The Double Edged Sword of Defense Mechanism adopted by the select characters in Tennessee William’s ‘A Street Car Named Desire’

Abstract

’Put your sword back into its place ’’, Jesus said to him, for all who take the sword will Perish by the sword      -Matthew 26:52

Tennessee Williams is a playwright of great psychological depth. This paper seeks to probe some of the complexities of human relationship and maladjustment resulting through the constant yet unconscious adaptation of ‘Defense Mechanism’ by the select characters of Tennessee William’s play ‘A Street Car Named Desire’ in light of   the theory of Personality propounded by Sigmund Freud. A psychological scrutiny is advanced from this theoretical stance as to how the select characters, namely Blanch and Stella, the female leads resort to different kinds of Mechanisms in the face of domestic and personal adversity.  Among  the plethora of   Defense Mechanisms, such as Idealization, Displacement, Compensation, Repression, Regression, Projection, projective identification, Day-Dreaming, Sublimation, Denial, sexual Guilt, Object Loss and Obligation etc, only a handful of mechanisms such as Denial, Progression, compensation, projection, progression, Regression and Fantasy  which are adopted by  the select  characters of the play is examined in this paper Also  Possible practical solutions to overcome the unconscious yet irresistible influence of such mechanisms  has been advanced. ‘A Street Car Named Desire’ in light of   the theory of Personality propounded by Sigmund Freud.