A Streetcar named desire: The Downfall of Blanche and Biff

The downfall of two of the main characters of A Streetcar Named Desire and Death of a Salesman are strikingly similar. In both plays, one of the main characters witnesses a devastating event which traumatizes them for the rest of their lives. This single event shapes their futures, their attitudes, their outlook on life, and their views of others. These events show that there are often things that can happen in life which affect everything …

…Both events were ones that could have been recovered from. Biff could have chosen to play on and keep his life intact. Blanche could have started over, tried to meet someone new and start a new family later. Each of them however did not do so. Whether by choice or not, it is unknown. But both stories, but events, and both characters followed the same exact path to destruction, ultimately leading to their own defeat.