The alienation and estrangement of the female characters in the plays of Tennessee Williams

Tennessee Williams wrote his plays with a negative outlook on women, characterizing them as alienated and estranged from men, each other, and society. Three plays were selected to represent the beginning, middle, and end of his career: A Streetcar named Desire, Suddenly Last Summer, and Small Craft Warnings. The plays were analyzed, focusing on the actions and dialogue of the women. The female characters were placed on Maslow's hierarchy of needs to determine whether they were fully evolved. Supporting material was gathered to tie the concepts of alienation and estrangement to the behavior of the female characters. A pattern that women are alienated from men and estranged from other women in Williams' plays is demonstrated.