Compare and Contrast The Ways in Which Williams and Plath Explore The Presentation of Restriction

Restriction means the limitation or control of someone or something, which is explored throughout different elements of Williams and Plath’s writing. Both writers demonstrate the role of women and their expected behaviour as a form of restriction; Williams (despite claiming not to be a political writer) explores the social and class-based elements of restriction while Plath, as a confessional poet, uses her poems to reveal and tackle restriction in a more personal, individual sphere. In both “a streetcar named desire’ and Plath’s poems, the social norms of female experience of marriage and childbearing are both replicated and criticised. Traditional gender roles in marriage were important in mid-century America.

For example, in a study by Charlotte Johnson, she states how “Husbands were the breadwinners and leaders of the household, usually working outside the home. Wives stayed home to tend to domestic matters, such as cleaning, cooking and raising children. The traditional view was that wives were helpers for their husbands. This stable, predictable union was the cornerstone for the community. ” This dynamic is reflected in Stella and Stanley’s relationship, the first time we see them in the play Stanley is literally bringing home the “meat”. As the play develops it is revealed how Stanley abuses Stella, yet she still stays with him because without him she would not know how to manage, for example “And when he comes back I cry on his lap like a baby”. Her own admission that she is “like a baby” without him shows how deeply ingrained this attitude is within society; Stella is restricted to a relationship with someone who is ultimately damaging because she simply cannot function without him. Plath uses the poem ‘Spinster’ to present the persona as someone who wants control over her life and does not want to be dependent on a man, which contrasts to Stella who physically and mentally needs Stanley in her life. The persona is walking with her “latest suitor” and then “found herself, of a sudden, intolerably struck” by the surrounding nature, Plath’s portrayal of him as a “suitor” depersonalizes his character, he presents no meaning to the persona as he is the “latest”. The presence of disorder in the environment is what prompts the persona to recognize that she doesn’t need to be restricted to having a suitor or a husband but just needs herself to live her life, the inclusion of nature used as the pivotal point of her realisation may have been used because the girl is so restricted to finding a potential husband that she has never got to enjoy other aspects in life like nature. Plath satirises the expectation of marriage through her use of the derogatory term “spinster”. She uses it ironically – she’s not unmarried because no one wants her (“latest”) but because she chooses to be.

The juxtaposition of the title and content of the poem undermines society’s expectations and therefore undermines that restriction. Another element of restriction explored in both texts is the use of violence, both to enforce and escape control. Violence is used in the play to implement power and restriction whereas, Plath sometimes can use violence to escape restriction. In the play violence is a motif used predominantly by the men to highlight the power society gives them, which is widespread throughout the text and is often displayed through more subtle verbal aggression, or spiteful acts. For instance, it can be seen in the stage directions “Stanley gives a loud whack of his hand on her thigh” The use of the noun “whack” demonstrates Stanley exerting his control over Stella in front of their friends, he is essentially marking his territory. Stella’s response of “That’s not fun, Stanley” illustrates she is asserting some power by telling Stanley how she feels yet this power is deflated when Stanley’s friends laugh at her. Stella’s language here is short and she is trying to get Stanley’s attention by saying his name as the brain registers that when our name is said someone wants our attention yet, Stanley still disregards her showing how little he thinks of her feelings. Stella’s acceptance of this spiteful acts highlights the restricted relationship that she is in as she is not taken seriously by any of the other characters, especially her husband. In the poem, ‘Daddy’ written in 1962 Plath explores the relationship which she had with her father and also explores the restrictive relationship she experienced with her husband. She explains how she found a replacement for her father, a man just like him whom she marries “if I’ve killed one man, I’ve killed two-/ the vampire who said he was you/ drank my blood for a year, / seven years, if you want to know. ” The “seven years” is a reference to Plath’s marriage to Hughes and the shift from father to husband suggests the restriction from a male is still there and never goes away, the “vampire” is Hughes who made her feel drained and used, highlighting the dominance he had over her in their relationship.

The critic Robert Phillips stated “When she drives the stake through her father’s heart, she not only is exorcising the demon of her father’s memory, but metaphorically is killing her husband and all men. ” This viewpoint highlights the escape from the restriction that Plath herself was longing for; she uses this poem to finally let go of the memory and free herself from the restriction from both men. By driving the stake through hisPlath’s poem ‘Ariel’, main themes are about power and escape as the persona escapes restriction and is no longer a mother or wife, unlike Stella who cannot find the strength or courage to escape. ‘The child’s cry melts in the wall’ as when the poet is riding Ariel she finds freedom and escapes from everyday life including the consuming role of being a mother and a wife. The ‘cry’ is a reference to her children, whose needs she blocks out to focus solely on herself, and her life which she has not done in years since she would just focus on her child and husband. In both Williams and Plath’s work restriction is presented through women’s physical appearance. Williams uses Blanche’s character, personality, and clothing to demonstrate the performative nature of gender, but Plath uses ‘Mirror ‘to display how women are obsessed with their appearance. Both writers explore appearance because stereotypically that’s what society associated women with, Blanche is a key character who highly cares about her appearance and even lies about her age. Blanche’s appearance is first introduced as “incongruous” to the setting and “She is daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice” This use of the adverb “daintily” presents Blanche in a delicate and innocent manner which is further demonstrated with the choice of “white clothing” as she chooses to portray herself as a symbol of purity. The critic Schvey stated that “It is possible to view Blanche’s identification with white as an ironic use of colour”.

This is because as an audience, it is later discovered that this is an act, as she creates false imagery in order to maintain an upper-class social status and it is arguable that Blanche has restricted herself this way to hide herself from the potential judgement she could receive if the society surrounding her learned of her true (promiscuous) nature. Mary Wollstonecraft, an English writer stated-“Taught from their infancy that beauty is woman’s sceptre, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming around its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison. ” This concept can be applied to Blanche through her appearance and personality. For example, “you’ve got to be soft and attractive and I-I’m fading now!” referencing her old age, Blanche feels worthless because she is aging she is losing the most important thing to her- her beauty which she and all women are dependent on to live their life. The dash in her monologue represents her frustration as she has no control of her age and her language is purposefully exaggerated to emphasise the importance of typical femininity. In the poem ‘Mirror’, Plath writes from the point of view of the mirror about the importance of appearances and the search for the self for women. The mirror is such a powerful object in a woman’s life which is why Plath explores it, the mirror represents the truth and shows the woman what society restricts her too; her appearance as that is all society cares about for women. Assembled with, no clear rhyme or meter, unfamiliar syntax and an incisive use of enjambment, the poem is a personification of great depth.

The mirror is not cruel, “only truthful---” which is why women do not like it as they see something they are and not something they want to be and everything the mirror says is what the person looking in already knows, the dash shortens the line and creates a caesura highlighting that the mirror is definite. “She turns to those liars, the candles of the moon” light reveals the truth and the woman does not want her true nature to be exposed to light where all her insecurities are visible which is why she depends on the moon when it is dark, but these are “liars” because they mask her true appearance. It is similar to Blanche who only sees Mitch at night because that way he cannot see her true nature and she is not exposed. Blanche’s “delicate beauty must avoid a strong light” and for Blanche, looking good is about maintaining her youth as it is for most women because of society and ultimately the paper lantern becomes a metaphor for Blanche herself as she blocks the light of the world, so she doesn’t have to face its realities. Restriction in both texts also incorporates domestic chores and expectations of women, not simply their marital status. Women were stereotypically restricted to the role of a housewife and in the 1950s, secondary schools even prepared girls for this life: lessons were given in cookery, household management and even how to iron a shirt properly. Girls were trained to look after their husband, their children, and the house. In a journal entry as a teenager, Plath wrote “I am afraid of getting married. Spare me from cooking three meals a day – spare me from the relentless cage of routine and rote”. Plath uses the poem ‘lesbos’ to demonstrate domesticity and the realities of what women were doing while their husbands went to work, it is primarily set in the kitchen, a stereotypical place of where women were expected to spend most of their time. Plath describes the kitchen as “It is all Hollywood, windowless” this is because the media presented glamorous and happy women whose identities were complete by their focus on marriage, family, and housekeeping. This is why Plath references “Hollywood” as the media want to perceive being a housewife as living the dream but being a housewife is “windowless” because of the restriction of the kitchen and you can never enjoy other things in life such as nature, this is similar to “Spinster” as the girl also never gets to enjoy nature.

The description of the kitchen has connotations of a prison because she cannot escape and is physically stuck in the kitchen. Betty Fried, a famous writer for women’s magazines in the 1950s, documented this image of the ideal woman in her book ‘The Feminine Mystique’. She says that this image of the ideal woman (called the” feminine mystique”) was promoted by the media, by glamorization of the housewife role. This image of the kitchen being “windowless” uses the poetic method of melodrama and exaggeration to criticize aspects of housework, it demonstrates the realities of being a wife and a mother which the media doesn’t show as they are trying to promote it. Williams presents Stella’s role as a housewife and becoming a mother as the reason why Stella is restricted to staying with Stanley. It can be inferred that the reason why Stella stays with him is that she has not got a job, any of her own money as Stanley provides it and has not got any family to go stay with, leaving her with nothing without Stanley. The Critic Sengupta stated "Stella is a shadow to Stanley" because her voice is never heard, Stanley does not treat her right morally and expects her to do everything,she prepares Stanley’s dinner, pre-empts his needs and even clears up after the poker night, Blanche and a modern audience are horrified. In contrast to Stella, women in the 1940s were beginning to abandon their roles as housewives to acquire professional careers, Stanley likes to be the dominant one in the relationship and provide for his family but expects his wife to be restricted to being at home all day.

When Stella tries to get Stanley to help her clean the table his response is “(he hurls the plate to the ground) that’s how I’ll clear the table!” The sudden outburst of Stanley’s aggression is used to show his view that men are not supposed to clean the table and it is a women’s job, Stanley takes control of the situation and puts both Stella and Blanche is their place. The response of “that’s how I’ll clear the table!” represents the belligerent nature of Stanley because he feels that’s the way he should handle the situation; with violence. In Kazan’s 1951 movie production of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire”, the last scene is changed as Stella leaves Stanley. They changed is because they did not want to support immoral behaviour to that current audience, they possibly changed it to show how you can escape restriction. Restriction is presented through Williams and Plath’s work through the social expectation of women, traditional gender roles and the use of violence, the main form of restriction in both writers’ work is the expectations that society enforced on men but especially on women. Plath used her poems to tackle restrictions in a more personal way and has more of a hope for escaping restriction which contrasts with Williams who has more of a bleaker and harsh condemnation for restriction.