Discuss how class conflict is represented in A Streetcar Named Desire. (A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams)

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams is a strategically written masterpiece with a plethora of themes and literary devices establishing it as one of the greatest literary works of its time. Not unlike most literary works, Williams uses many minor characters to emphasize the characteristics and qualities of major characters. This technique is known as a foil. An example of this relationship would be Stanley, husband of Stella, and Steve, husband of Eunice. These two couples live in a small apartment with almost no privacy from one another. Stanley and Steve share many characteristics; both are brash, impulsive, blunt, and abusive in their own right. Additionally, both men often tend to fight with their wives and always seem to make

A Streetcar Named Desire is a socially challenging play in light of the way in which Tennessee Williams depicts the capacity of human nature for brutality and deceit.  He takes the viewpoint that, no matter how structured or 'civilized' society is, all people will rely on their natural animal instincts, such as dominance and deception, to get themselves out of trouble at some stage in life.  William's has created three main characters, Blanche Dubois, Stella Kowalski and Stanley Kowalski. Each of these characters is equally as civilized as the next, yet all are guilty of acts of savagery on different levels.  Throughout the play Williams symbolically relates these three characters to animals, 'savages,' through the disclosure of

Blanche’s unexpected arrival at the entrance of the play is what stirs an even bigger monster in Stanley. Upon her entrance, she immediately causes trouble due to her and Stanley’s differences. Blanche is a southern belle from a very wealthy background. She is very proud of being brought up in the upper class while Stanley is proud that he lead his own life through the working class. This makes him a very rude and animalistic man with a lower level of education. Even their first conversation

Williams’ uses power to symbolise throughout the play as Blanche’s tries to persuade Stella to leave Stanley as she considers him primitive. Throughout A Streetcar Named Desire, we distinguish that Stanley is commanding: ‘He doesn’t give me a regular allowance; he likes to pay bills himself’. Stella is perceived as a child asking for money from their father. This is symbolic of Stanley as a dominant male who is sexually free, then leaves the female to bring their child up. This reinforces Stanley’s asserting dominance, whilst Stella is given a submissive female role. Williams reveals how women are not equal to men, which suggests that animalism reveals the destructive nature of desire. Feminists could suggest Williams’ view that the tools of patriarchy in American society in the 1940s made it difficult for women to survive independently. Stella is adapting to Stanley’s lower-class lifestyle, as she is attracted to Stanley’s “Animal” side, which suggests sexual innuendos of Stanley feistiness, boastfulness that gives both a driving force within their relationship.

It is evident in A Streetcar Named Desire, that Williams explores the class differences relating to conflict at this time of post-war America. Through William’s use of stage directions and dialogue to show how the conflict heightens due to the underlying class differences. However, this is challenged partially due to other factors that create conflict and tension. As at this time America was very much a society where class was important and respected and Williams clearly portrays this as Blanche very much confirms to society’s social class standards as she was very much influenced by social class all throughout her life, however the more explicit factor of gender leads up to the conflict in a greater way.

The themes of A streetcar Named Desire are mainly built on conflict, the conflicts between men and women, the conflicts of race, class and attitude to life, and these are especially embodied in Stanley and Blanche. Even in Blanche’s own mind there are conflicts of truth and lies, reality and illusion, and by the end of the play, most of these conflicts have been resolved.

Tennessee Williams has also made use of symbols - and his consistency in using them is very helpful to the audience to grasp the ideas he is putting across. The very names of the characters and places are symbolic. The famous streetcar that brings Blanche to her sister’s house is called ‘Desire’ - desire being one of the main themes in the play. Interestingly, it is the superintendent of the school in Laurel - Mr. Graves - who is one of the main causes for Blanche having to make this journey, from a streetcar named ‘Desire’ to one called ‘Cemeteries’ and finally to her sister’s house, situated in Elysian Fields - the Elysian Fields being the dwelling place of virtuous people after death (in Greek mythology). Blanche DuBois itself means ‘white woods’ as she tells Mitch - which implies something virginal and unsullied - both of which she is not. Stella means star: “Stella, oh Stella, Stella! Stella for Star!” as Blanche cries wildly, yet Stella burns not with the intensity of Blanche. Her passions are different, and she is extremely unlike her namesake. Even the home of the DuBois - Belle Reve - means ‘beautiful dream’, symbolic of the past that has gone forever, and Blanche’s inability to rouse herself from her dreamworld of illusions and magic. This use of irony is

In the beginning of the play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, Blanche first arrives from Laurel Missouri and immediately becomes the antagonist. As the play goes on Stanley starts to go against Blanche. At the end of the play Blanche becomes the victim. In the end, Stanley sent Blanche off to a mental asylum. This plays demonstrates domestic violence. In the beginning of the play A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams shows how society accepted it and ignored it.Stanley, one of the characters in the play, found domestic violence to be a positive and very sexual part of him and his wife, Stella's, relationship. Throughout the play, Williams shows that he believes that it is wrong.

In A Streetcar Named Desire, the theme of violence is very frequent in the character Stanley Kowalski. Stanley is a married, young man, who comes across to the reader as quite an enraged person with animalistic attributes. A prime insinuation of Stanley’s difference to regular humans is when Stella DuBois (Stanley’s wife) explains to her sister that Stanley is of “a different species”, foreshadowing that Williams may be warning the reader that Stanley is capable of things that are not in

   A Streetcar Named Desire is an intricate web of complex themes and conflicted characters. Set in the pivotal years immediately following World War II, Tennessee Williams infuses Blanche and Stanley with the symbols of opposing class and differing attitudes towards sex and love, then steps back as the power struggle between them ensues. Yet there are no clear cut lines of good vs. evil, no character is neither completely good nor bad, because the main characters, (especially Blanche), are so torn by conflicting and contradictory desires and needs. As such, the play has no clear victor, everyone loses something, and this fact is what gives the play its tragic cast. In a

“A Streetcar Named Desire” main characters are Blanche, Stella, Stanley, and Mitch. Blanche is the main character of the play, she is Stella’s older sister, and comes to stay with Stella while Stella is pregnant. Blanche

Within the space of a single chapter Levi details the loss of identity and all elements of personhood from the prisoners that entered at the beginning of the chapter, as their clothing and animalistic presentation effectively reduces them to little more than objects in the grasp of the Nazis. This is extremely disturbing, as a reader, to comprehend, and lies in stark converse with Blanche’s presentation in the closing chapter of streetcar, within which, clothes are instead bestowed by Williams upon blanche in order to emphasise her epitomisation of a perfected form of humanity, or at least to raise her above those who view her sexuality and promiscuity as worthy of accusation, or would afford her poor, perhaps even dehumanising treatment as a result. In this way, both authors utilise costume or clothing to portray their characters in different lights, however, although the direct effects on the reader 's interpretation of the character are different, they achieve the similar overarching effect of sending a crucial message as to the brutality and often wrongly discriminative nature of society over those men and women who have committed little fault, questioning both , ‘if this a man’ and ‘if this is a woman’.

The nature of motivations is driven by an individual’s need to pursue self interest, which directs their course of action. One’s interest is dependent on their influences as well as ambition to achieve goals. In Tennessee Williams’ modern play, A Streetcar Named Desire, Stanley’s actions are directed by his need to maintain power in his relationship with Stella even when these actions are immoral or wrong. The setting of the play takes place in late 1940s of New Orleans; where relationships are predominantly patriarchal. Stanley initially lived life in a stable relationship, taking the dominant role as a man. However, when Blanche is introduced into their lives, Stella is reminded of her upper class roots, interfering the life Stanley originally had. When Stanley’s predominant role is being challenged, Stanley’s need to reattain his personal equilibrium develops, impacting his course of action and treatment towards others. Due to this, Stanley struggles with fear and uncertainty, resulting in increased violence and a short-tempered nature. Therefore, when individuals have strong motives to reach their ambitions, their actions follows, even when these actions may be morally flawed.

Elysian Fields means heaven, but in reality Blanche views this place as hell. She can not believe that Stella would live in such a poor apartment after the life they grew up living. The apartment also plays a crucial role in the play. The fact that the apartment has only three rooms and only curtains instead of doors between the rooms allows for the events of the play to unfold. Due to the fact that the apartment is so small it causes many confrontations between Blanche and Stanley. This is most evident during the poker game scene. Blanche and Stella return to the apartment while the poker game is still underway. Blanche turns on the radio and Stanley immediately yells to turn it off. This and other factors all lead to an argument and ultimately lead to Stanley hitting Stella. This may not have happened if Stanley and Stella lived in a luxurious home with many rooms, because then Blanche and Stella would not have had to be in contact with Stanley.

“Stella has embraced him with both arms, fiercely, and full in the view of Blanche. He laughs and clasps her head to him. Over her head he grins through the curtains at Blanche.” (Williams 73) A Streetcar Named Desire written by Tennessee Williams exemplifies the theme of a struggle to attain happiness. The play not only portrays this theme in its characters and setting, but through the literary devices of Foil, Imagery, and Intertextuality. Williams took great care in applying each of these literary device techniques to the theme as he presents an intriguing contrast between Blanche and Stanley, vivid images both animalistic and broken, and imploring the use of the Odyssey to further