Abstract： A Streetcar Named Desire is a tragic melody for women. Blanch struggles with life hoping to achieve happiness. But since she doesn’t realize only by independence both in thought and economy can she control her own life， her fate is destined to be a tragedy.
　　Keywords： A Streetcar Named Desire； patriarchy； independence
　　A Streetcar Named Desire tells the story about the destruction of Blanch. After the missing of family members， Blanch seeks refuge from her sister， but brutal Stanley prevents her. He discovers her sordid past and rapes her. Finally she is destroyed to insane asylum. Blanche once tried to change her life， but her incomplete and partial resistance goes to blank.
　　1. Inevitable Patriarchal Society
　　Male dominance could be found everywhere in this novel. For example， the seemingly-happy life between Stanley and Stella actually depends on sex and Stella’s tolerance. There is no true love and respect for Stella. The husband Stanley has the absolute right to speak. He roars many times to Stella “don’t talk that way to me！”（[1]，124）， which indicates that giving orders is man’s privilege. That Stanley warns his wife not to be a queen shows his extreme sense of superiority. Moreover， Stella’s tolerance and concession each time is the best manifestation of man’s dominance.
　　2. Incomplete and Partial Resistance
　　Blanch fights against patriarchy many times in her way. When she finds her sister becomes a plump frump， she suggests Stella to pay more attention to herself rather than taking her husband as the only center. When witnessing all sorts of brutalities of Stanley， she guides her sister outside. The next day Blanch audaciously speaks out her opinion on Stanley and suggests Stella to leave with her. All these actions show that Blanch’s feminist consciousness starts to come to itself.
　　But Blanch doesn’t completely get rid of the influence of the patriarchy. She thinks that if she wants to survive， she has to find ways to please men. Only men could be the reliable heaven. In front of Mitch she says， “the lady must entertain the gentleman-or no dice！”（[1]，97）， from which her deep-rooted dependence can be seen clearly.
　　3. Destined Tragedy
　　Womanism of Marxism believes economy dependence is the main source of women’s sufferance and repression. The southern plantation of Blanch was mortgaged to others. She also loses job and was expelled due to her frivolity. Blanch who was unable to be independent economically has to bear all the brutalities of Stanley because she understands that “maybe he’s what we need to mix with our blood now that we’ve lost Belle Beve.”（[1]，46） What Blanch is hunting for is not only the spiritual security， but also the economic support. But she was wrong from the beginning. Stanley dislikes her stay and suspects her economic condition. Stella is dependent both emotionally and economically on Stanley. In order to protect her own happiness she ruthlessly deserts Blanch in the end. Blanch is a lonely fighter as well as a representative of female victims in the patriarchal society.
　　Contradictory awakening ideas and traditional behaviors keep her in a struggle all the time. And other females like Stella and Eunice who live in the same circumstance are reluctant to be Blanch’s advocators. Stuck in such a dilemma and after each vain attempt to find somebody to rely on， Blanch heads for her doom.
　　4. Conclusion
　　Though Blanch tries hard to change her life， she is unable to make it as long as she has the idea of depending on men. Only by being independent economically and spiritually can women achieve happiness and be their own master.
　　Biography：
　　[1] Tennessee Williams. A Streetcar Named Desire. New York： Turtleback，1989
　　[2] 罗婷. 《女性主义文学批评在西方与中国》[M]. 北京：中国社会科学出版社，2004