Analysis of New Orleans- A Streetcar Named Desire- A Level
A Streetcar Named Desire- Analysis- A Level English Literature
Explore the presentation of vulnerability in A Streetcar Named Desire
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A/AS Level
PEARSON (PEARSON)
English Literature 2015
Unit 1 - Drama
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Essay: Opening of the Play
The opening of A Streetcar Named Desire serves many purposes within the novel. It of course
introduces the main characters: Blanche Dubois, Stanley Kowalski and Stella Kowalski. The opening
of the play allows for the audience to understand the relationships between the characters and sets
out the conflict for the novel. The conflict is of course between the characters Blanche and Stanley
and is symbolic of the conflict between the ‘Old South’ and the ‘New America’, Blanche who is a
typical ‘Southern Belle’ represents an old, Southern aristocratic way of life which used to be reliant
on the work of slaves in plantations like Belle Reve. This South is seen to be decaying due to its
unwillingness to let go of the past and move forward into a new modern working-class world like the
North did, a notion which is represented through Blanche’s character as she slowly falls apart
physically, mentally and emotionally simply because she does not progress and change to the ‘New
American’ way of life. The opening of the play also shows the audience the settings, which much like
the characters, are representative of the conflict/differences between the South, shown through
Belle Reve and the North which is represented by New Orleans and Stanley Kowalski’s apartment.
The opening of the play also introduces Williams’ use of the Southern Gothic form of writing, which
is especially evident in the description of the New Orleans Apartment and Blanche DuBois’ character
as well his use of Expressionism and Plastic Theatre (a dramaturgical form which uses sound, music,
settings, props and dialogue) both used to display the inner emotions and realities of the characters.
With regards to his use of plastic theatre Williams said: ‘I wanted a plastic medium, I conceived
things usually in sound and colour and movement’.
Firstly, the opening of A Streetcar Named Desire is used to present the differences between the ‘Old
South’ and the ‘New America’, this conflict stems from the events of the American Civil War (which
is not mentioned throughout the play despite being heavily influenced by it, likely because the play
is a microcosm for more social issues of the time, like to divide between the North and the South in
terms of ideology) in which, ultimately the South lost against the North and slavery was abolished
causing the South to decline – both literally in terms of the economy and in terms of the southern,
aristocratic and genteel way of life. These differences can be seen through the descriptions of the
characters Blanche and Stanley. Blanche a typical ‘Southern Belle’ is described: ‘She is daintily
dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice…Her delicate beauty must avoid a strong light’. Here she
is dressed in ‘white’, the symbol of purity and innocence, characteristics important to a Southern
Belle as they were meant to be seen as perfect housewives who were passive and submissive to
their husbands. She is seen as a moth-like creature, this is important as it presents Blanche as weak
and transient, the imagery of the moth is quite important as Williams had considered calling the play
‘The Moth’ to represent Blanche as a delicate creature destroyed by the light, the light being
symbolic of the ‘New America’. She is described as delicate, refined, and sensitive and above all of a
higher class, all of which starkly contrasts the description of Stanley: ‘He is of medium height, about
five feet eight or nine, and strongly, compactly built. Animal joy in his being is implicit in all his
movements and attitudes’. The adverb ‘strongly’ presents Stanley as the complete opposite of
Blanche who is delicate, the idea that Stanley is strong is not only as sign that he is part of the
working class but also foreshadows his overpowering of Blanche both physically and in terms of
ideologies (of the New America).Another stark difference to Blanche and an indication of Stanleys
disposition is the continuous use of animalistic imagery and language when describing Stanley:
‘animal joy’, ‘a different species’ and ‘my territory’. This use of animalistic language to describe
Stanley is by Williams a way to portray Stanley as a predator in charge, those ‘territory’ is New
Orleans which is of course representative of the ‘New America’. The conflict between these two
characters as well as the North and the South is shown quite clearly by Williams in the play’s
epigraph: ‘And so it was I entered the broken world’. This is an excerpt from "The Broken Tower" by
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