What does William's depiction of Blanche and Stanley's lives say about desire?

Williams
obviously meant the theme of desire to be prominent in his play since he put the word in the
title. Several ideas about desire are communicated through Blanche and Stanley's
lives.

First, desire leaves a trail of destruction. Blanche's desires caused
her to ruin her reputation in Laurel, MS, and to violate her position of trust as a teacher by
having relations with a minor, one of her students. By the end of the play, Stanley's desires
have plunged Blanche into insanity and have caused a rift between Stella and her sister which,
although not obvious within the time period of the play, will certainly bring continued
heartache to Stella in the future.

Second, Williams makes a gender
distinction with regard to desire. Stanley is someone who follows his desires moment by moment;
thus he gets into brawls, physically abuses Stella, and rapes Blanche. However, at the end of
the play, he retains his position of power in his home and among his friends (although Mitch
shows some...