論《欲望號街車》的殘酷性
文學評論
作者：梁雁冰
摘 要：本論文旨在分析探討《欲望號街車》中社會的殘酷性。這個無情的社會逼迫著布蘭奇一步一步走上瘋癲，其中就包括斯坦利卑劣的行徑、斯特拉不願相信丈夫強奸姐姐以及米奇拒絕迎娶布蘭奇。而這些都隻是殘酷現實的一個映像，整個社會都漠視弱勢群體和邊緣人物。
關鍵詞：殘酷；《欲望號街車》；布蘭奇的瘋癲
作者簡介：梁雁冰，對外經濟貿易大學，英語語言文學，碩士學曆，碩二，英語語言文學 。
[中圖分類號]：I106 [文獻標識碼]：A
[文章編號]：1002-2139（2012）-21-0-02
A Streetcar Named Desire， one of Tennessee Williams’s greatest works， has enjoyed a large number of readers in the world since its first publication. Blanche’s madness has always been a heated topic in the academic field. Some critics think that Stanley’s violence leads to Blanche’s “madness” or destroys her physical and mental world. However， it is not so simple. Stanley representing social attitude towards Blanche ruins her. In other words， in Stanley’s small community， everyone turns their back on Blanche when she is in desperate need of help. Mitch refuses to marry her， and even her sister does not offer her a hand. Although they are dissatisfied with what Stanley has done to Blanche， Stanley’s neighbors are all siding with Stanley at last. The whole society cannot tolerate such a seamy woman.
1、Inncentive of madness
In A Streetcar Named Desire， Allan’s suicide， the result of the society’s intolerance to homosexuals， has done serious harm to Blanche. She cannot get rid of the guilt of her husband’s death， sunk in extreme feelings of guilt and shame that continue to challenge her “moral integrity” （Herman 193）. However， it is not Blanche who should take the blame. It is the intolerance of the society that incurs Allan’s death. In public opinion， homosexuality was disgraceful， ignominious and unacceptable； Blanche is also influenced by the society’s mainstream values.
No sooner has she recovered from her husband’s death than life deals her another heavy blow—her relatives’ death one after another. The loss of her siblings incurs her inner empty and loneliness， leading to her self-abandonment. Without anyone to pour out her sorrows， “the toxicity of Blanche’s knowledge of death isolates her from others at the same time that it compels her to reach out to others.”（Ribkoff 328） Her mental empty cannot be filled with. She has no choice but to indulge herself in alcohol， smoking and sexuality. She becomes a frequent visitor in “an army camp near Laurel” （Williams 361）. Later， she is kicked out of high school， for “she’d gotten mixed up with” （Williams 362） a 17 boy. At last， “she’s practically told by the mayor to get out of town！”（Williams 361） She becomes a foundling of the society.