In this paper, I will attempt a psychoanalytic reading of the male and the female in a selection of Tennessee Williams’s plays. In my opinion, a psychoanalytic approach is the best way to do justice to Williams’s disturbed characters and to explain the concepts of sex, gender, and culture that are inherent in each of his plays. The interrelation of these concepts will be of the utmost importance in the analysis ofThe Glass Menagerie(1945),A Streetcar Named Desire(1947),Cat on a Hot Tin Roof(1955),Orpheus Descending(1957),Suddenly Last Summer(1957), andSweet Bird of Youth(1959). However, before turning to the analysis of Tennessee Williams’s plays, I will first delineate the concept of psychoanalysis as such. Since Sigmund Freud, who is conceived of as the father of psychoanalysis, psychoanalysis has come a long way, and even though it is today regarded as a somewhat conservative discipline, it still retains a disruptive attitude towards the conventional discourse of gender and sexuality. It furthermore has the capacity to undermine notions of fixed identity, including sexual identity, and although psychoanalysis may not be used as a method of treatment in clinical psychiatry anymore, it still proves successful when it comes to analysing the notion of sex, gender, and culture in literary texts, for instance. I will begin the paper with an outline of Sigmund Freud’s essays on the three stages of psychosexual development of the child and give a brief account on the general workings of human sexuality. Via Freud’s essays, I will show that sexuality is inextricably linked with modern Western society, and that sexual drives are repressed in order to guarantee the individual’s entrance into society and culture. “Seit Freud wird die […] Entstehung und Funktion moralischer Motive im Individuum und in der Gesellschaft unter Berücksichtigung psychosexueller Entwicklungsphasen aus der Dialektik zwischen der Triebnatur des Menschen und seiner Gebundenheit an kulturelle und soziale Wert und Normsetzungen abgeleitet.”1Human sexuality then turns out to be a cultural product that is based on heterosexual behavior and procreation. Via these aspects, I will forge a link to Williams’s disturbed characters, who fail to associate with normative sexuality. In order to further explore the connection of sex, gender, and culture, I will also take Jacques Lacan’s contribution to psychoanalysis into consideration.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- The Male and the Female in Psychoanalytic Theory
- A Psychoanalytical Approach to the Development of the Individual
- Sigmund Freud's Drei Abhandlungen zur Sexualtheorie
- The Three Stages of Psychosexual Development of the Individual
- Lacan's Contribution to Psychosexual Development
- A Psychoanalytical Approach to the Development of Culture
- C.R. Badcock's Theory on Social Development
- Modern Western Society and American Culture
- Tennessee Williams's Plays and American Society
- A Psychoanalytical Approach to the Development of the Individual
- Tennessee Williams's Heterosexual Characters
- The Southern Gentlewoman
- Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie
- Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire
- The Beautiful Male or the Sacrificial Stud
- Val Xavier in Orpheus Descending
- Chance Wayne in Sweet Bird of Youth
- Family and Procreation
- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
- The Southern Gentlewoman
- Tennessee Williams's Homosexual Characters
- Brick Pollitt in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
- Sebastian Venable in Suddenly Last Summer
Objectives and Key Themes
This paper aims to provide a psychoanalytic reading of the male and female characters in a selection of Tennessee Williams's plays, exploring the concepts of sex, gender, and culture as they are intertwined within the plays. The analysis focuses on how Williams's characters are impacted by the rigid social norms and expectations of mid-century America, particularly regarding sexuality and gender roles.
- The impact of psychoanalytic theory on understanding the portrayal of male and female characters in Tennessee Williams's plays.
- The role of sex, gender, and culture in Williams's work, highlighting the interplay between individual identity and societal expectations.
- The depiction of Southern culture and its influence on Williams's female characters, especially the Southern Gentlewoman archetype.
- The portrayal of male characters who defy traditional masculinity and face societal persecution.
- The exploration of homosexuality in Williams's plays, including its impact on characters and the societal stigma associated with it.
Chapter Summaries
The paper begins with a detailed overview of psychoanalytic theory, focusing on the works of Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan, and how they relate to the development of the individual and culture. The paper then explores the social context of mid-century America, highlighting the rigid gender roles and sexual politics of the time.
The first part of the analysis focuses on Williams's portrayal of the Southern Gentlewoman in The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. It examines how these female characters navigate the realities of their time, grappling with societal expectations and the complexities of their personal lives.
The second part delves into the presentation of the male characters in Orpheus Descending and Sweet Bird of Youth. This section analyzes how these characters face societal backlash for defying traditional masculinity and embracing alternative identities.
The third part examines the themes of family, procreation, and societal norms through the lens of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, exploring how Williams critiques traditional family structures and challenges conventional expectations of heterosexual relationships.
The fourth and final part, before the conclusion, focuses on the portrayal of homosexuality in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Suddenly Last Summer, analyzing how Williams explores the societal stigma surrounding homosexuality and its impact on the characters' lives.
Keywords
This paper explores key themes including psychoanalytic theory, sex, gender, and culture, focusing on their intersection in the context of Tennessee Williams's plays. The paper also examines the portrayal of Southern culture, traditional masculinity, homosexuality, and societal norms in America during the mid-twentieth century. The work delves into characters like Amanda Wingfield, Blanche Dubois, Val Xavier, Chance Wayne, Brick Pollitt, and Sebastian Venable, analyzing their relationships with societal expectations and personal identities.
- Citation du texte
- Frederik Kugler (Auteur), 2006, The Male and the Female in Tennessee Williams's Plays, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/61462
