Compare and contrast the presentation of the sister’s relationship in ‘top girls’ and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ in light of the opinion that “both writers portray their characters as having relationships with their siblings that are dysfunctional and ultimately destructive”.
William and Churchill both display women in a modern society through fictional and real characters. William uses Blanche to display struggles of women in modern society through Blanche’s physical exploitation from Stanley. William also displays fixing of gender roles through Stella as she is not able to succumb her husband’s orders. Furthermore Churchill uses fictional and real characters to display a more modern society where women are able to succumb to a male-dominated society, Churchill uses Marlene who has chosen the independence and fulfilment through of her career, and he also uses Joyce who represents women who are working class.
In Street car named desire, Stella and Blanche represent strong sister relationship as they are sympathetic towards each other. Blanche comes to her sister in aid as she has nowhere else to go, “Stella, Oh, Stella, Stella! Stella for star”, this shows sister bond between both as Blanche is joyful to see her sister. However their relationship is dysfunctional as Williams represents Blanche as self-immersed in a world of fantasy or as she says “Make-believe”. Blanche is distraught when Stella is physically injured by Stanley, she wants to desperately convince her sister to leave with her, and however Stella refuses saying “you take it for granted that I am in something that I want to get out of”, this signifies their relationship to be rather functional as one cares about the other.
Churchill represents both sisters to be different, Marlene, has rejected her working class to fully embrace and fulfilment through her career and Joyce’s who chose the working class and not succumb to her female duties. In the last scene we truly Experince the destruction of their relationship as they are arguing and reminding the past of each other.
Marlene and Joyce blame their relationship on their father’s alcoholism and their family’s poverty, there father had to work “in the fields like an animal” and even then the family remained poor, the sister’s relationship was corrupted from the start as their family memories mostly consist of their poverty. Joyce feels as if there is nothing in her life that makes her happy, she also constantly keeps reminding Marlene of the sacrifices she has made to maintain a family, she reminds Marlene the brunt of suffering she has experienced.
In scene eleven