Tennessee Williams and Indian Ethos

Tennessee Williams personalizes in historic and psychic biography the bent of the American experience since the first unsettlement of this country. Much and enough work has been done tracing out the psychological bent in Williams' plays but less has been accomplished with reference to inclusion of rich philosophical aspects in them. His plays constitute a multi - dimensional spectrum of philosophy and are an impressive study of family dynamics. His philosophy as crystallized in his plays is not only American pragmatism but also existentialism and Indian metaphysics. The study explicates that creative literature should proceed in a direction where there is an opportunity to understand the characters through holistic and humanitarian approach - where there is recognition of their emotional and psychological growth vis-à-vis their spiritual needs. This would demand a re-evaluating of all mental attitude of the society that tries to evade the hidden truth of human predicament. It is hoped that the present study would be relevant and useful for further research in this area, promoting a new direction and insight to understand the plays of Tennessee Williams in light of Indian ethos.