ASND: AO3 (Social)

homosexuality

• homosexuality was criminalised and stigmatised in mid-20th century America. it was widely viewed as a social problem and a threat to national security, leading to significant discrimination and persecution

• the American Psychiatric Association included homosexuality as a mental disorder, further legitimising discrimination that led to forced treatments like lobotomies and shock therapy

• homosexuality was viewed as deviant and immoral, leading to a culture of secrecy and fear among gay individuals

• Williams admitted to being homosexual in his 1975 published memoirs

divorce

• viewed negatively, often associated with moral failure and a threat to the stability of families and society

• an undesirable outcome, primarily due to religious and societal values emphasising the permanence of marriage

• divorce rates were increasing, but they were still relatively low compared to later periods and the process was often difficult; requiring proof of fault and a ‘wronged’ party. it was difficult to obtain a divorce without a clear demonstration of wrongdoing by one spouse

• women might face social ostracism and difficulties finding remarriage partners

• divorce could also have significant economic consequences for women, especially if they were reliant on their husband’s income and lacked access to their own property or earnings (link to Napoleonic rule)

domestic abuse

• considered a ‘private family affair’, police and medical practitioners were hesitant to intervene

• laws against wife beating were written down, however they weren’t consistently enforced

• traditional gender roles reinforced the idea that men had the right to discipline their wives (which was often perpetuated by media/popular culture - link to view of Stanley when production came out)

• victims of abuse were sometimes blamed for their situations, with the assumption they could easily leave abusive relationships

societal expectations of women

• women were still legally dependant on their husbands, needed the husband’s permission to open a bank account or take out a loan

• women were expected to go back to their domestic and passive role within a typical nuclear family after the WW2

• traditional gender roles reinforced the idea that men had the right to discipline their wives (which was often perpetuated by media/popular culture - link to view of Stanley when production came out)

mental illness

• viewed with stigma and often treated as a character flaw or moral weakness/deviance rather than a legitimate medical condition

• many people with mental health conditions were sent to asylums and other institutions, effectively separating them from mainstream society (link to Rose Williams)

• lack of medical understanding of mental illness, treatments often being inhumane or ineffective (e.g. shock therapy, insulin coma therapy, lobotomies)

blue piano

• originates from African American communities - New Orleans’ setting frequently having blues music representing how it’s diverse and culturally accepting (in contrast to the Old South with its roots in plantations)

• In New Orleans music was a symbol of communication and integration

  • 'from a tinny piano being played with the infatuated fluency of brown fingers'

• Blanche never comments on the music that is playing 'always just around the corner', hearing instead the polka from within her own mind and her troubled past.

• Her eyes and ears are closed to the reality of New Orleans, doggedly holding onto her own cultural references - operas, dances, and poetry - she does not embrace the modern New Orleans where 'high culture' is incongruous and irrelevant.

• Blanche demonstrates a snobbery that seems to impress Mitch but grates Stanley.

Polish immigrants

• viewed through a complex lens, often oscillating between admiration for their resilience and scepticism about cultural differences

• Polish immigrants were often seen as essential laborers in various industries

• despite initial scepticism they demonstrated a strong ability to adapt to American life with many assimilating into American society well

• they still faced discrimination and prejudice based on their perceived race/ethnicity

• many were part of the working class, having a working class identity, and their experiences reflected the challenges and opportunities of that segment of society

antebellum South

• often viewed through a romanticised lens (esp in literature, ‘Gone with the Wind’ and ‘Song of the South’, popular culture portraying it as a genteel and idyllic society that was based on large plantations and slavery)

• this romanticised view downplayed the harsh realities of slavery and the social inequalities of the time

• historians began to challenge this view in the mid-20th century after the wake of WW2 (manifestation of racial prejudice) offering a more nuanced and critical perspective on the period

• this meant their cultural reverence/relevance decreased within America, being overcome by industrialist/American dream values (Stanley)

  • (conflict/bridge between the two is presented in Stella)

G.I. Bill

masculinity and the American Dream