Victim Impact Statement

Victim Impact Statement – Drafted by Blanche Dubois Creative Writing Task – English HL Divya Jethwani (12B) Victim Impact Statement – Drafted by Blanche Dubois Creative Writing Task – English HL Divya Jethwani (12B) Your honor, I, Blanche DuBois am here today, as your living example of how a cruel crime can affect a person so radically, bringing in a change so drastic causing them to feel alienated and unwanted.
The case with regard to my rape that we address in the court today may just be in relation to a sole crime committed by my darling sister’s husband, Stanley Kowalski; however, in all honesty I feel that I have been victimized right from the day I arrived at their residence at Elysian Fields. It may be a little too late according to the law to discuss a crime almost 5 years after it was committed, however that would only be in order if this crime and its effects were subdued instantly.
Although, obviously that wasn’t the case, and evidently I am still suffering from the consequences of other people’s actions, I am still labeled as the person who is mentally imbalanced and furthermore, I don’t have enough money to pay off my debts for my stay at the recuperation center anymore. Who is going to restore my reputation? Who is going to pay off these bills that were generated for my recovery after my assault? How do I feel, after all these years, now that I am finally out of the four-walled room in the mental asylum that felt like prison? I feel incompetent, I feel redundant, I feel damaged and lastly I feel broken beyond repair.

The years have passed by, but me; I’m still stuck in time, still stuck in that moment when I was whisked away to a mental asylum in opposition to my belief that I was going away with the handsome Shep Huntleigh. Is this fair your honor? Can the emotional scars that are now engraved on me be justified? It is possible to say that I might have been remotely imbalanced earlier due to my disposition after the loss of our ancestral home, Belle Reve and I also lost my reputation and status back in Laurel for indulging in inappropriate acts with several men. It is also true that I have lost my husband several years go and the loss has been absolutely unbearable causing me to turn to alcohol and other harmful habits, however when I arrived at Stella darling’s house, I expected to receive love, warmth and affection but all I was showered with in return was animosity and a cold shoulder from Stanley Kowalski. It may not have started with an instant hatred; in fact it didn’t start with hatred at all. Stanley appeared to be of a very flirtatious and playful nature on our first encounter. The polygamous type, who may have possibly been sexually attracted to more than one woman, I noticed it instantly but I didn’t let it get to me.
I had a sense of respect for the man, after all he is my sister’s husband, however after his act of infidelity, all I can say is that all men are the same, all with selfish desires. The first time I noticed a change in Stanley’s behavior was after the realization that we lost Belle Reve. He started to doubt me, started to believe that I had squandered away the money from the sale of Belle Reve and that I was lying to him and my sister. I do agree that I can be vain quite some times, however I can assure you all present here today I could never be so deceitful to perform such a venal act.
The fact that this had planted a seed of doubt in Stanley’s mind started to make me nervous, my insecurities started to emerge and I could not handle this attack on me as a person. Stanley changed so drastically over such a short period of time, and suddenly I know that he has attacked my poor baby sister and planted a slap on her face. Which gentleman does that to his wife during pregnancy your honor? Can this even be considered a human act? Forget slapping your wife during her pregnancy, how can one explain an act of adultery with your wife’s sister when she is going through labor in the hospital that very night?
Chivalry is dead your honor chivalry is dead! That night when my little doll was suffering in hospital delivering his baby, Stanley came home to celebrate the happiness of the new life in the world and instead of celebrating together the birth of this child, the night turned into that of regret, hate and abuse. Stanley thoughtlessly abused my weakness and the fact that I was helpless and couldn’t shout for help at all. He was ruthless; he started yelling at me, called me a dreamer and told me I was imagining all the things that were happening to me and then when I tried to run away from him, he stopped me, blocked my way and I was helpless.
I couldn’t run! And then he indignantly assaulted me in my sister’s house… how am I supposed to feel your honor? Stanley Kowalski’s behavior is downright disgusting and filthy. This man is the reason for all the suffering my baby sister faces to date even after the birth of her child. I cannot handle to see her like this your honor, my baby sister; she’s the apple of my eye. Please help her, please help us, and please understand. Punish this brute rightly with the worst punishment ever for this sort of behavior.
Your honor, we depend on you and the law for the correct judgment and punishment for all the pain and grief the beast has caused us. Thank You, Blanche DuBois Bibliography: “A Streetcar Named Desire. ” SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n. d. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://www. sparknotes. com/lit/streetcar/summary. html>. “AMERICANA – E-Journal of American Studies in Hungary. ” AMERICANA: “Southern Bellehood (De)Constructed: A Case Study of Blanche DuBois” by Biljana OklopA? iA?. N. p. , n. d. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://americanaejournal. hu/vol4no2/oklopcic>.