A Streetcar Named Desire Context

American Civil War

Blanche clings to ideas of pre-civil war America and the confederate south, using confederate language like "fought and bled" when describing Belle Reve.

Blanche clings to the old southern idea of "the lost cause"

Belle Reve

Translates to "beautiful dream", symbolising Blanche's lost fantasy of a southern belle lifestyle that by the late 1940s was no longer tangible.

Nomenclature of Blanche

Blanche translates to white/fair having connotations of purity and virginity.

Blanche's name matches her façade of the ingénue and creates ironic contrast with her promiscuous behaviour.

Juxtaposition between the purity of 'white' and the wildness of 'woods'.

Nomenclature of DuBois

DuBois translates to "made of wood" highlighting how Blanche carefully constructs her image, Stella abandons this surname in marrying Stanley.

Ironic due to her European origins creating a commonality between her and Stanley.

Contrast between DuBois and Kowalski

DuBois being French in origin has connotations of aristocracy and French refinement, in contrast Stanley's Polish surname is common and reflects his blue-collar immigrant upbringing.

Territorial Conflict

Blanch and Stanley's fights over territory within the small apartment are an allegory to war, conflict and racial divides

Etymology of Stella

Stella's name has roots in the word star ("Stella for star!")

Blanche is uncomfortable under light and examination, foreshadows Stella's betrayal of Blanche

Etymology of Stanley

"Kowalski" is an everyman, common Polish surname

Stanley is a name routed in old English, common in America - original meaning in "stone" "leigh" (meadow) showing his hardness/strength and connection to nature (animalism)

Characters as allegories

Stella is an allegory for America

Stanley is an allegory for the new industrialised America

Blanche is an allegory for the old traditional South

Hart Crane

American poet Hart Crane, whose works often deal with similar themes of desire and modernity as seen in "A Streetcar Named Desire," influenced Tennessee Williams.

Elysian Fields

The Greek version of heaven/ resting place of the Gods.

WIlliams' sister, Rose

Williams grew extremely close to his sister Rose, however she was diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent most of her adult life in mental hospitals.

She was eventually lobotomised, the operation went badly leaving Rose incapacitated.

Links to the 'mad heroine'

Williams' addiction

Williams struggled with drugs and alcohol into his adult life

Williams’ father

Heavy drinker, abusive and bullied Williams calling him "Miss Nancy" due to his sensitive and "feminine" interests

Williams' mother

From a well-to-do Southern family, had hysterical attacks but they had a close relationship.

From Mississippi (where Belle Reve is)

New Orleans

Cultural melting pot in the south, black and white population was highly mixed.

Associated with jazz and blues music (Blue Piano is Stanley's anthem)

Post-war heroes

Following WW2 many working class men who had served were revered as heroes in society, an example of man's capacity for violence and evil being glorified by society.

Southern Belle archetype

Blanche attempts to fit into this despite being educated and sexually promiscuous.

Having a flirtatious/coquettish but chaste demeanour, emphasis on being beautiful in order to attract a suitor.

Stagecraft

Plastic Theatre, coined by Williams, is the use of props, noises and/or stage directions to convey a blatant parallel with the characters state of mind

Williams added several deliberate costuming and lighting choices in order to reveal truths about characters.

Used to create dramatic irony (Blanche's character assassination of Stanley)

Pancho Rodriguez y Gonzalez

A boxer Williams dated and was in an abusive relationship with

Varsouviana Polka

"Female Citizen of Warsaw" linking to Blanche as she is forced to live under the roof of Stanley, plays in times of Blanche's mental decay