H/W 31st October 2016
Explore how Williams presents ideas about social class and difference in ‘A Streetcar Named
Desire’.
One of the main themes within this play is social class and how that separates the main characters
Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski; these ideas and differences can be seen through the
characters actions and dialogue.
Williams’s use of the names firstly, shows the different ends of the spectrum – or a certain contrast
at least; DuBois is a name that suggests a proud heritage, whilst Kowalski has a sound of working in a
factory or steel mill – also as a Polish name, it gives a sense of immigration, and that therefore
suggests that this family would be of a lower class. From this, an idea can be formed that someone
with a name similar to DuBois would speak with certain poise and mannerisms – in contrast
someone with a name similar to Kowalski would be loud and harsh upon the ear: someone who was
brought up with a delicate way of speaking is stereotypically thought to have been born into a higher
social class, whilst someone who was born into the working class would stereotypically be seen as
louder and more boisterous; Williams presents these ideas through Stanley and Blanche, and how
they speak. Stanley – coming from a mediocre education, uses speech to express what he wants,
likes and dislikes. Blanche speaks as a way to reflect her education, and uses names to insult Stanley
and his ‘animal habits’ and ‘common’ ways. I believe that modern audiences would relate to both of
these characters, as they can associate Stanley and his work life with theirs, but can relate to
Blanche by today’s view of immigration and societies views of lower and working class people;
however audiences that would have been the first to see this play have been suggested to feel
uncomfortable by the confrontation of such heavy themes and topics.
Another way Williams presents class ideas and differences is by the view of money, particularly
between Stanley and Blanche. Whilst Blanche is more sentimentally attached to Belle Reve and was
more distraught by the loss of her home and family, Stanley is more concerned by the loss of money.
Stanley is shown to believe that money can buy anything, including happiness – therefore the money
that Blanche has lost through Belle Reve, he has lost ‘under the Napoleonic code’. The way he
describes the Napoleonic Code suggests that he sees money as a way to gain more ‘animalistic
superiority’. What is in contrast to both Stanley and Blanche’s extreme views is Stella, who left the
ideals of the society that Blanche wants, to live in a society that Stanley thrives in – however it
wasn’t in the interest of money. I think that audiences now would not be so sympathetic towards
Stanley, and more so towards Blanche: most people would have suffered a loss of a family member
and “all those deaths”, and would perhaps understand the loneliness of what she went through.
Williams also presents these ideas by using names of places to show how society is changing the
class system, and the differences that they show. For example, in scene one the colours of ‘Elysian
Fields’ help to symbolise the opposition that contrast the two classes. The “white frame, weathered
grey” and “faded white stairs” represent how Blanche is slowly fading into the background, and how
many with the same colonial background are following. On the other hand, Stanley talks about how
he and Stella could “get the coloured lights going” against Blanche’s “white suit with a fluffy bodice,
necklace and earrings of pearl” which suggests that Williams was trying to show how society was
transforming into a more working class world, where immigrants were more accepted and many
people were working amongst different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. I think that modern
audiences would understand that society is run by working and middle class people, and that
Explore how Williams presents ideas about social class and difference in ‘A Streetcar Named
Desire’.
One of the main themes within this play is social class and how that separates the main characters
Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski; these ideas and differences can be seen through the
characters actions and dialogue.
Williams’s use of the names firstly, shows the different ends of the spectrum – or a certain contrast
at least; DuBois is a name that suggests a proud heritage, whilst Kowalski has a sound of working in a
factory or steel mill – also as a Polish name, it gives a sense of immigration, and that therefore
suggests that this family would be of a lower class. From this, an idea can be formed that someone
with a name similar to DuBois would speak with certain poise and mannerisms – in contrast
someone with a name similar to Kowalski would be loud and harsh upon the ear: someone who was
brought up with a delicate way of speaking is stereotypically thought to have been born into a higher
social class, whilst someone who was born into the working class would stereotypically be seen as
louder and more boisterous; Williams presents these ideas through Stanley and Blanche, and how
they speak. Stanley – coming from a mediocre education, uses speech to express what he wants,
likes and dislikes. Blanche speaks as a way to reflect her education, and uses names to insult Stanley
and his ‘animal habits’ and ‘common’ ways. I believe that modern audiences would relate to both of
these characters, as they can associate Stanley and his work life with theirs, but can relate to
Blanche by today’s view of immigration and societies views of lower and working class people;
however audiences that would have been the first to see this play have been suggested to feel
uncomfortable by the confrontation of such heavy themes and topics.
Another way Williams presents class ideas and differences is by the view of money, particularly
between Stanley and Blanche. Whilst Blanche is more sentimentally attached to Belle Reve and was
more distraught by the loss of her home and family, Stanley is more concerned by the loss of money.
Stanley is shown to believe that money can buy anything, including happiness – therefore the money
that Blanche has lost through Belle Reve, he has lost ‘under the Napoleonic code’. The way he
describes the Napoleonic Code suggests that he sees money as a way to gain more ‘animalistic
superiority’. What is in contrast to both Stanley and Blanche’s extreme views is Stella, who left the
ideals of the society that Blanche wants, to live in a society that Stanley thrives in – however it
wasn’t in the interest of money. I think that audiences now would not be so sympathetic towards
Stanley, and more so towards Blanche: most people would have suffered a loss of a family member
and “all those deaths”, and would perhaps understand the loneliness of what she went through.
Williams also presents these ideas by using names of places to show how society is changing the
class system, and the differences that they show. For example, in scene one the colours of ‘Elysian
Fields’ help to symbolise the opposition that contrast the two classes. The “white frame, weathered
grey” and “faded white stairs” represent how Blanche is slowly fading into the background, and how
many with the same colonial background are following. On the other hand, Stanley talks about how
he and Stella could “get the coloured lights going” against Blanche’s “white suit with a fluffy bodice,
necklace and earrings of pearl” which suggests that Williams was trying to show how society was
transforming into a more working class world, where immigrants were more accepted and many
people were working amongst different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. I think that modern
audiences would understand that society is run by working and middle class people, and that
