Context

Question 1

Tennesse Williams’ life

Answer 1

• KEY: many of the characters in the play were built around real relationships and people in his life, as well as similarity in experiences
• difficult childhood due to alcoholic, hardly present working class father (Stanley) who was abusive towards Southern Belle mother (Blanche), who hated his drinking habits due to reputation
• very close with sister who eventually became very mentally ill and put in mental institution
• was a homosexual, where in 1947 (when written), it would be considered unnatural, a mental illness -> can take Alan Gray’s character as an embodiment of internal conflict surrounding identity
• saw himself in Blanche’s character due to her attraction to harsh realities whilst simultaneously fearing them -> shared hysteria

Question 2

Old VS New South

Answer 2

• OLD: Pre-war, agriculture, plantations (Belle Reve) and slavery, the Dubois’ inheritance was built off this money -> hence Blanche going bankrupt once slavery was abolished
• NEW: Post-civil war for the abolishment of slavery, focus on the American Dream -> individualism, industrial growth, more fluidity in diversity: melting pot of New Orleans (yet remained a great importance in heritage) -> beginning to dismantle the hierarchal system of society but racism continued

Question 3

Post-war gender roles

Answer 3

• Critiques post-war American society’s limitations.
• Focuses explicitly on women’s restrictions.
• Implicitly addresses men’s gender stereotyping.
• Embraces American heroism, championing masculinity, idealisation of war (Stanley)
• Values family and domestic roles for women (Stella as a housewife) -> pushed back into these roles after the war despite their involvement
• Societal norms negatively impact all main characters to highlight the destructiveness of rigid roles

Question 4

Racial prejudice, but New Orleans “easy intermingling of races”

Answer 4

• Williams’ New Orleans is distinguished is a separation from the rest of the South -> embodies New American Dream of equality (hence Blanche as a stranger to this dream with her traditional values)
• Background characters are people of colour, different dialects of speaking, jazz music ‘Blue Piano’ constantly in the background of the events occurring
• Colourism isn’t directly addressed, especially with all the main characters being white and the only discrimination is against Stanley as a “Polack” (xenophobia) -> focus on class difference rather than rice

Question 5

Class prejudice

Answer 5

• Blanche and Stanley represent the social and economic conflicts between the upper aristocracy and working class due to their clashes in the Old and New south values
• STANLEY: second-gen immigrant, patriotic
  embrace of the American dream, angered by referred to as “Polack”, own path in life is driven by his hegomonic masculinity
• BLANCHE: grew up as a Southern Belle: cultivated to embody Southern hospitality, expected to marry well and look beautiful to be desirable by men -> reliance on men in their lives despite fair education
• ^ between the two, they clash due to their difference in education and priorities (also due to gender)

Question 6

Production History

Answer 6

• Popular when released in 1947 due to taboo themes of class tension, female sexuality, homosexuality, male domination -> articulation of social dilemmas of the time, exploration of the fragmented remains of the South in transition period (decay of Old Southern values), tensions in social class
• Marlon Brando portraying Stanley: use of method acting created realism for the character, purposely cast as attractive as a commentary that abusers don’t look a certain way -> many audience members missed the point, even cheered at the successful rape scene
• controversy around the rape scene but was not removed in the play’s production, yet in the film Stanley is punished as a disclaimer

Question 7

Theatre

Answer 7

• unconventional structure (11 scenes, no interval) highlight Williams’ talent for consistent dramatic tension
• stage directions convey his use of PLASTIC THEATRE (using non-verbal elements like props, lighting, sound, and stage direction to convey meaning and enhance the narrative, rather than relying solely on dialogue)
• 1. Varsouviana Polka: repeatedly played whenever Alan is referenced or Blanche thinks of him, reflective of her own internal guilt and remembrance of his death
• 2. Light: representative of the truth that Blanche seeks to avoid through delusions, PAPER LANTERN’s tainted light is the manifestation of her avoidance, also “gaudy” with Stanley and his friends to highlight their dominant masculinity
• 3. Whole play is set within Stella and Stanley’s apartment and only uses props; creates space where drama unfolds, highlights tension through the cramped space and props are nearby