PUB #2

Connor Voelpel

Prof. Brady 

EGL 102

16 April 2024

What Can Love Really Mean?

The quote you provided is from Tennessee Williams' play "A Streetcar Named Desire," spoken by Stella in Scene 11. This line is a rather pivotal line in the story because it reflects Stella's inner conflict and her eventual decision to speak to Stanley despite the horror caused by his actions. 

In the context of the play, Stella's statement really shows her struggle with believing her sister Blanche's accusations against Stanley and choosing to continue her life with him, this is shown in scene 2 when he says, “Open your eyes to this stuff! You think she got them out of a teacher's pay?”(Stanley, Scene 2). This is showing his anger towards trying to convince his spouse on the issue he sees to be at hand. During this play, Stella is shattered between her morals and loyalty to her husband and her loyalty to her sister. However, she ends up choosing to stay with Stanley, which then goes to show that she prioritizes her relationship with him over the truth or her sister's well being.  At the parts of the play scene 4 Blache says, “Then I tremble for you I just-tremble for you.” (Blache, Scene 4) Blache is really trying to help her sister but as for Stella she is blinded by her inner self and the real conflict at hand.  This all is shown by the sociology part of this. In the final scenes to the last scenes in the book they try to really incorporate foreshadowing and allow the reader to even feel what could happen in the future of this play.  Stanley is a perfect example because he was a totally rude person in the beginning which then leads to him in one of the final scenes doing something very forbidden to his wifes sister.  Lastly, the final in text citation would be in scene Ten.  This scene shows the reader the way Stanley has zero respect for  his spouse and his spouse's sister.  Although in the beginning of the play that was already established.. It really all ties in when he does what he does with Blache.  It all comes full circle at the end of this book.  Especially when he is having a baby born and he does what he did.  

This issue can be a good connection to several real world scenarios, specifically in the area of politics and sociology. One example is the study and way of individuals choosing to ignore or dismiss things that go against their beliefs or people they are friends or family or even partners with. This small bias, known as a “confirmation bias”,  only tends to occur when people envy information that usually goes with their already known beliefs or values, even if the evidence is presented.  In another real world scenario they typically are simply blinded by the love one another has.  Although Stanley is a narcissistic human he always would tend to Stella at some points which would give her the false impression he was a good person.  In a real world scenario would just be a married couple with how one may be deeply in love and the other completely over it.

In politics, confirmation bias can end up leading to polarization and the spread of lies and can end up becoming misleading information . People may hold onto their political beliefs or ideologies that can support a particular leader not regarding the evidence of wrongdoing or harmful policies. This can result in a lack of accountability and a breakdown of trust in institutions.  Some may hear of the quote, “ I couldn't go on believing her story and live with Stanley" (Stella, Scene 11).  May not mean much, but during the play all her sister tried to do was pull her away from the harm of what Stanley does.  Pregnant with both their child it can also be a political problem back then, with the time period how marriage and baby booming was a relevant topic she was too blinded to see the truth.   

From a psychological perspective according to Harvard Medical school, it helps show Stella's decision can also be analyzed through the lens of a cognitive dissonance theory (1). This theory shows that individuals experience discomfort when told or shown conflicting beliefs or actions. To make this discomfort, they may rationalize their choices or downplay contradictory information. Stella's choice to continue living with Stanley despite doubts about his behavior can be seen as a way to reduce cognitive dissonance and help keep the internal consistency. 

In summary, Stella's quote from "A Streetcar Named Desire" reflects the complex interplay between belief, loyalty, and personal relationships. This theme resonates in various contexts, including politics, where cognitive biases like confirmation bias can influence decision-making and behavior, often to the root of critical thinking and truth seeking.

(1)  When two beliefs are inconsistent, individuals experience negatively arousing cognitive conflict (called dissonance).

Worked Cited:

Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire: 1947

visumbrasov.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/A-Streetcar-Named-Desire-2.pdf. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024. 

“Love and the Brain.” Harvard, Spring 2015 hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/love-brain#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20the%20positive,feelings%20involve%20two%20neurological%20pathways. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.