Destiny in A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

Significant events will have drastically different effects on each of us. When faced with challenges, some individuals are inclined enough to adapt in order to overcome these obstacles, whereas others will find themselves unable to do so, and ultimately stumble along the road leading to their destiny. Tennessee Williams explores a female protagonist’s reaction to the cataclysmic events that befall her throughout the modern drama, A Streetcar Named Desire. Blanche Dubois suffered from a lack of financial security, and a tarnished reputation that continued to befall her. Nonetheless, her resourcefulness never faltered. Blanche’s life is impacted by several significant events which ultimately alters the course of her destiny. Through Blanche, Tennessee Williams develops the idea that we are all faced with challenges that impact our lives, but in the end, it’s how we deal with those circumstances that truly determine our destiny.

Blanche grew up living on a plantation in Laurel, Mississippi which is why she considers herself a Southern Belle, despite the changing environment around her. Her life at Belle Reve does not fulfill the dreams that once encircled the wealthy plantation. Instead, Blanche finds herself assuming the responsibilities for the “epic fornications” of her families past lives, along with the financial debt that comes with owning the house. This isn’t the only thing Blanche has been left to take care of though. She is also left to simultaneously pay for the funerals of her relatives, and after being unable to reimburse her debts, Blanche eventually succumbed to the loss of her cherished land. In addition to the loss of Belle Reve, she is also impacted by the lifelong guilt coming from the fact that she made a cruel r...

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...would be fair to assume that she was placed in an area where she will be able to spend the rest of her days in the imaginary world she has created.

Blanche’s reluctance to give up her past left her unable to determine her destiny, which ultimately led to her being placed in the mental asylum. Having encountered many significant events throughout her life, Blanche finally allowed someone else to control her destiny. This someone happened to be the doctor who helped carry her away from the Kowalski residence at the end of the play. In his modern drama, A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams depicts that all individuals are given the opportunity to alter their destiny, no matter what the circumstances are. Significant events in our lives can alter our decisions, but what matters most is taking control of the opportunity presented, and making the most out of it.