Q.In 'Sweet Bird of Youth' why do characters cling to the past? What is Tennessee trying to show us?
Tennessee Williams is a daring playwright. He explores issues rarely talked about during his time. Issues that people often shy away from. So, when he presented 'Sweet Bird of Youth' it was received with mixed feelings. This play reflects the society of his time that was perhaps filled with racism, sexism and hypocrisy. These reflections are illustrated through the characters in this play who are perhaps shown to cling to the past and deny their present realities.
Williams has presented the idea of youth and the freedom that comes with it in such a manner that it's importance to the characters is perhaps obvious. When Chance was a young man he is portrayed as a handsome man, his town expects to do well as an actor and bring them pride. Heavenly is a beautiful young girl who performs besides Chance and is also looked up to as a symbol of purity. Neither are burdened by responsibilities and they have the blissful freedom to chase after their dreams and live in utopia. Similarly we are shown that Alexandra was a successful film star in her youth. Thus Williams has succeeded to present the significance of the character youth making it understandable as to why they would want to cling the past and prefer to stay in their state of euphoria rather than face the present in which they are depicted to have lost their youth and the fortunes that came with it.
Williams has presented the idea of regrets and self-deception by depicting his characters to deny the present and perhaps lie to themselves by continuing to pretend as if they are still in their youths. Perhaps Heavenly is not in such deception but it is shown that Chance is still stuck in this lie he is depicted to have created. He is shown to take Alexandra's car and drive around the town believing that he has misled the people into thinking that he is still in his youth and has achieved his dreams; yet it is noted that he is deluding no one but himself since the people of the town still do not take him in with respect or sincerity. This is also displayed in the scene where Boss is about to make his speech and Chance is talking to his old friends telling them about his adventures and success but they perhaps do not seem so convinced. Similarly while Alexandra may not be in self-deception she may have regrets and an impulse to run away from reality as she is shown to have left her own premier after having seen herself on screen and having seen her fading youth. This perhaps shows that she idolises her past and perhaps refuses to accept her present reality and deal with it; instead choosing to pretend like the present Alexandra is an anonymous person, as is shown when she gets annoyed with Chance for using her stage name at the hotel, and that perhaps only the Alexandra from the past exists. Thus Williams has skilfully illustrated the feelings that lead to the attachment to ones past.
Williams has presented that perhaps time brings with it truths that may be hard to handle. The characters are shown to face such truths. Chance has to face that he has lost perhaps all his opportunities to become a star, to win Heavenly, to leave St.Cloud while he was allowed to. We are shown that Chance chases after illusions he creates for himself, clinging to the past thinking things are the same and he'll continue to get his chances. But unfortunately that is not the case, Williams has portrayed that as he loses his youth and loses himself in wrong doings he is driven further and further away from his dreams, heavenly and driven further into denial until he is forced to accept reality by Boss's men when they proceed to castrate him at the end of the play. Similarly perhaps Alexandra could not come to terms with what time has done to her and ran away from her career, perhaps everything Chance wishes he had, but fate is kind to her maybe for accepting that her youth is declining, that she's not the same and can not be expected to treat the same way she was before, and so she is given another chance to return to her stardom. Similarly perhaps Heavenly has come to accept that her youth is over too but her father continues to force the image of purity upon her and so we are shown her suffering for his mistakes as she is humiliated and exposed at the end. Thus Williams succeeds to show to effects of the flow of time that cause the characters to remain attached to their past.
Williams is showing us how denial leads to the decline of a person and what happens when one refuses to move on from the past. By illustrating his characters Williams has perhaps conveyed to people the consequences of disillusionment and self-deception, he has established the importance of accepting reality and working to better that rather than making yourself believe everything is the same as always and perfectly fine.