A Streetcar Named Desire Context

When was Tennessee Williams born and when did he die?

1911-1983

What was Williams’s father like?

He was an alcoholic and was frequently away from home. He had a violent temper and was known to use his fists.

What illness in Williams’s childhood nearly killed him?

Williams nearly died from diphtheria as a child, and this left him confined to his house for recuperation.

What fuelled Williams’s desire to break free and write?

Williams had a dysfunctional family and this brewed his desire to break free from his puritan upbringing and start writing.

At what University did Williams study at?

The University of Missouri

What did Williams take a liking to during University?

Journalism- he enrolled himself into Journalism lessons.

What was Williams distracted by in University?

An unrequited love for a girl.

When Williams’s father pulled him out of school, where did he send him?

To work at a shoe factory.

What had happened to Williams by his 24th birthday?

He had suffered a nervous breakdown.

What was Williams’s parents relationship like?

Unhealthy and abusive and his mother separated from his father due to his worsening alcoholism and temper.

What brought Williams to attention of the Hollywood film industry?

The Rockefeller grant

What was Williams’s close sister diagnosed with, and could this have influenced any of his characters personalities?

His sister was diagnosed with Schizophrenia and her behaviour grew increasingly disturbing, requiring her to be put in an institution- Williams’s sister could have therefore influenced the character of Blanche.

What sexuality was Tennessee Williams?

He was Homosexual.

Who did Williams enter a relationship with and why did this go wrong?

Kip Kiernan, however Kip left Tennessee to marry a woman and Williams was distraught.

How did Williams die?

He chocked to death from inhaling a plastic cap of a bottle.

What does the title of the play symbolically refer to?

The title not only refers to a real streetcar in New Orleans but also symbolically to the power of desire as it is the driving force behind characters actions

Where was Williams living when he wrote the play?

New Orleans

What does Stanley represent?

The new America

What does Blanche represent?

The old American south aristocracy.

What was the Old south known for?

Slavery plantations, aristocracy and the Southern Belle.

In the Old South, what was a mans duty?

They had the duty to protect their wives honour and provide for their family.

In the Old South what were women who were wealthy known as?

Southern Belle’s

What was old south etiquette?

To be punctual, make it a point to speak to all of the guests, offer to help the hostess, and don’t be the last to leave at a party.

What was brought to life in the new south?

Jazz was brought to life in New Orleans.

What were men pressured to be like in the new south?

Men were pressured to be tough and hide their emotions, produce for their families and man up.

Why does the play have aspects of Southern gothic literature?

Because the settings for this style were distinctly southern American and some of the characteristics explore madness, decay and despair, particularly with the ideals of dispossessed southern aristocracy and continued racial hostilities. Therefore, Blanche largely embodies this archetype as she displays madness and also racism towards Stanley as he repetitively calls him a “Polack”

How does Stanley fit in with the Southern Gothic archetype?

Because villains typically disguise themselves as victims or innocent, and even though Stanley could be considered the villain as he is violent, he victimises himself as he makes Blanche seem like the villain as she in his eyes is the intruder.

Does the Southern Gothic literature theme have a history of slavery and a fear of the outside world?

yes

What were gender roles like when the play was written?

Their was a distinct clash of gender roles.

How did Williams’s sexuality make it easier for him to write?

It made him easier to write from different perspectives.

What do women achieve during Blanche’s lifetime?

Suffrage

Why is it likely that Blanche became a teacher?

Because it would have been one of the only jobs available.

What could Blanche’s hysteria be a reaction to?

Her patriarchal oppression

What is Elysian fields?

Elysian fields is a place in the underworld where heroes lived a heavenly afterlife.

What does Williams believe was a significant factor to the decline of the Old south?

Decadence

How does Tennessee have connections with the Old South?

Williams was born in Mississippi, and his original name was Thomas, however he decided to change it to one of the old south states.

Give an example of when Stanley represented the cruel nature of the New South.

When he deliberately gave Blanche a ticket back to Laurel and rapped her.

What does the motif of the Blue Piano symbolise?

The culture of the New South. And when we notice its increasing volume, it is an indication that the culture of the Old South is being overwhelmed.

Why might Williams have created Blanche?

To explore his own frustrated desires. The violent relationship between Stanley and Blanche mirror Williams’s own relationship with Pancho Rodriguez.

Why did Williams’s mother have a similarity to Blanche?

Because she was a southern Belle, much like Blanche

What War occurred just before the play that caused the southern areas of America to be totally alienated?

The American Civil War

When was the play written?

1947