In At Least Two Works That You Have Studied Essay Example
In At Least Two Works That You Have Studied Essay Example

In At Least Two Works That You Have Studied Essay Example

Available Only on StudyHippo
Topics:
  • Pages: 5 (1212 words)
  • Published: June 8, 2018
  • Type: Essay
View Entire Sample
Text preview

In at least two works that you have studied, discuss the use of minor characters in either supporting or undermining what appear to be the goals of the protagonist Throughout the two plays, Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams and The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Willed, the minor characters play an important role in supporting or undermining the goals of the protagonist. In this case, in the Streetcar Named Desire, Mitch is the minor character that supports the goals of the protagonist, Blanched Dubious.

However, in The Importance Of Being Earnest, Lady Breakneck is the minor hearted that undermines the goals of the protagonist, Jack Worthington.

In the Streetcar Named Desire, the protagonist, Blanched Dubious' main goal is to mak

...

e up her own illusionary world to escape the reality. "I don't want realism. I want magic! Yes, yes magic! I try to give that to people". Since Blanched is so delusional and needs to escape the reality of her having nobody and being aware of her slowly fading youth, she needs someone that can hide the truth of the reality.

Not only does she want it for her self, she wants other people to escape with her, such as Mitch.

To support her escaping of reality, Mitch comes around. In the presence Of Mitch, she is able to be happy, as she is now being able to hide her truth. Williams chooses to use a minor character such as Mitch as he is very much like Blanched, in the sense that he is very lonely and wanting to be with someone, regardless of who it is in order to avoid and t

View entire sample
Join StudyHippo to see entire essay

keep themselves distracted from their previous emotional pains. "You need somebody. And I need somebody, too.

Could it be you and me, Blanched? ' This emphasizes Mitch and Blanches neediness to be with someone as long as they are not lonely and are distracted from the happenings of the past.

It is made clear that Mitch is just a source of Blanches escape. Him being so vulnerable and in the similar situation as Blanched makes it easier for her to get to him. This is also the reason why it is easy for Blanched to influence him to be with her. Williams makes it clear that Mitch is of a much lower standard than Blanched and also is not as literate.

However, this is in favor for Blanched.

As audience, we see that Blanched is in lead of most of the conversation that happens between them. Therefore emphasizing that Mitch is very vulnerable. More over, Williams emphasizes that Mitch is only a source for Blanches tiff for escaping her reality and not wanting to be alone.

She wants to live with somebody but not Stella and Stanley Kowalski as her time there is mainly seen as torturous. "l want to rest! I want to breath quietly again! Yes, I want Mitch very badly! Just think! If it happens! I can leave here and not be anyone's problem. This shows that Mitch is just a step towards her goal. It may seem like Mitch is very unaware of this but nevertheless, he highly supports her goals whether he is conscious of it or not. Even though, Blanches goals may not appear to be realistic or appropriate,

Mitch seems to be in full support of this, also because he needs her just as much as she needs him. We can see that Blanched has been manipulating Mitch in order to achieve her goal of being with someone and not being lonely.

" I misrepresent things to them. Don't tell the truth, tell what ought to be truth.

And if that is sinful then let me be damned for it! Don't turn the light on". Williams tries to give out a lot in the few lines.

We know that Blanched is aware of her deceiving attitude, however, she tries to justify her telling lies and hopes that Mitch would understand it. The phrase "Don't turn the lights n" suggests that Blanched is still not willing to reveal her true self to Mitch even though he has got to know all the truth about her from Stanley. At the end of the play, Mitch is still on Blanches side even though he has decided not to be with her anymore.

When he sees Blanched being taken away by the doctor he says to Stanley, h'U! You done this, all of your God damn interfering with things you.

I'll kill you! ". This shows that he is still willing to support Blanched through to her goals, however being stopped by other factors such as a stronger character like Stanley Kowalski. In The Importance of Being Earnest, the protagonist, Jack Worthiness main goal is to marry Lord and Lady Bracelet's daughter, Condoled Fairfax, who is a "sensible, intellectual girl". She is of a very high social class.

Jack not knowing his origins makes it hard for

him to secure his engagement with Condoled thus having to look for him identity before Lady Breakneck approves of him getting married to her daughter, Condoled. We see that throughout the play, Lady Breakneck is very against the proposal of Jack to Condoled.

She is very crossed that Condoled has accepted to be engaged to Jack, who is someone with no real identity and doesn't what his origins are. Moreover, Lady Breakneck also thinks that he lacks social status.

She also can be seen as the dominant Victorian moral body as Willed portrays her. Thus showing her motifs to undermine Jack's goals towards marrying Condoled. "When married Lord Breakneck I had no fortune of any kind. But never dreamed for a moment of allowing that to stand in my way', Willed deliberately chooses these words to be said by Lady Breakneck to emphasize that she is never going to allow or let Jack to marry her only daughter.

We also see that Lady Breakneck has very high standards of whom her daughter is going to get married to.

She has already made a list of men that would fit into the needs. "I feel bound to tell you that you are not down on my list of eligible young men, although I have the same list as the dear Duchess of Bolton has. We work together in fact. However, I am quite ready to enter your name, should your answers be what a really affectionate mother requires.

Do you smoke? " She puts in a way that she has been put under an obligation to say that he is not fit for the position as

a husband for her aught.

She compares her standards to the "Duchess of Bolton", implying that Jack will never be able to live up to those standards. Even though she says, "she is quite ready to enter [his] name" she still asks him questions that are ridiculous just to throw him off. This shows that she is very unsupported Of Jack's goals that he has to work hard to get past it.

In conclusion, both the plays, The Streetcar Named Desire and The Importance of Being Earnest have minor character such as Mitch and Lady Breakneck to either support or undermine the goals of the protagonist.

Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New