An in-depth revision guide I created which helped me achieve an A-grade for my English Literature A-level on Tennessee Williams' Southern Gothic 'A Streetcar Named Desire' It contains revision notes on the characterizations of Blanche Dubois, Stanley Kowalski, Stella Kowalski, and the themes of vio...
A Grade A-level English lit streetcar essay on characters inner lives with feedback
How is Masculinity presented in "A Streetcar Named Desire"
A Streetcar Named Desire: Scene 3 and 4 summary notes for revision A Level English Literature AQA PEARSON EDEXCEL
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PEARSON (PEARSON)
English Literature 2015
Unit 1 - Drama
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Blanche:
- Blanche’s portrayal serves as a contextual reminder of the harsh realities of the new post-war
America as Blanche who is an embodiment of the ‘dainty’ Old South is being taken over by the
‘rough’ New South.
- The description of Blanche in scene 1 structurally juxtaposes to the other characters as the stage
directions provide the audience with a highly detailed description of Blanche highlighting her
Southern belle superiority to the other characters who are representative of the ‘raffish’ New
South/French Quarters. This establishes Blanche’s Old South demeanor as this mirrors her
illusions- she sees herself as superior to the ‘cosmopolitan’ and impoverished setting of New
Orleans. It could be interpreted that Blanche imparts a Southern Belle façade due to her
aristocratic upbringing thus she is in denial of the values/virtues of the Old South dying out in
1940’s America.
- Her aristocratic origins are established as she is described as being ‘daintly dressed in a white
suit’ emphasizing her fragility and wealth- Marxist critics argue ‘Blanche is representative of the
old built up money of society due to her aristocratic origins. The adjective ‘dainty’ could suggest
the fragility of Blanche’s values suggesting she is duplicitous in terms of her values- she projects
the stereotypical 1940’s Old South values but behind the curtains she does not live by these
values. Some critics suggest ‘as a Southern lady Blanche’s narrowly defined role has kept her
from admitting to her natural appetites and pursuing them forthrightly so she has felt obliged to
lie. The semantic field of ‘white’ clothing acts as a paradox as it juxtaposed to the ‘dim’ and
‘dark’ surroundings of the French Quarter providing light to the setting thereby establishing
Blanche as an outsider; deemed as a southern belle and has pure morals on a service level. This
through colour imagery could suggest Blanche brings purity and innocence into a city of
barbarism and uncivilsation due to the connotations of ‘white’ and ‘black’, however we see this
purity that she projects is a façade. Alternatively, this instantly establishes a sense of
vulnerability as through colour imagery her ‘white(ness)’ is overpowered by barbarism thus this
barbarism could be representative of the New South values. Some critics suggest the use of
Blanche’s white clothing represents her feeble and naïve mind.
- Blanche is an embodiment of the old south she is the direct juxtaposition to Stanley as she has a
‘delicate beauty’- Blanche is gentle whereas Stanley is bold as he is presented by primary
colours. Described as a ‘moth’ so must avoid ‘bright light’ which suggest old south morals were
modest and subtle- new south is taking over the old south. Could also reflect Blanche’s
characterization as an idealist a due to her being in denial of reality- her age and deteriorated
beauty.
- ‘Belle reve’ connotates beautiful dream meaning Blanche is in denial and holds onto her past
through lies and illusions. Moreover, adjective ‘belle’ is feminine but should have been
masculine underlining ‘belle reve’ was a dream that crumbled. ‘Belle reve’ portrays something
beautiful that is fading away thereby mirroring Blanche’s mentality- she has reached a point of
instability and is no longer able to live up to her heightened expectations of being a Southern
, Belle. Some critics imply ‘Blanche’s tragedy is an American tragedy in that it enacts the failure of
the American Dream. In classic fashion, she mistakes the material satisfaction which she derives
from sexual intercourse for the emotional/spiritual fulfillment of her personal aspiration, her
beautiful dream’.
- Despite her façade Williams conflicts her character as she undermines the stereotypical role of
women in the 1940’s as weak and submissive as she encompasses immense power over Mitch
as Mitch is forced to ask for her permission when he states ‘can I-uh-kiss-you-goodnight’
thereby presenting Blanche as controlling which contrasts to her Southern belle façade as her
degree of control is based on her sexuality however she twists her control as an object of male
desire in order to appear pure and reserved. Blanche’s southern belle superiority is emphasized
in this scene as she dominates the dialogue which allows her to court and impart her southern
belle façade across to Mitch in order to deceive Mitch. However, at the end of this scene her
character is undermined as ‘with a soft cry (she) huddles in his embrace’ which reinforces the
idea of gender roles within 1940’s America- Blanche puts on the façade of being a weak and
submissive woman in order to gain Mitch’s pathos. Overall, Blanche is a sexually liberated
character however due to her mental instability she becomes passive.
- Blanche’s shocking and disturbing behavior towards a ‘young man’ as she ‘crosses quickly to
him and presses her lips to his’. This unsettling scene is a structural turning point for the
audience as it establishes her pedophilic behavior. Could show her deep and longing desire to be
young and loved again- this shows Blanche’s regression back to the simplistic world of
adolescence where her life were idyllic. Some critics suggest ‘despite Blanche’s suppressed
sexual desires her temptations take over which causes her to impart her sexuality over the
weaker and more juvenile in order to satisfy her suppressed desires’. Alternatively, the verb
‘presses’ has connotations of force and pressure which highlights her urge for sexual intimacy.
- Blanche is present in every scene and in the final tableau of each scene however scene by scene
she becomes less prominent until her tragic exit. The form as a play emphasizes her fantasies
and illusions as her characterization is encompassed within a play to mirror her mind living in a
‘phony world’. This highlights her psyche and inability to come to terms with reality- the
southern belle façade is fading away.
- Some critics suggest Williams utilizes Blanche as his spokesperson in order to impart his ideas
hence Blanche is described as a homosexual man in drag therefore like a ‘moth’ she is attracted
to Stanley for rather ambiguous reasons.
- Her name is translated to ‘white wood’ suggesting she appears pure and innocent on the
outside but in reality she is hard and brittle. Thus, only through her illusionary image which she
tried to create for herself suggests these traits of innocence and purity but her true nature is not
like that at all- she is morally lose and a sexually spurred character. Some critics suggest the
irony within blanche’s name highlights her delicacy and feebleness thereby foreshadowing her
tragic downfall spurred by her southern belle façade- she is unable to openly express her sexual
desires. ‘wood’ evinces a semantic field of a jungle or power which reflects the uncultivated
reality of Blanche.
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