PUB 2

One of the most difficult aspects in life for a person to come to terms with is accepting harsh realities. You often see people make decisions in which they themselves do not believe is correct but however still choose to make them in order to remain in their comfort zone or in attempt to avoid any type of conflict which in result may hinder their life. As well as being shown in real life, this aspect can often be found in literature especially in the play A Street Car Named Desire by Tennessee Williams.

In the play A Street Car Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, Blanche is raped by a fierce and controlling man by the name of Stanley who is married to Blanches little sister Stella. Stella who normally is a very shy, passive, and compliant woman is madly in love with her husband Stanley despite how terrible he treats her, and when being told about accusation of rape, she is faced with an absolutely tremendous decision at hand. This decision was whether to ignore her sister and remain with the man she loves, or to believe her sister and discard her relationship with Stanley. Stella chooses to side with her beloved husband by saying “I couldn't go on believing her story and live with Stanley” (Stella, 165). This decision really represents the type of character Stella is. Throughout the whole play, Stella states things such as “Drunk-drunk-animal thing you!” (Stella, 62). And “You have no idea how stupid and horrid you are being!” (Stella, 35). These two quotes from Stella clearly depict that she knows exactly how terribly she is being treated by her husband. However, no matter how many disrespectful, and awful things Stanley does to Stella, she remains true to her heart and stands by her decision to ignore her sister Blanche’s “story” who is summoned into an insane asylum where she will live out the rest of her life. Stella’s decision is just one of the many examples in A Street Car Named Desire by Tennessee Williams which depicts a character having to come to a harsh realization even if it removes you from your comfort zone.

The situation shown in A Street Car Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams can be compared to that of Janay who is now, the wife of Ray Rice a football player in the NFL. Like Stanley, Ray Rice treated his at the time fiancée in reprobate ways which involved striking and even spitting on Janay in an elevator after having a verbal altercation. However, like Stella, Janay decides to be persistent in her relationship with Ray Rice and go on to marry him just a little while after the incident.  ESPN confirmed the marriage when stating “The marriage came one day after Rice was indicted by a grand jury on third-degree aggravated assault for allegedly striking Palmer unconscious.” (Schefter, 1). This proves that not much longer Janay marries the same man who has not only treated her so long, but also seen by everyone else as a villain. This is one of the many examples in society today where people are forced to make a decision based on harsh realities.

As you can see, accepting harsh realities can be one of the most difficult tasks for a person to undergo. This is because of the uncomfortableness and potential conflict it brings toward people. However, as shown in literature, specifically in Tennessee Williams play A Street Car Named Desire and in today’s society when Janay got knocked out unconsciously by her fiancée Ray Rice, these harsh realities do happen and although it may bring along some intolerable feelings, they are extremely significant especially in cases like these two.