Tennessee Williams’ and F.Scott Fitzgerald’s interpretation of the American Dream is that it is a wish people have.
In “A Streetcar Named Desire”, Blanche aspires to a lifestyle of high society. She is a dreamer who wants to escape the reality of life to find happiness. In Scene One, Stella and Blanche meet for the first time. She demands Blanche turn out the light to conceal her beauty. Turn it off! I will not be seen in this cruel glare!”
The play uses a light motif to compare the ideas of realism with dreams. It’s a crucial factor to link the American Dream as nothing more than an ideology. The imperative shows metaphorically how Blanche is afraid of being exposed in light, which will reveal her future misdeeds.
It is also a way to show that the reality of her life is harsh, “merciless”, and we are able to see how dramatic and self conscious she is. Light is symbolised as Blanche’s reality. Blanche is doomed to destruction at the beginning of the play because she cannot understand her own reality.
It is also a sign that the dream was a figment of her imagination, as she has been so preoccupied with trying to live like another person that she refuses to show her true colors. The “white clothing” is a symbol for purity that is used throughout the play to contrast with her sexual desires. It is ironic that she was married before, and white is traditionally worn on wedding days as a sign of purity.
She is married to a gay man, and this was horrifying for her. Williams, a playwright who was homosexual and lived in a socially-ordered society, had experienced the same kind of rejection. Some people may think that Blanche’s character is Williams’ way of avoiding having to deal with his own self-esteem. Williams grew up in a relaxed environment and was supported by many people.
He began to feel a lack of belonging after his family moved from St. Louis to Missouri. In turn, he became apathetic towards life because he said “I found it unsatisfactory.” Blanche is also apathetic and seeks validation through strangers. The American Dream is linked to Blanche’s desire to escape her past by aiming for something that seems impossible.
Her husband’s betrayal made her long for love, comfort and affection. She wants to be happy again, even though her former love was shattered. In contrast, Blanche may be considered superficial because of her previous status. The protagonist’s behavior is a symptom of society, or even humanity, in general. This is a way to reinforce the American Dream as people try to escape their reality and feel closer to it.
The Great Gatsby has the same motif, but the differences are that Blanche avoided light to conceal her reality in A Streetcar Named Desire, while Gatsby gravitated towards light because it represented Daisy. Nick is able to notice the large beams of light which have spread throughout the West Egg.
The “blazing light” suggests brightness and clearness, which may be Gatsby’s dream. Although he can see it clearly in his mind, it is impossible to achieve. Gatsby waiting for Nick, the “blazing light” suggests both his desire to meet Daisy and also his loneliness. It is possible to argue that his fable is less concerned with the materialistic and anarchic values of the 20th century, because the theme is the eternal quest for romantic dreams, which are forever betrayed by reality and yet redeemed within men’s minds.
It is a good example of Gatsby’s desire to realize his romantic fantasy by valuing materialistic characteristics. Fitzgerald also wrote, “…Involuntarily i glanced seaward.” Here the narrator shows his fascination with Gatsby dreams by “involuntarily…glancing seaward”. This quote implies that Nick finds Gatsby’s dreams attractive, possibly foreshadowing the destruction of dreams. Gatsby gains hope from this, and Nick is also given a reason why to become friends with him.
Gatsby differs from Blanche because Blanche, being a woman, courted her men in Belle Reve. Jay, on the other hand, feels he must earn a lot of money to attract the girl of their dreams. His dream seemed further away from reality because he was not born with money. The Jazz Era was the period when ‘The Great Gatsby’ was written. The U.S. then passed the 18th Amendment that banned the production and sale of alcohol.
Speakingeasies were used to sell alcohol by bootleggers. Gatsby, who was wealthy through bootlegging as well as other criminal activity, had a dream to attract Daisy from his illicit wealth.
Characters in both ‘A Streetcar Named Desire” and “The Great Gatsby” change their views to fit the American Dream. Fitzgerald’s portrayal of Myrtle in “The Great Gatsby”, for instance, lures Myrtle into having an affair Daisy Buchannan. The physical description of Myrtle’s lifestyle could imply that it is a false representation.
In Chapter 2, Fitzgerald describes Tom Buchanan’s mistress with a sense of sensuality: “She had changed to brown figured cotton muslin which was stretched over her wide hips”. Men may only consider the looks of women. Her sexual object is a tool that he can use at any time, thereby portraying women in a materialistic way. Myrtle’s behaviour shows her desire to rise up the social ladder with her sensuality.
She dreams of having wealth, and she tries to express this dream through her wardrobe choices. This gives her the illusion of getting closer to that dream. Myrtle was born without money like Gatsby and is depending on her intelligence to survive in 1920s America. The Great Gatsby’s context is that the Great Depression was brought on by the post-war financial bubble. This was the time when anyone could experience social mobility, as Myrtle shows in her affair with a rich man.
This shows how easy social mobility was in the 1920s. S.P George criticized Myrtle, saying that she “displays an ideology of having a love affair as a demonstration of power.” Myrtle assumes that Tom’s relationship is a permanent entry ticket into the wealthy world, not merely a non-interesting relationship. Fitzgerald describes her with “an immediate perceptible vibrancy” which appears to overstate the boredom and indifference of her.
Nick’s very first encounter with Myrtle is a good example: “I have to make a long list of things to buy…and collar for the dogs” Her list illustrates how she’s trying to fill her needs so quickly. She asks for “a black bow of silk for the grave of her mother”, which is a materialistic request. She may be foreboding her own death by beautifying it. This may indicate that when she becomes wealthy, she spends her money on things she doesn’t need.
A second motif that is used is the concept of time. It could be interpreted as a statement that Myrtle was killed because of her own pride. Fitzgerald also criticizes The American Dream by describing Myrtle’s and Tom’s relationship. Daisy describes Tom as “uncivilised”, “brute” and “uncivilised”. Tom’s moral corruption in chapter 2 is evident when “he broke his nose with a hand open” because Daisy suggested they divorce. This brutal quote reveals how both characters react impulsively to their needs. Tom asserts his need is more important than Myrtle. Myrtle has become just another mistress to Tom.
Williams contrasts American Dreams by exploring Stella. Stella has a different dream to Myrtle from ‘The Great Gatsby. This is significant because it shows how the American Dream interpretation is personal. Myrtle dreamed of being wealthy, while Stella dreamed of having a family. Stella’s dreams are significant because they show that wealth is not always a source of happiness. It can actually bring sadness to someone’s life.
Both texts show this. “Aren’t your feelings a little over the top? It’s really not bad! Stella, who comes from an upper-class family but chooses to live in a poor neighbourhood, defends herself by saying that “New Orleans doesn’t compare to other cities.” Freeman claimed that Stella “takes ownership of her values in order for comfort.”
Stella’s comment that New Orleans is “not bad” could be a way to show how she does not need wealth in order for her to be happy. She just wants peace and love within the family. Stella also changes in the play. You could say that she uses domestic violence to get closer to her dream. In Scene 3, Stella is heard crying out after hearing “a loud sound”.
Stanley hits Stella in an attempt to establish his dominance over her. This reinforces his role as a dominant male. The violent ending of Blanche, which is the culmination of the Elysian Fields play, also highlights the negative side to the vibrant and lively life. Stella’s inaction after the “blow”, which is a continuation of the abuse she sees as a part of marriage, could indicate that she has been blinded by her family values and the idea of marriage.
She is determined to have a happy family. This is shown by her willingness to endure this phase of their relationship. Kazan believes that Stella has a strong desire to stay with Stanley. She shows this throughout the show when she defends him after he raped their sister. It shows that Stella is driven by her desire to be a mother.
In “A Streetcar Named Desire”, as well as “The Great Gatsby”, the main characters are used to show the terrible end of the dream that they wanted. Fitzgerald portrayed Gatsby’s death in “The Great Gatsby” as the result of Gatsby’s relationship with’reality.’ In order to reach his dreams, he refuses to accept the reality of his life. A.E Dyson argues ‘Gatsby is a man who believes in his own illusions and himself’.
In Chapter 8 he will die because he has taken the blame for the murder of Daisy. This could be a way to show that Daisy’s illusion is so strong that he loses his life because of it. Gatsby told his gardener to “don’t do that today… I haven’t been in that pool for the summer” which was significant since we know Gatsby is shot while swimming. He chose the pool to show his reality. Daisy won’t be his love, and all his work is for nothing. The pool represents his dream of a perfect life that he’ll never experience.
Gatsby could feel a sense hope in the water, as it has an association with purity. This is a connection to a new start he would like to have with Daisy. Nick says that Gatsby “pays a heavy price for living with one dream for too long” and this is crucial because the reader can understand the consequences of his unattainable dreams. Nick calls the waves “hardly shallow”. The adjective’shallow’ could represent Gatsby. Since he is no longer alive, his thirst for riches has been put to an end. He doesn’t need to engage in criminal activity to make money to impress Daisy.
Gatsby was shown to be superficial and blinded by misperceptions. Williams uses Blanche in “A Streetcar Named Desire” to explore madness. Williams had a sibling, Rose, whom he lobotomised when he wasn’t around and who later was institutionalised. This led many critics, including myself, to believe Blanche might have been influenced by the events of his life.
This is similar to the American Dream. People have an idea of what they want to happen in their lives, but most often that thought remains a fantasy. “Clean” works well because it shows that Blanche’s fantasy has been reduced to a fragment, since she uses sex as a comfort. The adjective, “clean”, highlights Blanche’s reality as she uses comfort sex.
Mitch refuses to marry Blanche because of her promiscuity. Mitch says that Blanche uses it to get happiness. Blanche’s final words to the Doctor are “Whoever you may be, I have always been dependent on the kindness strangers.” The phrase shows that Blanche was blinded in her love for happiness.
It shows that her “kindness toward strangers”, is what makes her a failure in life. Because she’s a target, she is easily exploited by others. Williams may have depicted Blanche as she did to show how women can be easily manipulated in exchange for comfort and love. This portrays Blanche as being disconnected from the reality of life, and the fact she ignores it shows that her obsession with comfort is what makes her so gullible.
The American Dream presented by ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’ as well as ‘The Great Gatsby;’ allow us to better understand how Blanche changes her life to be satisfied with the goals she has set for herself. The American Dream is a blinding dream that can make people do anything to achieve it, even when it’s impossible. Both texts show that the Dream is just an illusion used by people to feel content.
Author
