“I've got the guts to die. What I want to know is, have you got the guts to live?”
Tennessee
Williams again on the strength and weaknesses. A theme so rich it’s
hardly believable that this play is so small (like all the plays).
When woman chooses she loves her husband strong enough for them both
even if he can’t answer her love. When man chooses to spare his
life drinking because his lover died and he can’t bare it without
him. When man lives for several hours between his hope and deathful
diagnosis. When he finds out that his wife has actually loved him all
the years they lived together. This is what I call a real theatre.
I
regret having not seen any of Tennessee’s plays on stage. I think
they are not very popular here in Ukraine which is sad. But at least
we have a chance to read them.
There’s
so much more to this play. I definitely recommend reading it. Not
because it’s exciting. Indeed it is. But what is more, again, you
question yourself. Could I love someone for 30+ years without having
back this love? Could I bear loving a person who can never love me
back because of homosexuality? Could I bear dying after living for
that several hours in joy and hope, surrounded by my family? These
questions are hard and most definitely our ego would answer “no”
to all of them. Until Love comes on the stage. When you love you
barely make a choice. You can’t leave a person who doesn’t love
you back because you are not selfish anymore; you are not just you
anymore. You are you and you are person you love, every singles piece
of them. There are no such words to describe love, you can only feel
it.
Tennessee
Williams will show you that love and marriage are not necessarily
fairytales. But it is still love.
“What is the victory of a cat on a hot tin roof?—I wish I knew... Just staying on it, I guess, as long as she can...”
“What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart, oh, no, it's curved like a road through mountains.”
Tennessee
Williams. This man wrote women like woman. He understands. And it
both shocks and amazes me. This is a story of women. Women, who
suffer because they loved, suffer in different yet similar ways. And
this is a story of men who do not see. Do not see the hurt they do to
their loved ones, do not see that they could do better.
I
don’t want to talk about its plot much. If you are interested you
would read it’s not that long after all. I want to spend this piece
of web space to talk about my feelings after reading it.
Women
are strong. Even when they think they are not. Women can bare a lot
of things for the love. And sometimes they are too strong to show
their weaknesses. A Woman can conquer a dragon or climb a highest
mountain if she wants to. But mostly she doesn’t know she can. Or
she choses everyday heroism instead of it. A heroism of sparing her
life on needs of her loved ones. Heroism of being there for them.
Heroism of being a rock. Heroism which no one normally sees and takes
it for granted.
Does
it makes a woman weak if she choses to be a woman of easy virtue
because she caused her loved husbands’ death? I think, in some way
yes. But she (Blanche) has strength to admit it and to move on, find
new love and new home. Does it make a man weak if he hits a woman to
show his strength? Definitely. When he pushed her harder to the pit
of her despair just because she offended his pride? Absolutely. Does
it makes woman weak when she sees her man being a monster and chooses
to close her eyes on it? Somehow yes. But on the other hand, she
makes this choice of baring this burden until her last day and it’s
up to her.
Tennessee
makes a reader question a lot and this is what I liked about his
works the most. All is not lost that is in peril. Read Tennessee.
Read and question everything. Because it may change you for the
better.
