🚋• Streetcar: Context Flashcards
(28 cards)
How was an atypical mental state viewed by 1940s society?
Mental atypicality was stigmatised in 1940s society, especially for women - women often labelled as hysterical other than helped
What were the attitudes to female sexuality in the 1940s?
Women were punished for their sexuality, commonly being labelled as ‘fallen women’, primarily due to the patriarchal regime of 1940s America
Give a cultural norm based around masculinity present in the 1940s
That masculinity was equated with brutal power and repressed emotion; failure of men to healthily express emotion
How did men commonly seek control in 1940s society?
Through inherent gender power imbalances and emotional cohersion/ manipulation
Were females independent in the 1940s?
No, women were emotionally and economically dependent on men in order to survive - Williams critiques this
What type of society was 1940s America?
Patriarchal
What affect did the patriarchy have on women?
It entirely crushed their agency and control
How did men used to view their wives?
More as material posessions than an equal or a partner - representitative of patriarchal power imbalances
What is Stella’s character representitative of in terms of the expectation of women in the 1940s?
To find fulfilment in marriage and motherhood rather than autonomy
What is being ‘survivalist’
Being socially conditioned/ required to stay silent/ submissive to presever individual security
Was there any societal support for women in the 1940s + In terms of domestic violence?
There was a lack of societal support for women in the 1940s, especially for those who were facing domestic violence - reflective of male control and dominance being normalised
What were attitudes to domestic violence in the 1940s?
Many viewed abuse as a private matter entirely - reflective of the lack of societal support for women in the 1940s and William’s critique of heterosexual relationships of the 1940s that frequently involved abuse
When was domestic violence made illegal in America?
In 1994, Congress enacted the Violence Against Women Act - consequently deeming domestic violence and abuse as a federal crime
From what war was Stanley and Mitch veterans from?
WWII
What result was inflicted upon men in particular after returning from the WWs?
Especially in characters such as Mitch - Many men underwent emotional damage and experienced lonliness after the war; reflective of an entire generation of men struggiling to return to/ seek normalcy
What was the Madonna - Whore complex?
The Madonna–Whore complex is a psychological concept that describes a split in some men’s perceptions of women, dividing them into two categories:
Madonna – women who are virtuous, nurturing, pure, and “worthy” of love and respect (like a mother figure).
Whore – women who are sexually open, promiscuous, or eroticized, and therefore seen as unworthy of respect or long-term romantic commitm
What is the relevance of the Madonna - Whore complex?
It showcases how ‘nice men’ (like Mitch) can be influenced and shaped by patriarchal values and sexual double standards
Were men emotionally expressive in the 1940s?
No, men in the 1940s continuously failed to access or express emotion healthily - relfective of the cultural suppression of male vulnerability and the consequential generation of prolonged and ingrained male emotional incompotence
What did the average working class woman of the 1940s have to endure?
They had to learn how to cope with difficult domestic realities in order to survive and consequently had to endure domestic violence and discrimination in order to remain connected to men and survive
What did women have to do in order to survive?
Women had to adapt. Unlike Blanche, Eunice adapted to her environment in order to survive whereas Blanche attempted to survive through disillusionment and fantasy
What were the attitudes to homosexuality in 1940s America?
Homosexuality was taboo and repressed in 1940s societies and many were entirely rejected by societies and endured great suffering as a result
Was atypical masculinity disliked or liked in 1940s America?
No, atypical masculinity was not supported in postwar America or by the Old south despite romanticisation
What archetype was Allan reflective of an what happened to said archetype?
Allan was reflective of the galliant southern gentleman - such a character type was wholly extinguished by the war
What was the conflict between the Old South and New America?
The conflict between the Old South and New America in the 1940s reflected a cultural and economic clash between traditional Southern values and the rapidly modernizing, industrialized direction of the rest of the United States.
