Catch-22

Word Count: 826

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, insanity is defined as being the “condition of being insane; unsoundness of mind as a consequence of brain-disease; madness, lunacy”. In this condition “a false action of conception or judgement, a defective power of the will, or an uncontrollable violence of the emotions and instincts, have separately or conjointly been produced by disease”. This definition of insanity is limited to the concept of brain-disease, disregarding the temporary instability that can be found from the emotional turmoil that surrounds us. This emotional turmoil, created from overarching societal flaws, remains the backdrop for the disintegration of reason in the face of adversity. Insanity molds itself to being not simply the result of a serious brain disease, but also serves as the outcome from when the pressure of society becomes too large to bear, forcing individuals into roles that their nature rebels against. Cultural ideas of sanity surround the concept of being able to serve your role in society without deviating from your purpose. Due to this, sanity becomes a measure for how accepting a person is to their environment, rather than a portrayal of the mental state of the person. However, if a member of society is able to meet their role without questioning the wrongs within the institution, then they should be considered insane. The concept of a Catch-22 epitomizes this idea. This concept is a situation where an individual cannot escape their problems due to the institutional powers that play upon them, deeming them insane until they recognize the evils in institution.  In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche struggles with the chasm between her reality of misfortune and her desired position in society as a respected woman, leading her to go insane as she never recognizes the evils of living in a man’s world.

Blanche’s descent into madness is characterized by her inability to recognize the larger institutional forces that impact her own self image. Blanche sees herself as being the perfect Southern belle, a reflection of grace in a chaotic world.  She tries to find this same grace in her environment, as she is constantly trying to mold her modest surroundings into something that reflects an image of elegance. When talking to her sister Stella, she tries to find refinement in her clothing, attempting to remain the belle that she needs to be. She reflects on her appearance, stating that she will wear her cool yellow silk and a turquoise pin, and reminding Stella to “[t]ry and locate a bunch of artificial violets in that box too”. Her constant need to uphold this persona is due to the larger male focused world that she lives in. In reality, her past is burdened by her gay dead husband and her lack of wealth. Like the violets in the box, Blanche needs to seem everlastingly lovely in order to be desirable.

Without her persona of refinement, Blanche becomes unneeded in society, as she is unable to provide men with anything due to her complex past and older age. This is shown through her brief relationship with Mitch. In order to create the relationship with him, Blanche resorts to her false persona, and refuses to sleep with him in order to gain respect within the male sphere. When Mitch finds out about her past, she becomes an object to him, desiring sex regardless of the connection that they have made. He approaches Blanche wanting “what [he’s] been missing all summer” and deems her “not clean enough to bring in the house with [his] mother”. What Mitch was missing all summer was sex, and his realization of her false construction of herself makes him treat her like a prostitute. Without Blanche’s Southern belle attitude, she becomes subject to the scrutiny of men, putting her in danger’s way. The shattering of her shield leads to her rape, as Stanley recognizes her insignificance in society. Without wealth or a man, Blanche becomes the plaything of the men around her. She becomes object-like, as a girl with no man and no future suddenly is placed in the role to satisfy the sexual urges of men.

Blanche’s madness is characterized by her inability to be the person she truly is without being targeted by men. She is unable to grieve, to have her own past, or to reveal any truth in her statements. If she does, she becomes the property of men as a collective. This contradiction, a Catch-22, becomes a situation in which Blanche cannot escape her hell without recognizing the evil in the men around her. By being unable to recognize the falseness of men, she becomes too naive, and drowns herself in the hope that a man will save her. She cannot be saved by a man due to her own past, nor can she be financially independent. This inability for Blanche to be herself leads to her own type of insanity, as she is trapped within the claws of a man’s world.