In scenes 1 and 2 of A Streetcar Named Desire, playwright Tennessee Williams presents Stanley as extremely powerful and authoritative through the use of dialogue and stage directions . The audience immediately learns how strong Stanley is in a physical sense; however, we soon discover that he is also very controlling in his animalistic nature. Furthermore, it becomes apparent that Stanley sees himself as the dominant partner in his relationship with Stella, as Williams conveys a sense of pre-eminence in Stanley's attitude towards his wife. Each of these factors contributes to Stanley's overall image of strong masculinity, which becomes more evident as the show progresses. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Stanley's physical appearance is a key aspect of his overall dominance in Streetcar, reflecting his tenacity and boldness throughout the play. For example, in the stage directions Williams describes Stanley as "strong and compactly built", immediately illustrating him as a strong, muscular man. The fact that he is of "compact" build not only highlights his solidity, but also suggests that he is explosive, meaning that his body is so compressed that he could easily lash out in an act of violence at any moment. Early in the first act Williams also notices that Stanley is "wearing his bowling jacket" and thus reinforces his masculinity. Carla J. McDonough highlights the importance of his athletic image, as she states that Stanley represents almost everything that Williams was not, but what he still wanted to be. This reading is important, as it allows the audience to connect with Williams himself and understand the expectations of pure manhood in the 1940s. Further stage directions also allude to Stanley's great strength as he is said to "throw" a package at Stella and "pull up a fistful of trinkets" when arguing with his wife over Blanche's supposed fortune. The use of the word "lifting" denotes his energy and strength, and the fact that Williams chooses to state "full fist" depicts the image of a large, firm hand, therefore reinforcing Stanley's manhood. Furthermore, Williams produces a strong juxtaposition, as a contrast is created between the strength of Stanley's large fist and the delicacy of the cheap jewels, which he could easily crush in the palm of his hand. It could be argued that this example represents Stanley's control over Blanche, as he is extremely confident and domineering, while Blanche is very weak and unstable. During the 1940s and 1950s, great inequality between men and women still existed in South America; men were still considered the dominant gender (both physically and mentally), so it is understandable that Stanley is painted in this powerful light and William immediately "warns" the audience of his superiority through his basic appearance. Williams also presents Stanley in a very bestial way to demonstrate not only how menacing but also primitive he is. For example, when Stanley is first properly introduced, the stage directions state that "the animal joy in his being is implicit in all his movements and attitudes." This reveals Stanley's unsophisticated nature and almost suggests that he is "a different species", as Stella tells Blanche. The fact that Williams describes his animal joy as “implicit” highlights his fundamental desire for sex and his superficial character. He is compared to a 'richly plumed male bird among the hens', which indicates that he is the 'leader of the flock', meaning he is always surroundedby followers who are often intimidated by him (meaning his dominance is uncontested). The phrase "richly feathered" portrays him as very sensual and attractive, which is accurate given that "brutal desire" is the mainstay of his relationship with Stella. Furthermore, the difference between a menacing male bird and an innocent hen is quite significant as it confirms the idea that Stanley has absolute superiority over all his surrounding subjects. Although Williams focuses primarily on the danger of Stanley's animal nature, a Marxist view might be that Stanley is simply taking on the role of "hunter" to protect his family. For example, Stanley is said to return home with a "parcel stained red from the butchers" connoting animals that kill prey; similarly Stanley can be considered to be the predator (of Blanche) and the defender of her territory (her apartment). Additionally, Streetcar is set in the 1940s, a time when large numbers of immigrants came to the United States in search of work. Many of these immigrants were Polish (like Stanley) and were often treated unfairly, facing prejudice due to their uneducated backgrounds. Consequently, it is possible that Williams also produced this animalistic presentation of Stanley to emphasize the basic stereotype of an immigrant in the 1940s and 1950s. It could be interpreted that Stanley is actually quite insecure and establishes himself as a brutal leader in his own apartment in order to feel like more than just a "dirty immigrant". Stanley's lack of polite conversation is another way that Williams conveys a sense of his personal importance and overall dominance, as it implies that Stanley sees himself as "in charge" of the dialogue. For example, when he first meets Blanche, he simply isn't interested in appearing well-spoken or cultured and immediately interjects by asking her personal questions like "you were married once, weren't you?" and then follows up with “what happened?” This provides an accurate presentation of how rude and abrupt Stanley is; he has no respect for the fact that Blanche might not want to reveal such intimate information to him, especially since they literally just met. It becomes apparent that Stanley hates anyone who questions him and is certainly not afraid to express his opinions on any issue; for example, he accuses Blanche of lying about Belle Reve without having concrete evidence. This tactic shows Stanley's absolute determination to be right as well as his arrogance, as in the quote "Have you ever heard of the Napoleonic Code?" Apparently, he considers himself intelligent and accomplished, so he completely ignores everyone else's point of view. During Act 2, Stella begins to become harsher with Stanley as he defends his sister; however, Stanley quickly reasserts his authority by yelling "Since when do you give me orders?" (which shows how Stanley "decides everything" in his family.) This characteristic also supports the fact that most of the immigrants were not very educated, as it is evident that Stanley lacks basic social courtesy as well as pure respect. . Furthermore, his use of explicit language indicates his desire to present himself as a bold and confident figure rather than a meek and pathetic immigrant. A feminist approach to this would note Stella's obedience to her husband and her inability to challenge him. Stanley's sharp and blunt colloquial speech produces a rather bitter effect and contributes to his overall intimidating illustration. Williams shows Stanley as a man who exudes power even in his relationship with Stella, as he seems to be very aware of the fact that he is the more dominant character. partner in theirs.