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Created by L. Lopez, 3/1/03
SAMPLE RESEARCH PAPER
( This is a sample paper of your assignment.)
(Citations of outside sources are fake, and the paper is based on an
actual classic work of literature.)
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Lisa Lopez
Ms. L. Lopez
English 12
26 March 2003
Another World of Literature
For decades, high school students have
been reading great works of literature ranging from William Shakespeare
to John Steinbeck. Most often though, these works are read under
duress, frustrating teachers and students alike. This leads to a
long term distaste for reading. Consequently, people don’t realize
that there are works of literature outside the canon of high school that
are more contemporary and still have literary merit. However, there
is life, and literature, beyond William Shakespeare and his high school
cohorts. Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire is one
such play, containing many elements that attest to its worthiness as a
meaningful work of fiction. Although Williams' A Streetcar Named
Desire is not a part of the typical canon of high school literature,
it is still a worthwhile book to read.
For a book to appeal to its readers, it needs
to have a strong, universal theme. T.S. Eliot said, “A good book
is about a man. Great books are about mankind” (qtd. in Safire and
Safir 312). While novels are literally a story about specific people
at a specific place and time, great books also offer insight into the human
condition. Although many people may not have specifically experienced
Blanche's loss of Belle Reve or the loss of Allan, many can relate to her
painful loneliness that stems from her unfulfilled desire to be loved.
When she first arrives at Elysian Fields, Blanche is lonely. As she
tells Stella, "I want to be near you, got to be with somebody, I can't
be alone!" (Williams 23). Mitch, too, worries that "I'll be alone
when she [his mother] goes" (Williams 47). Mitch, like Blanche, has
also experienced, a "pretty sad" romance with a dying girl (Williams 53).
Rathburn believes, "the mutual need of Blanche and Mitch, and
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in their inability to fulfill this need, […] beautifully and poignantly
express the theme of loneliness" (60). The tension and conflict resulting
from the unfulfilled search for love while combating loneliness, is a common
human experience. This universal theme is one to which many readers
can relate, making Streetcar a work of fiction to be enjoyed by
a wide range of people.
Clearly, strong characterization is essential
to any work. Essential also is that the characterization be subtle.
When developing a character, as Adam Ginder simply advises, “show it, don’t
tell it” (39). Williams does just this in characterizing Stanley
Kowalski and Mitch. For example, in the very first scene of the play,
Stanley is depicted as a barbaric Neanderthal; his monosyllabic utterances
such as "Catch!" and "Meat!" give the reader a clear image of Stanley and
his lack of evolution (Williams 14). Therefore, the reader is prepared
for Stanley's insatiable drive for dominance when he exposes Blanche in
scene seven and rapes her at the end of scene ten. One of Stanley's
main characteristics is defined in his first movements.
Similarly, Williams refers to Mitch as a "dancing bear" (57).
This single suggestion creates a vivid image of Harold Mitchell.
Mitch, appearing tame, "stands awkwardly" (Williams 86) throughout most
of the play; however, as Williams' description of Mitch implies, he has
the potential to be dangerous. He fulfills this potential in scene
9 when he attacks Blanche, seeking "What I been missing all summer" (sic)
(Williams 120). Although often shocked by both Mitch and Stanley's
animalistic behavior, the reader cannot deny that Williams deftly indicated
both men's capability for cruelty in his initial characterization of them.
In addition to animal imagery, other
figurative language is used to enhance the play. Frank Fosters commends
the author for his “remarkable artistic and psychological maturity throughout
[Streetcar], skillfully making use of colors and clothes […]” (25).
Williams' use of color is clearly developed throughout the play.
As Blanche's name indicates, white is her color
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of choice. Blanche is first introduced to the audience in white (Williams
15), and wears it later on her date with Mitch (Williams 80), underscoring
her façade of purity and innocence. She even claims to be
wearing "Della Robbia blue. The blue of the robe in the old Madonna
pictures" in the final scene (135). However, Blanche has a more sensual
and promiscuous side, reflected in her "red satin robe" which she dons
when flirting with Stanley (Williams 37), and again when she first meets
Mitch at the fateful poker night (Williams 53). Blanche's dual nature
is eloquently captured in the colors she wears.
Furthermore, Williams blends the two aspects
of Blanche's character as the play progresses, and Blanche's licentious
side taints her veneer of purity. Williams' first exemplifies this
when Stanley mentions "somebody named Shaw" (77). Blanche, shaking
with fear, spills soda on her "pretty white skirt" with "a piercing cry"
(80). Since Blanche's reputation is not completely stained at this
point, her skirt is not permanently stained. However, once it is
clear that Mitch is not going to marry Blanche, Williams dresses her in
a "somewhat soiled and crumpled white […] gown […,]" and her shoes are
as "scuffed" (Williams 122) as is her status. She stands as an icon
of sullied innocence simply expressed through color and clothes.
Good literature is carefully crafted and requires
readers to think carefully about what they read. Cyril Connolly believes,
“Literature is the art of writing something that will be read twice” (qtd.
in Quotes). Figurative language, such as metaphors and symbols,
add a deeper dimension to a work that often requires a second, closer reading
to fully appreciate. A close reading of the paper lampshade indicates
it is a symbol of Blanche herself. When readers encounter Williams'
statement in scene eleven that Blanche "cries out as if the lantern was
herself" as Stanley "seizes" the shade from the light (140), they are compelled
to reread the play, looking for parallels between Blanche and the lampshade.
There are several places in the play where
Blanche and the lampshade can be found with careful reading. Fosters
insists
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that the key to Blanche's survival is her lies which are "intended to produce
a more pleasant 'illusion' than reality"(25). As Blanche begins to
weave a tale of deception with Mitch in scene 3, the lampshade is first
produced (Williams 55). Blanche tells Mitch that she "can't stand
a naked light bulb," (Williams 55) but what she really cannot tolerate
is harsh reality. Blanche admits she retreated from the "any light
that's stronger than this --kitchen--candle" after her traumatic discovery
of Allan's homosexuality and his subsequent suicide (Williams 96); however,
Williams means that Blanche is hiding from the truth. Later, when
Mitch "tears the paper lantern off the light" as he confronts Blanche about
her lies, Blanche "utters a frightened gasp" (Williams 117). On a
simple level, Blanche's reaction appears to be caused by Mitch literally
exposing her aging face to the bright light, but on a symbolic level, it
is because Blanche's is being hurt by harsh reality. Although Williams
completes the symbolic destruction of Blanche through the exposure of harsh
truth when Stanley is seen "tearing" the lampshade off the light bulb (Williams
140), this is often where the reader first realizes the symbol exists.
Then, the reader is compelled to carefully reread the play to fully appreciate
Williams' skillful employment of symbolism.
Clearly, Tennessee Williams carefully created
this fine piece of literature; he even selected a title that reflected
an important message in the play. Travel in a work of literature
is a standard symbol of the journey of life (Symbols); therefore, the streetcar
Desire underscores the fact that all of the characters in the play are
motivated by desire. For example, all of the males in the DuBois
family traded tracts of land from Belle Reve for sex (Williams 43).
Similarly, Blanche's desires cost her the privilege of existence in Laurel.
Blanche admits, "intimacies with strangers was all I could fill my empty
heart with" after Allan's suicide (Williams 118) because "the opposite
[of death] is desire" (Williams 120). As the Streetcar Named Desire
literally
brought Blanche to Elysian Fields, it was her desire, as well as her
forefathers' desires, that brought her to where she is today.
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Moreover, desire also brought Stella to
Elysian Fields, and causes her to remain there at the end of the play.
Even though Stanley abuses her, Stella remains because of what Blanche
refers to as "brutal desire--like the name of that rattle-trap street-car
[…]" (Williams 70); in other words, since her sexual desires are fulfilled,
she feels fulfilled in general in her marriage. Williams distinctly
indicates that desire is Stella's motivation for staying with Stanley when,
at the end of the play, Stella accepts Stanley's "fingers find[ing] the
opening of her blouse" to fondle her as an act of comfort (142).
Williams' play is aptly named for A Streetcar Named Desire because
desire is what drives the motivations of the characters in the play.
While Gerald Weales lauds William Goldings' Lord of the Flies for its thoughtful
title (356), the significance of William's title must not be overlooked.
While there is still much to be derived from reading classic
literature, new authors should not be snubbed. With subtle characterization,
and proficient use of metaphors and symbolism, Tennessee Williams' A
Streetcar Named Desire is a fine example of quality literature.
Its strong universal themes and attention to detail make it a book worth
reading twice. Although it is not a typical part of the canon of
high school literature, it is still a worthwhile book with literary merit.
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Works Cited
Fosters, Frank. “Blanche DuBois: Light and Dark.” Rev. of A Streetcar
Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams. Booklist 15 Nov. 1970:
25-26. Gale General Reference Center Gold. East Islip Public Library,
East Islip. 1 Mar. 2003 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com>.
Ginder, Adam. Creating Good Characters. Cincinnati: Writer's
Digest, 1998.
Quotes for Writers. The Writer’s Home. 8 Mar. 2003 <http://www.writershome.com/quotes/index.html>.
Rathburn, John. "Williams' Wild Women." Rev. of A Streetcar Named
Desire, by Tennessee Williams. School Library Journal 15 Nov.
1970: 60. ProQuest. Anthony J. Durso Media Center, Islip Terrace.
12 Mar. 2003 <http://proquest.com>.
Safire, William, and Leonard Safir, eds. Good Advice on Writing:
Writers Past and Present on How to Write Well. New York: Simon, 1992.
Symbols for Students. SUNY at Stony Brook. 12 Mar. 2003 <http://www.sunysb.edu/eng315/symbols.html>.
Weales, Gerald. “William Golding.” American Writers. Ed. Leonard
Unger. Vol. IV. Detroit:
Gale, 1974.
Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. New York: Signet,
1947.