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Tennessee Williams is Born
Born Thomas Lanier Williams III, of Columbus, Mississippi. -
Tennessee Was Raised by His Mother in an Unhealthy Relationship
Raised predominantly by his mother, Williams had a complicated relationship with his father, a demanding salesman who preferred working over parenting. Often strained, the Williams home could be a tense place to live. His mother became the model for the foolish but strong Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie. Edwina also mirrored Stanley's wife Stella in Streetcar, depicting a woman who is strong but just not strong enough to leave her abusive husband. -
Tennessee's Father Gets Promoted at the International Shoe Company
At age eight, Williams' father was promoted to a job at the home office of the International Shoe Company in St. Louis, Missouri. His mother's continual search for what she considered to be an appropriate address, as well as his father's heavy drinking and loud behavior, caused them to move numerous times around the city. This constant drinking and loud behavior are similar to how the character of Stanley is depicted in Streetcar. -
Tennessee's Sister Rose Undergoes a Lobotomy
Rose, as depicted by Blanche Dubois in "A Streetcar Named Desire." It was Tennessee's belief that his sister's growing instability was caused by the strains between her strict upbringing, enforced by their parents. In the final scene of Streetcar, the increasingly unstable Blanche is carried off to a mental institution, reliant now on "the kindness of strangers." This line captures Williams' horror at his delicate sister's fate. -
Tennessee Meets Frank Merlo
Upon return to NYC, Tennessee fell in love with Frank Merlo and the two later moved in together. This newly stable home life allowed Williams to concentrate on writing. Williams himself is reflected as Blanche's former love interest in Streetcar. The man turns out to be gay and in the end, commits suicide. This interpretation of Tennessee is a reflection of his struggles with both depression and his sexuality. -
A Streetcar Named Desire is Published
Tennessee Williams received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. The play opened on Broadway on December 3, 1947, and closed on December 17, 1949, in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
