In the famous play A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, each main character has a severe issue. Blanche is so delusional and Stanley is so abusive that it appears Stella is the only logical one. However, this is not the truth. This was exposed in the final scene when Stella said, “I couldn’t go on believing her story and live with Stanley” (Stella, 1862). This quote did not mean Stella thought Blanche was lying. It meant that if Blanche sided with Stella, she would have to leave the life she currently had with Stanley. When stella made this decision it was clear that she epitomized the personality disorder known as the dark triad.
A pyschology research article titled Distinguishing The Dark Triad, by Heather Douglas and Miles Bore breaks down these characteristics. "The three overlapping constructs called Narcissism, Machiavellianism and Psychopathy comprise the dark triad of personality” (Douglas 1). All three of these traits are displayed by Stella in her final decision to not side with Blanche. The first level of the dark triad known as narcissism is represented by having a lack of empathy. Stella was aware of her sister being delusional and doesn’t take it into consideration with her decision to not side with her. In Scene 11 Stella says, "I just told her that we'd made arrangements for her to rest in the country. She's got it mixed in her mind with Shep Huntleigh” (1861). This confirms Stella knows Blanche is delusional and it leads into the second level of the dark triad. This next level is machiavellian behavior such as manipulation. Stella does exactly that when she takes advantage of Blanche being mentally unstable. The third trait of the dark triad is psychopathic behavior such as feeling no remorse. There seems to be a moment where Stella second guesses her decision to send Blanche away when she tells Eunice “I don’t know if i did the right thing” (1862). Eunice reassures her that there were no other options and Stella was easily convinced she had no choice which showed she didn’t truly care.
All three levels of the dark triad are selfish characteristics. Stella expresses each of them by feeling no empathy, manipulating, and feeling no remorse for Stella. She understands that Blanche is delusional therefore she must be aware of the possibility that Blanche is telling the truth about Stanley raping her. However, Stella chooses to selfishly ignore this possibility so she can continue living her life without trouble.
Douglas, H., Bore, M., & Munro, D. (2012). Distinguishing the dark triad: Evidence from the five-factor model and the hogan development survey. Psychology, 3(3), 237-242.
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