A Comparative Essay on the Couples John and Elizabeth Proctor, and Stanley and Stella Kowalski
For most of the play, the kind of relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor is perceived as strong and a loving one (Smith, 129). For obvious reasons, the relationship between the two has appeared to go through a considerable strain. At this point, Elizabeth Proctor’s trust in John Proctor has been substantively diminished due to the infidelity exhibited by her husband. John is seen to have an affair with Abigail Williams outside marriage. Elizabeth got very upset after learning about the affair between John and Abigail. Elizabeth still loves her husband very much, though. Regardless of his virtue of infidelity, Elizabeth is seen protecting John Proctor by all means. Elizabeth protects her husband’s reputation. As a result, she openly lies about the affair of her husband on oath. On the other hand, John does the same by giving a strong challenge to the court of law to ensure that his wife Elizabeth is protected from the gallows.
Stella Kowalski is seen to be madly in love with her husband, Stanly Kowalski. As a result, she wouldn’t leave her husband for whatever reason. Stella loves her husband to the extent that, when Stanly is out for a single night, the night seems long. The moment she conceived a baby, no reason could make her leave her husband (Jacobs, 176). Blanche asks Stella to leave her husband due to the openly abusive marriage; Stella goes ahead and bars her from visiting her. Stella is, therefore, portrayed as a woman who would continuously love her beloved husband, Stanly, besides his abusive nature. Stella returns to her husband after seeking refuge in her neighbor’s house when called. The thought of leaving Stanley does not cross Stella’s mind, and it appears like she is highly dependent on her husband.
The two marriages exhibit difficulties even though Stanley and Stella Kowalski’s marriage is more abusive than the one of John and Elizabeth Proctor. John cheats on her wife Elizabeth, while Stanley physically abuses her wife, Stella. The two couples vividly portray the nature of marriages in today’s society.
References
Jacobs, Daniel. “Three’s a crowd: Stella’s pregnancy and the arrival of an “other” in A Streetcar Named Desire.” International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies 16.3 (2019): 174-180.
Smith, Leonard. The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Macmillan International Higher Education, 2016.