BLANCHE DUBOIS AND STELLA KOWALSKI: VICTIMIZED SISTERS IN A MALE DOMINATED WORLD DEPICTED IN A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE BY TENNESSEE WILLIAMS

Öz

This study examines the male attitudes towards the women in the play, A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. This play will be examined based on Raewyn Connell’s concept of “hegemonic masculinity”. Tennessee Williams is a pioneer of modern American drama whose characters were inspired by members of his own family. His characters were portrayed eloquently in his plays and many of his plays were adapted for the screen. Williams was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for A Streetcar Named Desire. In the play, financially and psychologically deprived, Blanche decides to reunite with her sister Stella who lives in New Orleans. Upon her arrival at her sister’s home, her life becomes more complicated after meeting her sister’s husband, Stanley. In this study, the gender stereotypes that Blanche and Stella fit into and Stanley’s patriarchal power over the two sisters will be discussed. The reasons for Stanley’s rude, violent and bullying behavior will be analyzed from the point of view of Connell’s concept of “hegemonic masculinity” under the following subheadings: gender stereotypes of Blanche DuBois and Stella Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire and the concept of “hegemonic masculinity” in relation to the protagonist Stanley Kowalski.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Tennessee Williams
• A Streetcar Named Desire
• gender stereotypes
• hegemonic masculinity

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS’IN A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (ARZU TRAMVAYI) OYUNUNDA YANSITILAN ERKEK EGEMEN DÜNYASININ KURBANI İKİ KIZ KARDEŞ: BLANCHE DUBOIS VE STELLA KOWALSKI

Öz

Bu çalışmada, Raewyn Connell’in “Baskın Erkeklik” kavramı esas alınarak Tennessee Williams’ın A Streetcar Named Desire [Arzu Tramvayı] isimli eserindeki erkeğin kadınlara yaklaşımı irdelenecektir. Modern Amerikan drama öncülerinden olan Tennessee Williams, eserlerinde kendi yaşam öyküsünden esinlenmiştir. Arzu Tramvayı Williams’a Pulitzer Ödülü kazandırmıştır. Oyunlarında bütün karakterlerini ustalıkla çizmiş ve birçok eseri de beyaz perdeye uyarlanmıştır. Oyunda Blanche, maddi ve psikolojik olarak yıkıma uğrayarak her şeyini kaybeder. New Orleans'ta yaşayan kız kardeşi Stella’nın yanına gitmeye karar verir. Kız kardeşinin evine vardığında, kardeşinin şiddet içeren ve baskıcı olan kocası Stanley ile karşılaştıktan sonra hayatı daha karmaşık hale gelir. Bu çalışmada, Blanche ve Stella'nın yansıttığı toplumsal cinsiyet rolleri ve Stanley’in iki kız kardeş üzerindeki ataerkil gücü tartışılacak ve Stanley karakteri, Connell’in oluşturduğu “Baskın Erkeklik” kavramı açısından analiz edilecektir. Connell’in “Baskın Erkeklik” (1983:156) kavramı, Stanley’in kaba, şiddete yatkın ve zorba davranışının altında yatan nedenlerin anlaşılmasına ışık tutacaktır. Oyunda, Blanche DuBois ve Stella Kowalski'nin cinsiyet rolleri ve Connell’in görüşleri doğrultusunda Stanley Kowalski’de görülen “Baskın Erkeklik” kavramı alt başlıklar halinde verilecektir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Tennessee Williams
• A Streetcar Named Desire
• Toplumsal Cinsiyet Rolleri
• Baskın erkeklik

Kaynakça

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4. Connell, R. (2005). “The social Organization of Masculinity”. Masculinities, 2nd ed. Oakland: CA: University of California Press, pp.30-50.
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