Mad Men and “A Street Car Named Desire.”

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In the third episode of the Mad Men television series, “The Marriage of Figero,” the viewer is given a clear portrayal of the lifestyle for many Americans in the 1960’s. The setting of the suburban household, workplace, and city atmosphere reveals the private lives and scandals of its many characters. When watching this episode, I was able to make strong connections to the 1947 play “A Street Car Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams.

            Although many of you may not have read or seen this play, it focuses around the central character Blanche DuBois who moves to the apartment of her sister, Stella, and her husband, Stanley, after losing the family home.  As the play continues to develop, more of Blanche’s past is revealed as she talks to one of Stanley’s friends, Mitch. The audience learns that years ago her husband committed suicide after Blanche discovered and reprimanded him for being homosexual. Although they bond over the loss of a loved one and begin to develop a relationship, Stanley divulges to Mitch about the numerous sexual liaisons and affairs that Blanche had in the past. When Blanche drunkenly admits that the stories are true, Mitch tells her that he cannot marry her. After this point in the story Blanche goes mentally insane, and the play ends as a doctor comes to take Blanche to an insane asylum.

            Although the plot may not directly lead one to connect this play to Mad Men, it has many parallels and underlying themes that are similar. For example, Blanche and Don Draper both have a poorly disguised drinking problem. Even though smoking and drinking is normal during these time periods, in both cases, their excessive drinking can be seen as an escape from reality. As both characters withdraw from their unsympathetic reality, their drunken state leads to destructive behavior. Don uses alcohol as a diversion from his nagging wife, which can be seen when he is drunk and doesn’t come back to his daughter’s birthday party after picking up the cake. Blanche’s retreat through alcohol allows her to shield herself from reality and the horrors of her past, which she tries to avoid by moving to her sister’s apartment. Unlike Don however, Blanche tries to keep her drinking a secret. Inevitably when the truth comes out about her past, Blanche loses the affection of Mitch and insanity emerges as she retreats fully into herself.

            Another connection that can be made between these two works are the character’s secret personal lives and the resulting false images of perfection that are created. During the 1960’s and the post war era, the idea of perfection was heavily embedded in society. This concept is conveyed in Mad Men as the women are expected to be the “perfect” housewife or the “perfect” mother. People strived to achieve this flawless image through material items and outward appearances such as their houses, cars, jobs, clothing, etc. This can be seen as Helen is criticized for the car she drives and the fact that she is a single mother. In both of these works, multiple characters create façades to hide secrets from their personal lives and uphold society’s expectations of perfection. In “A Street Car Named Desire,” Stanley is portrayed as a loyal friend and a good husband to Stella. Unbeknownst to the other characters in the play, Stanley is an abusive husband who also rapes Blanche.  Additionally, Blanche also pretends to be a proper and dignified woman who’s false etiquette is an attempt to make her seem more attractive to men and boost her self-esteem.  These misleading impressions can also be seen in Mad Men during Don’s daughter’s birthday party. As Don makes his way through the house with a video camera, everything seems idyllic as children are playing, men are smoking, and people are enjoying each other’s company and conversations. However, once the audience is able to see outside the camera’s view we are able to acknowledge that the scene is not so perfect as Helen calls another man out for implying an affair, women are gossiping in the kitchen, and the men are distant from their families. In both of these texts, it is evident that true perfection is never really achieved but is merely a façade.

            Both of these texts made me realize that today our society is not necessarily all that different. People still strive for the appearance of perfection in order to be accepted by others. We try to have the nicest clothes, the most expensive car, or the biggest house. People even alter their physical appearance to become more attractive. Although it may not be as obvious today, our society still has a huge focus on the idea of perfection, whether it is true or not.