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5. Williams – Alcoholism

Nervous breakdown – can link to Blanche at the end of the play when Stella and Stanley sends her away (1969) “whoever you are – I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”
Started using drugs and alcohol, for dealing with anxiety. Early 1960s, his daily intake of substances had grown to staggering proportions: two packs of cigarettes, as much as a fifth of liquor, plus a handful of pills. – Blanche has baths and has to have one every day. “she’s soaking in the hot tub to quiet her nerves.” She has to have baths to make herself better and to feel warmth. Also
Fell into depression after his partner Frank Merlo died, that lasted to 10 years – also links to Blanche, as her husband killed himself. ''You disgust me'' She feels guilty for his death however it wasn't her fault.                                                                                                     He had a nervous  breakdown and his brother Dakin had him committed to a mental hospital in St. Louis, where Williams stayed for three months.
After his release from the hospital in the 1970s, Williams wrote plays, a memoir, poems, short stories and a novel. In 1975 he published MEMOIRS, which detailed his life and discussed his addiction to drugs and alcohol, as well as his homosexuality.

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3. How were women viewed/expected to act in the 1940s/50s?

In the 1940s and 1950s women were expected to do jobs at home and have children and look after them while their husbands were at work. This can be seen in the character of Stella, she does not have a job while Stanley goes to work and provides for their family. He pays the bills for their apartment too. There was a patriarchal society at this time meaning that men had more power over women and were expected to accept this. For instance, Stella is controlled by Stanley and his decisions to an extent and she has to side with him. This is seen where she believes Blanche but has to pretend to believe Stanley and have her sister be negatively affected by it. This is shown where she says “What have I done to my sister? Oh, God, what have I done to my sister?” Stanley and the other men are presented as dominant where it says "men at the peak of their physical manhood". Additionally, women were not supposed to have sex until marriage at the time, however Blanche has done this and it is more accepted in the class that she later becomes rather than the class that she starts off in. White upper class women were raised as Southern Belles and were expected to act pure and innocent. Blanche was raised as one of these, however her lifestyle quickly changed once her husband died and Belle Reve was lost. Southern Belles particularly were supposed to grow up and get married to a man who can provide for them and their family, Also, Tennessee Williams had issues about his sexuality, this may have influenced his views on gender in the play.

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How does Stanley represent the American Dream?

The old American dream is to own land and a family, the ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved.

The new American dream became materialistic and there was a need for money and higher achievement in order to gain bigger possibilities for a richer life.

The “polak” comment made by Blanche causes Stanley to exclaim “every man is a King!”, this shows the typical male dominance of men being the owners of the family and house. Furthermore, his claim of being all “American” and not Polish can present how to be accepted in this society, it was a necessity to be American, thus showing how Stanley has a need to own the American Dream for himself, and the idea of being called a “polak” has him disgusted.

The poker game- represents the need for grasping opportunities and money. Money was needed for the new American Dream, consisting of earning money and owning property. New American Dream became more materialistic. This can be seen through Stanley’s “gaudy” coloured clothes, “feathered male bird among hens.”

The fact that Stanley wants a son for his first child, can link to the old American Dream of owning land with a family.  It can also be seen to link to the patriarchal society, seen when he uses the condescending term “little woman” reflecting the stereotypical gender roles, as men were needed to earn money as they were seen as the ‘breadwinners’, “He heaves the package”, suggesting his “brute” force and thus foreshadowing dominating abuse towards Stella. The term "little woman" would be seen as condescending to a modern audience due to the changes regarding gender stereotypes. The use of the word 'little' suggests how men were seen as being superior to women within a patriarchal society

Stanley represents the American Dream as this consisted of having a family, which Stanley is arguably afraid to lose, this can be seen during the poker game and he tells Stella “Where you been?” This can represent the ownership Stanley has over his wife, which could also possibly show how Stanley has a need for having the new American Dream, in which he needs his wife and a child, presented through the description of Stanley being a “gaudy seed bearer”. However, this is contradicted when “there is the sound of a blow”, further showing his stereotypical male dominance. Yet this action would not have been shown on stage, as this abuse would have been shocking for the audience to witness.

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6. Williams had a difficult personal life - struggle with homosexuality.

Find out some information about this area and identify and explain links  between this contextual issue and the play.

In the play ‘Streetcar Named Desire’ the character of Blanches husband struggles with his homosexuality so much that he sees no other alternative but to commit suicide. This bring in autobiographical elements from Williams’ life who was bi sexual. The fact that he kills off his gay characters suggests self shame he may experience, it also demonstrates the idea that gay people didn’t have a voice in that society as we never actually hear the gay characters speak structurally,

Blanche says to her husband 'You disgust me' when she finds him with another man and this is often seen as a catalyst that pushes her vulnerable husband over the edge of sanity and provokes him to take his own life, this has caused critics to often be critical for Blanches character and her lack of understanding but we can also feel pathos for her as she 'not only loved him, but worshipped' the ground he walked on and so she said the harsh words out of the sheer shock and heartbreak she felt at her husbands betrayal.

The results of Blanches husbands homosexuality, and subsequent death bring in the two main themes of the play, desire and death. Theses two themes are seen too lead to one another and are interchangeable in nature, for example Stanleys' desire leads to Blanches' metaphorical death; losing herself and being incarcerated. And the homosexual husband literally takes his life due to his desire.

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How were non white characters seen in the 1940’s and 1950s in America. How are they presented in the play?

‘Negro Woman’ – is not identified by name but by ethnicity. The word ‘negro’ is still used casually which gives a mild indication of race issues within this time frame.

A 'negro woman' is also seen stealing a prostitutes bag and 'excitedly roots' through it, representing her in a negative light and associating her with crime and poverty.

New Orleans is a ‘cosmopolitan’ city, quite modern and diverse in comparison to other parts of America. The city became gradually more diverse after World War ll, it is ‘rich’ with many different cultures and is ‘one of the oldest multicultural cities in the nation’.

The ‘40s were also the period in which Jazz occurred as well as the the introduction of blues. These came from the combinations of African and European music, jazz and Caribbean music.

Despite New Orleans being such a diverse and excepting place, many still had archaic views when it came to race. With New Orleans being a city ahead of its time, many were still uncomfortable or unsure of the idea of complete equality.

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8. How were non-white characters seen in the 1940’s and 1950s in America? How are they presented in the play?

Tyrelle:
Racial division was contextually at a high point during the periods in which the book is set. The ‘Jim crow Laws’ were in affect and outlined African American characters as lesser than their white counterparts. This is seen to be representative through ‘Streetcar’ through the manner in which we see the only African American character portrayed. Unnamed and simply referred to as ‘Negro Woman’ the name in itself embodies the clear and distinct racism that would be prevalent during the period. We see her first conversing with Eunice before Blanche’s arrival and then again in scene ten where she steals a prostitutes bag and is seen ‘rooting excitedly through it’. this in cohesion with her inappropriate and crude joke she is seen to make in the beginning of the play goes forward to fully embody the notion of acceptance of stereotypical characteristics and racism present at the time.

Other non-white characters such as Pablo; Stanley’s poker buddy, emphasise the diversity prevalent within the neighbourhood at the era of the play, which is reflective historically as New Orleans during this period was seen to be one of the most racially diverse areas of North America.

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Explain how The American Civil War ended the old era and how this is seen in the play.
1861-1865 where the south and north were against one another in the ideas against slavery and issues. This is represented through Stanley as the new and Blanche as the old. It can be expected that Belle Reve as a plantation would have had slaves to work for them so it would be obvious which side they would be fighting. This also links towards Williams as he was southern. The war bankrupted the south which can link to Blanche and how she lost Belle Reve as she could no longer afford to pay for the funerals, ‘ death is expensive, Miss Stella!’ The treatment of the south was very harsh, it took a long time to recover, and the northern exploited this opportunity and moved. This is shown through the mistreatment of Blanche by Mitch, her life is starting to fall apart and the final rape scene is just an insult to injury. The final rape scene can also show the invasiveness that the north forced upon the south just like how Stanley overpowers Blanche.

The north only wanted to stop slavery to pass to certain states but It became more anti-slavery throughout all America by the end. This is shown by Stanley creating his own rules in his flat, ‘Napoleonic code’ and trying to enforce a new law.

Tennessee Williams could have been influenced to write this play by the civil war because the south soon came to influence the imagination of writers. Southern writers were often seen to write bizarre and vivid imagination and Williams can fit into that category with 'the shadows and lurid reflections move sinuously as flames'.

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What is a Southern Belle?
1 a) A Southern Belle rested on many strict traits such as gender and race, as a Southern Belle was white and aristocratic. A Southern Belle was expected to be vain and naïve with her highest aspiration in life being to get married to a true Southern gentleman.
How can Blanche be seen as a Southern Belle ?
1 b) Blanche can be seen as a Southern Belle through her appearance in scene one where 'she is daintily dressed in a white suit', a Southern Belle was expected to be dressed in a presentable manner and not wear clothes that are too revealing. Blanche can also be seen as a southern Belle through her expectation of the men at the poker game to be gentleman like and get up to offer her a seat, this is seen when she says 'please don't get up'. In scene four Blanche is disgusted in Stanley's behaviour as she says 'Maybe he'll strike you or maybe grunt and kiss you!' this shows Blanche's sensitivity towards violence as it would not be common to see as a Southern Belle.
How did Tennessee Williams see the South?
1 c) Williams thought of the South as a broken and damaged place 'in which the decay was somehow charming' - Tennessee Williams. In scene one it can be seen that the south is a decaying place as Williams writes ' The section is poor but unlike corresponding sections in other American cities, it has a raffish charm.' This shows that even though the South is in decline Williams finds it intriguing.