Steven Barron
4/17/19
AP English Literature
Final Research Paper
A Streetcar Named Desire
The defining work of playwright Tennessee Williams’ decorated career, A Streetcar
Named Desire successfully exemplifies social and economic disparities in post- World War Two
American society. Written in 1947, the play delves into the lives of “abstract character types”
that lack individualism to portray Southern ideals at the time (Marson). Through Blanche, a
flirtatious yet genteel lady, her sister Stella, a complacent housewife, and by contrast, her brutish
and masculine husband Stanley, Williams provides underlying criticism of Southern aristocratic
women. Furthermore, In A Streetcar Named Desire, Williams highlights the disparity between
the New and Old South through conflicting perspectives of social class and gender roles while
demonstrating the damages of precarious desire.
Enduring complicated familial issues, Williams parallels themes in A Streetcar Named
Desire with inspiration from his experiences. Neglected by his work-obsessed father, Williams
relied on his mother as the predominant parental figure during his early childhood in Mississippi,
which he recalls as enjoyable and fulfilling. However, following an abrupt move to St, Louis,
Missouri, Williams’ new urban lifestyle stripped the “carefree nature of his boyhood” and
evoked his introverted tendencies (Bio). His parents’ unhealthy marriage, increasingly cold and
tense, inspired his art and journalism. Amanda Wingfield’s character in The Glass Menagerie
characterizes his “foolish but strong” mother, while his father embodies the aggressive Big
Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Lahr). Williams later met his conformity to a sales clerk
position, at his father’s urging, with deep despondency. Similarly, this development mirrors
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themes in A Streetcar Named Desire, as Blanche suffers a similar depression when the loss of the
family estate and her teaching job causes her to spiral into insanity. By paralleling his family
experiences into the play, Williams offers social criticism of Southern expectations during this
time.
As the 1900’s advanced a standard of domesticity and conformity for women, Williams’
portrayal of female characters in the play expresses historical perspectives of the “New Woman”
in the context of this time period. In the early 19th century, conflicting notions emerged,
including “republican motherhood,” which promoted the education and involvement of women,
and the “cult of domesticity,” which suggested women remain in the domestic, household sphere
of influence (Fox). Especially in the South, women constantly faced pressure to conform to the
ideal of the modern housewife. Blanche’s dainty and proper attitude indicates not only her
upbringing, but also her attempts to meet the expectations of an “Old South” lady. Although
Williams clearly establishes these standards as the woman’s defining role, the play’s struggle
between the “dissipating Old South” and the emergence of new America affects the play’s
development. Male-dominated, chauvinistic corruption permeates character interaction, rather
than the accepted ‘Old South’ values of “gentility and reputation” (Reigh). Williams’ dependent
and submissive depiction of women in the play demonstrates the effects of “New South” beliefs
on women in southern society.
Williams extends this feminine portrayal through Blanche, a “Southern belle” whose
origins of great wealth and privilege prove detrimental in her transition to Elysian Fields.
Immediately upon her arrival, Williams introduces Blanche’s unfortunate circumstance by
revealing the loss of Belle Reve, the family plantation. This not only affects her emotional and
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financial state, but also allows Williams to enforce how a monetary loss will significantly affect
her character and attitude (Siegle). Accustomed to “daintily dressing” in a “necklace and earrings
of pearl,” Blanche’s new living arrangements with Stella highlight how she feels out of place (3).
Blanche maintains a superiority complex to others, even citing “[her] first American ancestors,
French Huguenots,” as proof of her high social status. Since her previous life centered around
material pleasures and sincere chivalry, the obvious contrast to Stanley’s brute masculinity
leaves Blanche disgusted. She views his actions as despicable and immoral, instead yearning for
the gentility of wealthy “Old South” values (Reigh). While Stella welcomes Stanley’s sexual
aggressiveness in their average, middle class life, Blanche craves “a sort of sensitive look” that
distinguishes a southern gentleman from the reality of New Orleans men (46). This contrast
speaks to Blanche’s incongruity living with Stella, and her frustration that Stella “abandoned
their aristocratic upbringing” and succumbed to violence and improperness in a man like Stanley
(Marson).
Unlike Blanche, Stanley represents an industrialized, working-class man whose attitude
demonstrates the struggle between social classes in the play. Despite his weaker social status and
class, Stanley’s behavior proves very appealing to Stella, much to Blanche’s dismay and
confusion. In the play, Williams views Old South values as archaic and inapplicable, which
leaves Blanche isolated and depressed (Siegle). Stanley, however, embodies the prominent ideal
of New America, one that emphasizes justice and equality. He quotes Huey Long, stating that
“Every man is a King!” representing his classification of America as the land of opportunity
(116). In addition, the class distinction between Blanche and Stanley underscores their ongoing
tensions, as Blanche’s attraction to him exists despite his exhausting, confident attitude. Blanche
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even reveals her view of him as “my executioner,” since Stanley disregards her ethical and
amiable values in favor of unbecoming aggressiveness (100). While this contrast seemingly
favors Blanche, the moral character, Williams’ illustration of her downfall represents the futility
of an “Old South” lifestyle at the time (Fox).
Williams also illustrates the New and Old South through the differences in characters’
perception of Stanley, as he exemplifies brute strength and masculinity. Blanche believes this
behavior is primitive and terrifying, while Stella instead utilizes his personality, which she
classifies as “a different species,” (15) as an escape from Blanche and their elite childhood
(Marson). The dominant and sexual aspects of Stanley appeal to Stella, while Blanche concludes
that his masculinity conveys a lack of manners or sensitivity. Moreover, Williams enforces 20th
century gender roles, portraying Stanley as the aggressor and Stella as a submissive housewife.
Williams’ selection of detail and props also emphasizes both perspectives of his manhood, such
as the symbols of Stanley’s “bowling jacket and red-stained package from the butcher” (2). To
further shine a light on Stanley’s masculinity, Williams continuously uses loud noises that the
audience could imagine produced by him. In response to Blanche’s hasty accusations of his
character, Stanley shouts “let’s cut the re-bop,” both indicating his casualness and damaging the
delicate Blanche, who exclaims “Ouu!” (35). Obligated to assert himself as the dominant,
successful power in the household, Stanley retorts back to Blanche’s proof of Belle Reve’s
destruction by explaining the “Napoleonic Code” and his “interest in his wife affairs,” yet his
patronizing tone conveys a false feeling of superiority and intelligence (Lahr). Ironically,
Blanche attempts to exhibit these same traits, yet her gender role and ties to the Old South result
in failure and mental decline.
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Furthermore, Williams’ depiction of gender expectations in marriage accentuates both
Stanley and Blanche’s inability to tolerate one another. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Stella and
Stanley’s marriage primarily operates “on a tumultuous combination of hero-worship… and a
difficult class difference” between them (Fox). Williams mirrors typical gender roles within their
marital relationship; Stanley is an aggressive breadwinner, while Stella serves as a housewife
expected to easily maintain her home, children and personal life. In contrast, although Blanche’s
demeanor conveys more sophistication and organization than the married couple, her inability to
marry indicates failure in her gender role (Marson). In fact, Stella and Blanche’s reasons for
marriage differ, as Blanche simply desires the security of “leav[ing] here and not being anyone’s
problem” (85). Moreover, Old South values motivate Blanche, but Williams provides details of
her inappropriate, “checkered sexual past” to broadcast the collapse of the Old South (Seigle).
Though her gender and upbringing seem to promote class and elegance, Blanche loses her sanity
because she cannot survive the pressures of New America. The novel favors Stanley’s bluecollar life over Blanche’s insistence on gentility, ultimately manifesting in Stanley’s rape of
Blanche. The tragic incident culminates how gender roles eclipse marriage in A Streetcar Named
Desire- Stanley’s masculine dominance and sexual desire overpower the fragile Blanche.
In A Streetcar Named Desire, Williams utilizes themes of social class and gender roles to
depict the characters’ complex relationships and dynamics. Blanche’s downfall, characterized by
the losses of family, money, and reputation, not only demonstrates the deterioration of the “Old
South” but also the dangers of material and sexual desire. Objectifying women with “sexual
classifications [and] crude images,” Stanley’s predatory nature accomplishes a vulgar featWilliams’ clarification that Stanley was predestined to prevail over Blanche (25). As the novel
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ushers in the era of the “New South,” Stanley’s inevitable triumph highlights the success of
masculinity in a chauvinistic society (Lahr).
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Works Cited
Lahr, John. “Survivors.” Gale Literary Sources, Literature Resource Center, 2005. Web.
Marson, Janyce. "A Streetcar Named Desire: A Consideration of Select Criticism." Critical
Insights: A Streetcar Named Desire, edited by Brenda C. Murphy, Salem Press,
2009. Web.
Rabinovitch-Fox, Einav. “New Women in Early 20th-Century America.” Oxfordre.com, Oxford
Research Encyclopedia of American History, Aug. 2017. Web.
Reigh, Gabi. “Streetcar Named Desire.” Literature Spot, Literature Resource Center, 2015. Web.
Seigle, Lauren. “Blanche Dubois: An Antihero.” Bu.edu, Boston University Arts and Sciences,
2012. Web.
“Tennessee Williams.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, Apr. 2019. Web.
Williams, Tennessee. “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Metropolitancollege.com. Web.