Part of the Dramatic Literature, Criticism and Theory Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Literature in English, North America Commons, Playwriting Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons

There have been many attempts by both critics and audience members to explain and understand the events that led up to the violent rape of Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire. The systematic oppression of women throughout American history has lead to people finding fault within the woman while ignoring the root of the issue – the violent, commanding nature of the man. In examining Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire, I use a modern feminist perspective to challenge audiences to view Blanche in new light as we move to a more equal society. I approach my thesis by collecting scholarly work written about Blanche, and compiling the most common arguments. By then deconstructing these arguments, I reveal the biases and assumptions that were used, as well as the oft-used sexist and misogynistic language employed by critics to “prove ” their observations. My most effective tool was the text itself and my own personal experiences as a female. Here are three common arguments used by critics to justify Blanche’s rape, followed by my rebuttals. “[Blanche] atones for [her husband’s suicide] through her suffering a