Deviance and Transgression In the little narrative “The Man Who Knew Belle Starr”, author Richard Bausch provides the reader with a thrilling suspense story that takes an unexpected turn of events. In Bausch’s story “The Man Who Knew Belle Starr” the actions of the characters can be understood in terms of Chris Jenks’ theory of transgression as well as sociological theories of deviance featured in Debra Marshall’s video “Crime and Deviance: A Sociological Perspective.” While both characters are both deviant and criminal, Belle Starr demonstrates agency and coherence in her violations against the law making her a proper transgressor; in contrast McRae’s un-reflexive and immature behavior separates him from a transgressor The story starts …show more content…
An aspect of the Funcionalist theory that can be applied to both characters is anomie , defined as “the loss of direction of the individual when social controls become ineffective”(Marshall). Through McRae we learn that his mother died when he was young and his dad was an alcoholic. Growing up, he had no parental guidance or support as a result, he ends up in trouble with the law for his incident in the Air Force. The theory of anomie can also be recognized in Belle Starr , from her history of sexual abuse conducted from her mother’s partners. Basically, rules and regulations don’t work anymore internally or externally as she tries to take vengeance on the men who remind her of her terrible …show more content…
In his study entitled, “Whither Trangressor?” Chris Jenks suggests that “To transgress is to go beyond the bounds and limits set by a commandment or law or convention, it is to violate or infringee. But to transgress is also more than this, it is to announce and even laudate the commandment, the law or the convention”(Jenks 2). Belle Starr can be considered a transgressor because she is aware of the fact that she exceeds the boundaries of what is socially acceptable behavior. She admits to killing five and a half people and celebrates her accomplishment. After a horrified McRae learns about her murders, Belle expresses, "Just think about it, McRae. You can say you rode with Belle Starr. You can tell your grandchildren"(Bausch 123). Belle Starr takes pride in her killings and wishes that she becomes a famous murder known for generations to come. She is also well aware of the rules of society as she recognizes that people on the highway are violating the speed limit. When McRae tells her they should speed up, she tells him to slow down because cops only chase cars who are in a hurry. Her astute and cunning nature gives us the sense that she is able to dominate the situation and McRae right from the start. Belle Starr is an example of a transgressor because she consciously acknowledges her actions with an objective in
Deviant acts take many different forms often depending on the person committing the act, the people who witness it, the setting of the act, and the circumstances surrounding it, among many other factors. There are many approaches that people in order to convince themselves that they are not deviant. In the same sense, there are many ways that criminals escape being labeled deviant by others. Chambliss (1972) follows two groups of high school boys, the Saints and the Roughnecks. Both groups are involved in very deviant acts, although the Saints tend to avoid most trouble and are not viewed poorly by the community while the Roughnecks are constantly in trouble and have developed a poor image of themselves within the community.
Stella’s sister, Blanche, sees through the illusion and can see how toxic the marriage really is. Stanley and Blanche come from distinctly different backgrounds, Stanley is from the working class while Blanche comes from wealth. Williams uses these two contrasting points of views on marriage, to show the issues of possessiveness, class, and sexism. When it comes to Stanley’s marriage to Stella, one of the most notable characteristics is how possessive Stanley is. An example of this is when Stanley found out that Blanche and therefore Stella, lost their estate.
Usually when a character is very demanding, the way they act towards others is rude and obnoxious. Blanche and Stanley do clash heads a lot, but they are both antithetical to those close to them. Blanche expects everyone to listen to her and sees herself as the center of attention. She wants everyone and everything to be all about her and the main thing she wants is to be desired. Blanche cannot really have what she wants because she changes her moods on everyone and so it causes people to treat her the opposite from how she wants to be treated.
As Tish Dace writes in A Street Car Named Desire, “Streetcar’s original producer, Irene Selznick, as a woman, may have been touched by the power of double standard to dictate that Blanche’s father and grandfather could indulge in ‘epic fornications’ and Stanley could be admired for his sexual prowess, but a woman of Blanche’s class, once she has slipped off her pedestal, is fair target for rape” (Dace). Blanche’s promiscuity is the reason Mitch will not marry her and it is the reason she is banned from her hometown, while Stanley, guilty of the same crime, is not punished at all but admired for
That is why he hates Blanche because she is not the same as the girls he has seen. He sees her as a threat in the sense that she will ruin the marriage between Stella and Stanley. However, he has feelings of self conscious and feels threatened because he feels like she can ruin him. He hates that Stella and Blanche were always wealthy and he feels as if they look down on him for being poor. He does not feeling submissive which is why he reacts harshly most of the time.
301617- A Streetcar Named Desire Lying as well as deception is a common theme in A Streetcar Named Desire for the characters. There is Blanche, whom, because of her deception and lying which has played a bigger role on the other characters than she goes and realizes. Blanche stated in scene two of A Streetcar
The Destruction of the Belle Reve Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire is a wonderfully tragic story of the delusional Blanche DuBois, whose lies are unfolded and destroyed by the misogynist Stanley Kowalski. Throughout the play, Blanche frequently lies about her past, who she is, and what she’s done. Each lie she tells slowly unravels the next until she is caught, drowning in her own pathetic lies, forced to surrender to the malicious consequences dealt by Stanley. Similar to James Gatz, Blanche is obsessed with covering up her past actions, and creating a thin cloak of lies; however, James’ past is merely one of social degradation, Blanche carries the weight of her own horrible decisions.
Here, she claims that she is an “innocent” person that was trapped in a net crime. She hoped that women and girls alike could learn from her mistakes that lead to her life as an outlaw. Blanche believed that an ex-convict like herself could live an honest life, if given the chance. She mentions her father and her desire to go to him, since he is the only family she holds on to. Blanche concludes the afterword admitting that she failed in trying to turn her husband away from crime, also supporting the possibility of ex-convicts to live among society as honest
She refused to leave him when Blanche insisted and didn’t believe Blanche when it came to her being raped. Blanche, Stella, and Stanley all have the same want to be desired. The ways they act and treat each other back that up. Blanche feels the need to be desired by everyone around her, Stanley by Stella and others, and Stella by Stanley. Their lives revolve around desire.
It also highlights Stella’s submissive nature, and how she conforms to the sexist societal expectations of a helpless and fragile woman. Although the surrounding male characters disregard Stanley’s abuse, the audience is repulsed by it and identifies it as morally wrong. This shows how Williams is criticising the acceptance of this abusive behaviour in society, using Stella’s dilemma as a victim to plea for a change. Stanley is even abusive when displaying his
In A Streetcar Named Desire, the author Tennessee Williams exaggerates and dramatizes fantasy’s incapability to overcome reality through an observation of the boundary between Blanches exterior and interior conveying the theme that illusion and fantasy are often better than reality. Blanche, who hides her version of the past, alters her present and her relationship with her suitor Mitch and her sister, Stella. Blanche was surrounded by death in her past, her relatives and husband have passed away, leaving her with no legacy left to continue. The money has exhausted; the values are falling apart and she is alienated and unable to survive in the harsh reality of modern society. Throughout the novel Williams juxtaposed Blanche’s delusions with
During this time men brought in the money for the household, while the mother’s would stay at home and watch over the children of the family. With this came a sense of pride and authority for the men. Throughout the film Stanley continually abuses Blanche and even goes to the extreme of raping her. He depicts an animal-like man with no awareness of morals. When he gets angry he has no control of his reactions and results to physical violence.
All at once and much, much too completely” (95). Blanche made the discovery of her desire for the first time, but this hunger could not be satisfied. Her husband’s death and his homosexuality kept her from feeling what it is to be desired and, in turn feeling desire. Her sexual desires which at first had been denied by her husband 's death were now denied by her need to find a husband. As she no longer owned Belle Reve, which afforded her some social status, her only means of tempting suitors was through her sexuality and her fading looks.
The movie illustrates how societal expectations of gender roles shape our understanding of deviance and the criminalization of women. Additionally, the film portrays the dark side of Kya's life, where she is subjected to domestic violence, highlighting the gendered qualities of domestic violence and the impact it has on individuals and families. Furthermore, the movie shows how poverty and societal inequalities can contribute to deviant behavior. These sociological themes provide a helpful framework for understanding the complicated relationships between society, individuals, and deviant behavior. Finally, the movie shows the impact of social norms, gender roles, and economic factors on individuals and their
As far as crime is concerned, it is defined by the law. Deviance is unexpected behaviour, but not exactly considered criminal. Many consider crime as a social problem – a problem as defined by society, such as homelessness, drug abuse, etc. Others would say crime is a sociological problem – something defined as a problem by sociologists and should be dealt with accordingly by sociologists. This essay attempts to discover the boundaries between these two and ultimately come to an appropriate conclusion.