Human Desire

When I first get a hold of “A Streetcar Named Desire” book, I cannot help myself to explore its content and read the story. This is actually a 1947 play written by Tennessee Williams, an American playwright. That explains the language which is easy to understand and makes me finished reading it within 2 days (called me a slow reader, but as a student I’ve got other things to do, right).
The title at first makes me wondering. Why William named the play as “A Streetcar Named Desire”? Notice that between all that plays that we’ve studied, this is the only play where the title have more than one word (compare it with Antigone, Anike, Pygmalion and King Lear). It did not take me so long to have the answer as I encountered this line in Scene One,
“They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at – Elysian Fields!” (Scene 1,page 4)
This line is said by Blanche Dubois, the protagonist in return to Eunice and the Negro woman upon arriving at the Kowalski apartment in Elysian Field. The streetcar is named Desire is after the Desire Street in New Orleans.
I think desire is the central theme of the play as it is the reasons why all the conflicts in this play are exist. Here from this line we can see that what a big coincidence it is as Blanche had already ‘put’ herself in Desire before her arrival. Blanche’s desire causes her job as a teacher and also the reason why she’s doing all the immoral actions. The strong and passionate relationship between Stella with her husband Stanley, the antagonist is also because of desire.
The play starts with a conversation of 2 minor characters and this kind of entrance actually resembles with the play King Lear where Gloucester and Kent the first two minor characters are introduced.
I think it is entirely unfair for Blanche to be taken away to asylum and Stanley is got away with it because he is obviously one of the reasons she lost of sanity. I feel sympathize with her because she is just feels lonely and all she ever wanted is companionship in the arm of her sister. After facing the bitter truth about her husband who later committed suicide, who will blame her for her bad attitude? The ending however, didn’t stop me to put it in my list as one of my favourite play.