Ahmed's+Page+(Stella)

=Other Views on Stella= From "Domestic Violence in //A Streetcar Named Desire"// by Susan Koprince

"Stanley's wife, Stella, likewise matches the sociological profile of the battered woman; for she is essentially a submissive, self-deprecating wife who tolerates and excuses her husband's behavior. If readers recognize that the Kowalskis are trapped in a cycle of domestic abuse, they can better understand the couple's actions throughout the play. Indeed, the battering cycle even helps to explain Stanley Kowalski's most brutal act of violence: the rape of Stella 's sister, Blanche DuBois."

Here Susan Koprince agrees with me when I say that Stella exacerbates the other characters' flaws.

=Reasons to Fault Stella=
 * Stella is too forgiving. She allows Stanley and Blanche to walk all over her which leads to escalating tensions between the two since each side thinks the other is walking over Stella.
 * Stella has trouble seeing the realities of life. She is slow to admit others' faults which can allow characters to go past the emotional point-of-no-return.

=Reasons to Admire Stella=


 * Stella is often the voice of reason between two extremes.
 * Stella serves to deaden the shocks and confrontation between the Blanche and Stanley. Unfortunately for her, this often means that they take their anger out on her.