The biggest desire in the play is Blanche's. She desires more than anything else to be accepted, find a place in the world, be loved, be cherished, and be cared for. Yet she is destined never to find it, as she's much too delicate and psychologically fragile, and that's before she even arrives to stay with Stanley and Stella. Subsequent events simply make matters worse, much worse. Her desire is so strong—desperate might be a better word—that she constantly finds herself involved with men who aren't right for her, for one reason or another. It looks for a brief moment as if Mitch might finally be the man for her, but once he finds out about her sordid past, he treats her as badly as all other men in her life ever have.
Stanley desires to be lord and master of his own home, to dominate and control all those around him. That's why he perceives Blanche as such a threat; she comes into his life and disrupts its natural rhythms. Now it's Blanche who's the center of attention, not him, and Stanley hates her for it.
Stella's in the middle of all this and provides the emotional center of the play. She loves her sister and yet has no desire to return to their common past. She's made a new life for herself with Stanley, and whatever the wisdom of that decision, she's going to stick with it. Although she's regularly on the receiving end of physical abuse from Stanley, she does still have a strong desire for him, both emotionally and sexually. And now that she's about to give birth to his child, her bond with him looks set to become even stronger.
Each of the characters in the play has different desires. Many of these desires are destructive. Let's start with Stella. Stella wants a peaceful existence, a family life, and her husband Stanley. Blanche's arrival causes an uneasy tension for Stella, for she is constantly caught between her sympathy for Blanche and her love for Stanley. When Stanley accuses Blanche of stealing because her clothes and jewelry look so fine, Blanche defends her sister. When Blanche protests the way Stanley treats Stella, Stella makes excuses for him and even declares that she is attracted to his violent ways. But there is no doubt that Stella desires Stanley more than she desires a relationship with her sister or a peaceful family life. As she says,
But there are things that happen between a man and a woman in the dark--that sort of make everything else seem--unimportant.
For Blanche, her sexual desire (and love) for Stanley overrules everything else. These lines show the motive for her decision at the end of the play to ignore Stanley's rape of Blanche.
Stanley is portrayed as a sexual, animalistic man. He is threatened by Blanche's education, her sophisticated airs, and her mockery of him. He has all he desires in his present life: playing cards with his buddies from time to time and coming home from work to Stella. A hedonist, Stanley desires instant gratification. He has strong sexual desires for his wife, but he also loves her too. When Blanche makes him feel insecure, he reacts cruelly and violently. He acts quickly to protect the life he desires.
Blanche desires the past. She wants to be young again, she wants the glamour of Belle Rive, she would like a second chance with her former husband--not a second chance in marriage, but a second chance to show him compassion. She wants a new start, but she desires the ways of the past. Because she desires what she cannot have, she drinks, is promiscuous, and is pretentious. Blanche cannot go back in time, and this is the truth that she cannot accept. Mitch presents the possibility, however, of a second chance. His attraction to her is genuine, and she enjoys being adored, but more importantly, with Mitch, she would have financial security and a chance to be respectable again.
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