Streetcar Essay Plans
,Key Themes
Social Order
Masculinity
Femininity
Main Characters
Blanche
Stella
Stanley
Mitch
Minor Characters
Eunice
Steve
Allan Grey
Young Man
Negro Woman
, General Essay Plans
Social Order
Social order is portrayed as a conflict b/w Old South and New South to communicate decline of aristocracy
and rise of working-class in 1940s America
- TW uses expressionistic descriptions to depict New Orleans in opening scene
- TW uses costumes to reflect character in opening scene
Social order is focussed on sexual desire to criticise a society that forces women to appeal to men’s desires as
a survival strategy
- Steve and Eunice’s marriage illuminates that of Stanley’s and Stella's
- Stella is driven towards eros (Freudian symbol for life) as she acknowledges her sexual and economic
dependence on Stanley, reflecting contemporary attitudes to marriage
Social order is portrayed as brutal to non-conformists to encourage greater empathy amongst audience
- Denouncement of Allan Grey shows hegemonic masculinity is dominant in New South
- Blanche becomes vehicle through which TW criticises hegemonic masculinity/brutal social order
- Plastic theatre (technique developed by Tennessee Williams) externalises Blanche’s mental breakdown and
brutality of social order
Masculinity
Masculinity is portrayed as aggressive to reveal how male heterosexual desire took precedence in 1940s
America
- TW uses costumes to reflect character in opening scene
- Mitch’s genteel behaviour acts as a foil to Stanley’s raw masculinity
Masculinity is portrayed as virile to criticise a society that uses sexual desire as a tool for female exploitation
- Steve and Eunice’s marriage illuminates that of Stanley’s and Stella's
- Stella is driven towards eros (Freudian symbol for life) as she acknowledges her sexual and economic
dependence on Stanley, reflecting contemporary attitudes to marriage
Masculinity is portrayed as brutal to non-conformists to encourage greater empathy amongst audience
- Denouncement of Allan Grey shows hegemonic masculinity is dominant in New South
- Blanche becomes vehicle through which TW criticises hegemonic masculinity
- Plastic theatre (technique developed by Tennessee Williams) externalises Blanche’s mental breakdown and
brutality of social order
Femininity
Femininity is driven by eros in response to male hegemony to criticise a society that forces women to appeal
to men's desires as a survival strategy
- Steve and Eunice’s marriage illuminates that of Stanley’s and Stella's
- Stella is driven towards eros (Freudian symbol for life) as she acknowledges her sexual and economic
dependence on Stanley, reflecting contemporary attitudes to marriage
Femininity is driven by thanatos in response to male hegemony to expose brutality of social order to non-
conformists
- Blanche is driven towards thanatos (Freudian symbol for death) as she is attached to chivalric codes of Old
South formalities that protected women
- Denouncement of Allan Grey as effeminate shows hegemonic masculinity is dominant in New South
Femininity is portrayed as fragile to criticise patriarchal norms of 1940s America that forced women to rely on
illusions
- TW uses costumes and lighting to reflect character in opening scene
- Blanche uses alcohol to soften her harsh reality and inevitable destruction
- TW uses Blanche’s speech to deceive others
,Key Themes
Social Order
Masculinity
Femininity
Main Characters
Blanche
Stella
Stanley
Mitch
Minor Characters
Eunice
Steve
Allan Grey
Young Man
Negro Woman
, General Essay Plans
Social Order
Social order is portrayed as a conflict b/w Old South and New South to communicate decline of aristocracy
and rise of working-class in 1940s America
- TW uses expressionistic descriptions to depict New Orleans in opening scene
- TW uses costumes to reflect character in opening scene
Social order is focussed on sexual desire to criticise a society that forces women to appeal to men’s desires as
a survival strategy
- Steve and Eunice’s marriage illuminates that of Stanley’s and Stella's
- Stella is driven towards eros (Freudian symbol for life) as she acknowledges her sexual and economic
dependence on Stanley, reflecting contemporary attitudes to marriage
Social order is portrayed as brutal to non-conformists to encourage greater empathy amongst audience
- Denouncement of Allan Grey shows hegemonic masculinity is dominant in New South
- Blanche becomes vehicle through which TW criticises hegemonic masculinity/brutal social order
- Plastic theatre (technique developed by Tennessee Williams) externalises Blanche’s mental breakdown and
brutality of social order
Masculinity
Masculinity is portrayed as aggressive to reveal how male heterosexual desire took precedence in 1940s
America
- TW uses costumes to reflect character in opening scene
- Mitch’s genteel behaviour acts as a foil to Stanley’s raw masculinity
Masculinity is portrayed as virile to criticise a society that uses sexual desire as a tool for female exploitation
- Steve and Eunice’s marriage illuminates that of Stanley’s and Stella's
- Stella is driven towards eros (Freudian symbol for life) as she acknowledges her sexual and economic
dependence on Stanley, reflecting contemporary attitudes to marriage
Masculinity is portrayed as brutal to non-conformists to encourage greater empathy amongst audience
- Denouncement of Allan Grey shows hegemonic masculinity is dominant in New South
- Blanche becomes vehicle through which TW criticises hegemonic masculinity
- Plastic theatre (technique developed by Tennessee Williams) externalises Blanche’s mental breakdown and
brutality of social order
Femininity
Femininity is driven by eros in response to male hegemony to criticise a society that forces women to appeal
to men's desires as a survival strategy
- Steve and Eunice’s marriage illuminates that of Stanley’s and Stella's
- Stella is driven towards eros (Freudian symbol for life) as she acknowledges her sexual and economic
dependence on Stanley, reflecting contemporary attitudes to marriage
Femininity is driven by thanatos in response to male hegemony to expose brutality of social order to non-
conformists
- Blanche is driven towards thanatos (Freudian symbol for death) as she is attached to chivalric codes of Old
South formalities that protected women
- Denouncement of Allan Grey as effeminate shows hegemonic masculinity is dominant in New South
Femininity is portrayed as fragile to criticise patriarchal norms of 1940s America that forced women to rely on
illusions
- TW uses costumes and lighting to reflect character in opening scene
- Blanche uses alcohol to soften her harsh reality and inevitable destruction
- TW uses Blanche’s speech to deceive others
