The Life and Works of Tennessee Williams

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“I was not aware of how much vital energy had gone into this struggle until the struggle was removed” (A Streetcar Named Desire). Williams struggled as a child which helped him began his writing career. William’s grew up during the Great Depression, the many changes of presidents, and a fire that change work policy everywhere in the United States. A Streetcar Named Desire brought him great success. Tennessee Williams struggled with communication as a child. To deal with life Williams started to write; he wrote plays, poems, and books. Childhood, sexuallitiy, and drug and alcohol addiction influenced Williams's writing greatly The sudden move to St. Louis affected Williams greatly (Madden). Tennessee Williams fell ill around the age of twelve (Rade). Edwina Williams forced Williams in to reclusion. During his illness Williams changed completely. He went from a tough kid to a recluse that sat in his room alone. Williams’s imagination ran wild while he sat in his room. His imagination turned into writing. Also, the shy sixteen year old Williams had troubles communicating to people. He always would blush whenever he made any eye contact (Williams). In school he wrote everything down because of his fear to talk (Rade). He feared his father greatly; when his father made him work for his shoe company as a teeneager, Williams fell into depression. The depression led Williams into writing more as a child. Sexuality played a huge role in Tennessee Williams's writing. “In New Orléans, he inhaled the culture eagerly. The sexual freedom of the French Quarter allowed him to face his growing feelings of homosexuality” (Hermann 36). Williams felt insecure about his homosexuality. He hesitated about telling people because he did not think anyon... ... middle of paper ... ...n, Paul P. "Chapter 8: Tennessee Williams." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. 12 March, 2014 Rizzo, Frank. "Raising Tennessee." American Theatre 15.8 (1998): 20. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. Savran, David. "`By Coming Suddenly Into A Room That I Thought Was Empty': Mapping The Closet With Tennessee." Studies In The Literary Imagination 24.2 (1991): 57. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 21 Feb. 2014. Tischler, Nancy M. "Tennessee On Tennessee." Mississippi Quarterly 51.4 (1998): 649. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 21 Feb. 2014. Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. MIT. 1947. PDF File. Williams, Tennessee. Memoirs. Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday, 1975. Print. Williams, Tennessee. “Tennessee Williams, The Art of Theater No. 5.” Interview by Dotson Rader. Paris Review. 1981. Web. 04 Apr. 2014.

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