A Streetcar Named Desire

Outstanding. This is a layered and complex understanding of how desire manifests in relationships, and also how desire leads to suffering. A peculiar quality of Buddhism/Taoism suffuses the text, barely perceptible, but articulated enough by some characters to make it a useful lens by which to understand how the playwright grapples with desire as a concept.

There's a remarkable understanding by Williams of how humans project values onto others, creating unrealistic expectations that are soon shattered and lead to disillusionment, anger, and isolation. At the same time, Williams was able to portray the harsh realities of functional, or perhaps semi-functional, relationships in a way where forgiveness paves the way toward a better understanding how people accept one another's flaws. The question is whether forgiveness (or in some cases willful ignorance) of transgressions can be a sin in and of itself.

It deals with difficult issues in a powerful and accessible way, explaining why this work has become a true American classic.