Compare and contrast the presentation of complicated family relationships in Tennessee Williams’s ‘Streetcar’ [1947] and Oyinkan Braithwaite’s ‘My Sister the Serial Killer’ [2018]
Both texts explore the complex relationships between two sisters in which one heavily relies on the other in a Streetcar Named desire, Stella eventually prioritizes her own satisfaction over her sisters actions.
Furthermore, both texts feature a male romantic figure that challenges the sisters’ relationship. Stanley comes between Stella and blanche. Similar to how Tade challenges Korede’s loyalty toward her sister. Ultimately, Stella choses her lover while Korede relinquishes her moral compass in order to make her sister’s world a reality. Finally, both texts feature the spectral presence of the characters’ fathers who, despite being dead, manifest themselves in the actions of their children.
In spite of the fact they grew up together, Stella and Blanche have juxtaposed temperaments and views on the world, which ultimately cannot be reconciled. This is shown in Blanche’s assertion that “I want to be with you, got to be with somebody, I can’t be alone” this highlights her dependency . Also the juxtaposing words “want” and “cant” indicate that Stella is not valued by Blanche as an individual, but she uses her as someone to depend on. Blanche’s desperate plea is a sign of her dependency and her inability to function on her own.
Whereas Stella is a more direct assertive character this is clear when she is asserting that the house is hers “ This is my house and i will talk as much as I want to” The possessive pronoun “my” implies ownership. It also challenges social expectations of gender relationships and conveys her development as a character away from someone who will enable her sister towards someone who will act independently and assertively.
Korede challenging gender relationships though the line “it’s because she’s beautiful you know. That’s all it is” Oyinkan uses the ambiguous word “she” to suggest that Ayoola is like many women who are valued only for their beauty.This can be compared to the moment when Stella says “you do all the talking i stay silent” this notion of hierarchy between the sisters indicates that Korede and Stella are use to being valued less. Furthermore,Oyinkan crafts a sense of unity with the reader when she uses the aside “you ”.
Moreover, the use of the phrase “that all it is” suggests that, to Korede, Ayoola is a superficial and vacuous character, with no sense of integrity or personal traits to speak of. This presents Korede as, like Stella, an embittered character who is tired of deferring to their more desirable sisters. Korede shows this frustration by internally asserting that Ayoola does not have a “moral compass” which implies that she believes she has one herself.The metaphor and direct address in ‘you can’t just sit on the fence ” implies that Koredes indecisiveness is perhaps the real crime in this novel. This can be compared to the rhetorical question asked by Stella “ what have I done to my sister?” This clarifies the responsibility that is wrongly placed on both Stella and Korede.
