"A Streetcar Named Desire" Support Materials

A Streetcar Named Desire- Historical, Cultural, Political and Social notes

Historical context:

Ø Tennessee Williams was working on Streetcar at the end of WW2 but there is very little mention made of the war. Despite the fact that the events of the war had been cataclysmic, they receive only a brief mention in the play. This is characteristic of all of Tennessee Williams' plays.

Ø That said, many writers at the time were concerned with the idea that, whilst great leaps forward were being made in a variety of spheres, man's capacity for evil and destruction also continued to grow. In one sense, the journey from desire to death can be linked to this theme.

Ø As a Southerner, he was more affected by the events of the American Civil War (1861 - 1865). Following their defeat by the Northern states, the South suffered economically. However, this air of decaying grandeur added to the romantic appeal for many writer including Williams.

Ø As time moved on, industrialisation continued in the cities. Whilst the plantations continued to decay, urban growth and capitalism flourished in the cities.

Ø Williams was interested in the progress of American history - not only where it had been, but also where it was going and how it would get there.

Ø Stanley represents the American Dream that all men are born equal and can succeed equally, whilst Blanche represents the old world, where class and race are still important issues.

Ø Williams was homosexual and whilst this is clearly an aspect of his work, it is important to remember that for most his life, homosexuality remained illegal. It was, however, tolerated in some places, such as New Orleans.

Cultural and political context:

Ø Tennessee Williams saw the South as a broken and damaged place in which the decay was somehow charming. He said:

"I write out of love for the South … once a way of life that I am just able to remember – not a society based on money … I write about the South because I think the war between romanticism and the hostility to it is very sharp there."

Ø Williams is an almost completely non-political writer. More than any other American dramatist, he began to move away from writing about the large political issues to writing about the emotional burdens of everyday life.

Ø The tensions in this play come partly from cultural conflict – the worlds of Stanley and Blanche are so opposed that neither can understand the other.

Social context:

Ø Women in the Old South had a social and symbolic role, were expected to be passive and chaste. This world could not give Blanche what she needed (see scene 5) and so she tried to marry into the 'light and culture', she discovers that there is corruption and deceit behind the façade.

Ø All of the Southern writers seemed to have vivid imaginations which were often bizarre and grotesque (Southern Gothic). The roots of this literature lay perhaps in the fact that the writers knew that they were part of a dying culture - where the dashing and romantic were founded on an economy based on injustice and cruelty.

Ø Blanche and Stanley are from different worlds where money has different values.