dim glow was not bright enough to expose her fading beauty, but warm enough to give her a sense of being alive. Obviously, she was afraid of death, and did everything possible to cling to life. That she had affairs with strange men, that she got lost in her illusion and insanity was how she faced the darkest hours of her human being. Still, such was better than an ugly death. In this sense, she was much more courageous and mature than her dead husband who died his way out of trouble.

 Stella was too much  affectionate toward her husband. Living with Stanley, a man of a much lower class, she had to suffer from his violence, his rudeness and his irrationality;  still, she tried to look on his bright side: Anyway, he could not let hold of her, and his violence was just evidence of his masculinity and protectiveness.  She got so used to him that she was thrilled by his violence, accepted a not-so-decent life with him, even sided  with him “against” her sister, something that also brought her pain.

Mitch was meek and vulnerable though he tried to be nice and decent.  He was deeply hurt by the fact that Blanche cheated on him both about her age and her past. Though he had some feelings for her, such was not strong enough to make any difference in her situation. He tried to be protective: he even fought  again Stanley’s  vulgar behavior and accusation. But that was all what he did.  Perhaps Mitch wanted Blanche to pay the price for her wrongdoings; perhaps his affection for his mother was so strong  that he could not offend her by marring a woman who was  “not clean enough.” Anyway, Mitch turned a “bastard” the moment he knew the truth about Blanche, kissing her like prostitute, then wept bitter tears of sadness  when she was taken away.

 Stanley was  like a little boy in a grown-man body  who was sulky, impulsive  and acted very much on his instinct.  He broke things in the house, beat his wife, and then felt sorry about his own mess  and had to clean things up by himself. The way he begged Stella for pardon was like the way a troublesome boy did to his mom. Being possessive of his wife, Stanley disliked Blanche because  she persuaded his wife  to abandon him, so  he took revenge on the woman by checking on her past and pushing her out of his house.

In “ A Streetcar name Desire,” there is no true hero and  no real villain.  Everyone is inherently good, but they turn bad in some way. However, those bad traits do not make them any  less human, but add up to the ambiguity and complexity of  human beings.