Riding the Streetcar of Desire

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Dear Annie: Have you ever known a time when your family caused you a headache? Well, I have; I have been having many headaches lately.

I originally come from a upper-class southern family of French decent. Life was good and easy growing up on my family's estate known as Belle Reve, with my parents and my sister. When I got to age however I met a man, Stanley. He is a big man, sometimes overbearing; a veteran of the last war with Germany and of Polish decent too. He did not come from a wealthy family, rather a poorer, industrial working class family. This means when I decided to marry him I also married the lifestyle of the lower-class, which did not bother, and still doesn't. It does bother my sister though, quite a lot.

My sister, Blanche, decided as she grew older that she did not want to truly associate with the lower-class. Instead, she became a teacher and stayed at our childhood home, Belle Reve. Several weeks ago, Blanche came to stay with Stanley and I in our New Orleans home. She said that it was because she needed a break from it all, she needed a rest. Ever since she has been critical of the way I live, who I associate with, and of my husband. Neither Stanley or Blanche hit it off when they met, and they still do not really get along.

Ever since my sister's arrival, Stanley has been growing progressively angrier, meaner, and more hostile, to both Blanche and I. Of course, Blanche has done nothing to help the situation, constantly badgering Stanley and mouthing off to him. However, Blanche is such a delicate soul and I keep telling Stanley this, but he does not want to listen. He has been telling me stories he heard a work, stories about how Blanche is promiscuous, how she was fired from being a teacher, how she is not what she seems. If these stories are true it means she has been lying to me. I just cannot believe that these stories are true though, Blanche is so delicate. Because I do not completely believe Stanley, and because Blanche mouths off to him, he gets so angry. He became so angry at Blanche once that he hit me! I know Stanley has a volatile temper, but most of the time I find it addicting.

I guess what I am trying to ask you, is this normal? Is there usually this much conflict between family, or between classes? Could this situation worsen? I am pregnant and do not want this conflict to harm the baby. Thank you in advance for your advice, and I look forward to your response.

-- Old Southern Sister


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Dear Sister: Your story and situation are very interesting, and alarming to me. On one hand you have a husband who you seem to love, but has obvious anger issues. On the other hand you have a sister that you love, but she is almost disrespectful, and she may not be all that she appears. To compound everything, both of these individuals are currently residing in the same household. What a predicament to be in.

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Let me say that a little animosity is normal among family. No one will get along all of the time, so anger and annoyance toward one another once in a while is normal. Your situation has surpassed being normal though. If after weeks of being with you your sister and husband are still having problems, and these problems are worsening, something is wrong. From your letter I gather that the situation has only continued to deteriorate since your sister's arrival. Because of this, I believe the situation at your home will only continue to worsen, not improve. If your sister cannot control her mouth, and your husband his anger, neither of them should be together. This arrangement is not only hurting them but you and the baby as well. The stress on you as a result of these two must be high, and stress is not good for a pregnant mother. You need to remove yourself from that situation, or remove other variables to relieve the situation's mounting pressure.

You may believe your sister has a delicate soul, but I get the feeling she is using you, trying to get between you and your husband. Because she is your sister you may not want to believe the stories Stanley he has heard about her. I would definitely check the sources, but be prepared if the information you find is not the information you want to hear. There is always that possibility as people are rarely as the seem.

There is no excuse for Stanley hitting you, at anytime, ever! You may find his anger addicting at times, but I find it scary. Stanley needs to find help if his anger and temper are truly this volatile. It only take once for Stanley's anger to get the better of him, this could have a negative impact on you and the baby. That is something I know you do not want.

Just to be clear, I think your sister has overstayed her welcome, and she needs to move on. You must move past the thought that her soul is delicate or you will continue to caudal her and exacerbate the problem. However, you must also not let Stanley abuse you like he does. This is uncalled for, this is unloving, this is cowardly. You seem to be the only logical
 

person at your home right now, so you have the power to make real change before things get worse. If I were you I would move quickly before the situation worsens further; the further the situation worsens, the harder it will be on you. That is something that we can agree nobody truly wants.

http://www.rafsy.com/films-1920s-1950s/a-streetcar-named-desire-forever-young/

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Works Cited

http://electricearl.com/parkersburg/streetcars-6.jpg

"Annie's Mailbox." Arcamax Publishings. Arcamax.com, 2016. Web. 4  Mar. 2016.  

Williams, Tennessee. "A Streetcar Named Desire." The Norton Anthology of American Literature.Ed. Julia Reidhead. 1116-1177. Print.