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“The ‘Southern Belle is a part that Blanche famously plays with stubborn gentility” Explore Williams’ dramatic presentation of Blanche in light of this statement.$5.21
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“The ‘Southern Belle is a part that Blanche famously plays with stubborn gentility” Explore Williams’ dramatic presentation of Blanche in light of this statement.
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Course
Unit 1 - Drama
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
Book
Streetcar Named Desire
An A-grade essay which explores Williams' dramatic presentation of Blanche in the light of the statement that 'The Southern Belle is a part of Blanche famously plays with stubborn gentility'. Williams’ characterization of Blanche deliberately juxtaposes throughout the play creating a sense of unc...
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English Literature 2015
Unit 1 - Drama
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“The ‘Southern Belle is a part that Blanche famously plays with stubborn gentility” Explore
Williams’ dramatic presentation of Blanche in light of this statement.
Within ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ Williams’ characterization of Blanche deliberately juxtaposes throughout the
play creating a sense of uncertainty for the audience- Blanche’s Southern Belle façade is ultimately dismantled by
her treatment of men and her sexual desires. Moreover, Williams’ utilizes Blanche’s Old South portrayal to serve 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- Blanche’s ‘delicate’ Southern Belle façade is
drawn towards her tragic weaknesses.
Most notably 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 wearing a ‘white… fluffy bodice’
therefore highlighting her Southern Belle superiority to the other characters- the other characters are
representative of the ‘raffish’ New South. Hence, this establishes to the audience Blanche’s Old South demeanor as
this mirrors her illusions- she sees herself somewhat superior to the ‘cosmopolitan’ setting of New Orleans.
Furthermore, this highlights Blanche as a southern belle due to her social superiority within the impoverished
setting of New Orleans. Alternatively, it could be interpreted that Blanche imparts a Southern Belle façade due to
her aristocratic upbringing thus she is in denial of the values of the Old South dying out in 1940’s America.
In addition to this, Blanche’s aristocratic origins are established as she is described as being ‘daintly dressed in a
white suit’. Thereby, emphasisng Blanche’s fragility and wealth- Marxist critics suggest “Blanche is representative
of the ‘old’ built up money of society due her aristocratic origins”. Alternatively, the adjective ‘dainty’ could
emphasise the fragility of Blanche’s values thereby suggesting Blanche is duplicitous in terms of her values- she
projects the stereotypical 1940’s Old South values to others but however behind the curtains she does not live by
these values. Subsequently, 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’. Moreover,
the semantic field of ‘white’ clothing acts as a paradox as it juxtaposes to the ‘dim’ and ‘dark’ surroundings of the
French Quarter providing light to the setting. Thereby, establishing Blanche as the outsider; Blanche is deemed as a
Southern Belle and has old and pure morals on a service level. Thus, some critics suggest ‘the use of Blanche’s
white clothing serves as a reminder of her feeble but pure mind as Blanche as a southern belle is isolated from the
society within the play’.
Williams’ also explores how the New South is taking over the Old South by utilizing violence as Stanley and Blanche
are embodiments of the New South and Old South respectively. Thus, Blanche and Stanley evidently collide as
Stanley who is ‘strongly and compactly built’ is the direct juxtaposition of Blanche’s ‘delicate beauty’. Thereby,
exemplifying they have conflicting attributes- Stanley is bold whilst Blanche is gentle. Moreover, Williams’
describes Blanche as a ‘moth’ thus she must avoid ‘bright light’ which suggests the Old Southern values were
modest and subtle whereas Stanley is described as ‘bold as primary colours’ thereby demonstrating to the
audience that the New South is brutally taking over the Old South thus these two societies cannot coexist as the
Old South will demolish the New South with its assertiveness. Moreover, William’s utilizes costume in order to
establish the conflict as the pokermen wear ‘solid blues, purple…’ whereas Blanche wears ‘white’ clothing thus
implying the Old South is fading and the boldness and greatness of the New South is taking over.
Another most noteworthy way in which Williams’ utilizes Blanche’s South Belle superiority is through the
symbolism of ‘Belle Reve’. Thus, ‘Belle Reve’ connotes ‘beautiful dream’ thereby emphasizing Blanche’s illusions as
despite her placement within New Orleans in the play Blanche still grasps onto her past- she is in denial of her past
and holds onto it through her lies and illusions. Moreover, the adjective ‘belle’ is feminine but should have been
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