Written Task 2 Question 2 (A Streetcar Named Desire)

including Outline

Written Task 2: Outline

Prescribed question:

Reader, Culture, and Text: “If the text had been written in a different time or place or language or for a different audience, how and why might it differ?”

Title of text for analysis:

A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) by Tennessee Williams.

Task is related to course section:

Part 4: Literature – critical study

Task focus:

This essay will focus on how A Streetcar Named Desire would have differed if it were written and performed in the 1850’s.

     This essay claims that the character changes will be significant in the 1850’s version of the play because of the belief system of the old American South. The text is a play, written for the stage, and so it is highly important to read it whilst imagining the way it could be performed by the actors.

     The characters are of a wide range of races throughout the first 3 scenes, which shows the diversity present in 1950’s America and how the American South has evolved. By contrast, performing the same play in the 1850’s would be implausible; the dynamic and interaction could not exist, as it was deemed socially inappropriate.

Written Task 2 – Critical Response

If A Streetcar Named Desire had been written in a different time, how and why might it differ?

A Streetcar Named Desire was written by Tennessee Williams in 1947. This essay considers how the play might differ in Scenes 1 to 3 if written in 1850 when the American South held strongly to the beliefs of racial segregation and slavery. New Orleans was considered the centre of the southern slave trade, but was paradoxically also home to the most prosperous community of free coloured people in the South. These people called themselves the ‘Creoles of Colour’ and spoke French or similar languages which the white Americans called ‘nigger French’. The ‘creoles’ controlled bricklaying, carpentry, and shoemaking, and many lived in the prosperous downtown area of New Orleans. In uptown New Orleans, by contrast, slavery was endemic.[1] Slavery and racism were particularly obvious in farming, and most successful cotton farmers were ‘white’ Americans.[2] For these contextual reasons, the setting for the play if written in this period, the atmosphere, and the conflict between Stanley and Blanche would be quite different.

In both periods -1940’s and 1850’s – the conflict between Blanche and Stanley would be important. However, in 1850 Blanche would be a less opinionated woman. If she were opinionated, audiences would be very weary of her, as her behaviour would be contrary to ordinary female conduct in the period. For the play to work we must be able to feel compassion and affection for Blanche since she is a protagonist, rather than antagonist. In the 1850’s the conflict may be altered so that Blanche would ask Stella to return home with her. Stanley would not accept this and compel Stella to stay with him. The conflict would highlight the dominance males have over females and will make Blanche seem more vulnerable and weak. An audience consisting of married people may feel compassion towards Blanche’s situation.

     At publication in 1947, women were considered the property of their husbands. However, women held some rights to own property, as evidenced by Blanche, if the property was inherited from a male family member. Women were unable to vote and spent most of their time at home. Educated women like Stella and Blanche would often read about important issues and had jobs such as teaching. These values would remain unchanged in an 1850’s version of the play, except that Blanche would inherit slaves in addition to the house. Despite this, Blanche would have little independence.

     Male and female interaction in 1850’s America would be similar to the 1940’s, but arguably more obviously patriarchal in the earlier time. In scenes 1 to 3, the play portrays Stanley’s dominance. He barely cares about Stella’s desires, and tells her only of necessities, while throwing meat at her to put in the fridge. Rewritten, Stanley would display more overt dominance over Stella.

     Solidifying the idea that he holds the power and dominates the relationship, Stella would ask to take the meat from Stanley rather than him throwing it at her, doting on him. Moreover, she would not ask to join Stanley and his friends at their bowling night because it would be inappropriate for her to join the men. Also, Stanley, most likely, would not allow Stella near his friends and he would want to be Stella’s only access to an eligible man.

     Furthermore, the flat complex that Stanley and Stella reside in, together with the surrounding atmosphere of cordiality and ease between different races, would not be evident because of the pronounced segregation of the 1850’s. They would not be able to live in the same area as a ‘negro woman’. Every mention of any minority race would be incredibly significant throughout the play. Non-whites would be depicted as less important and successful than whites. The reason for Stella running away with Stanley would also be different because in the 1850’s Stanley would have been a high-class man managing a factory or a farm, supported by slaves. He would have worked for a competing company to Stella’s family, and this would be why their relationship caused a divide within Stella and Blanche’s family. Stella would have run off to Stanley’s house, in a similar area to her own family (in a time of less mobility), but the families would have been sure to avoid one another. The atmosphere would show more runaway lovers like Stanley and Stella, living a freer life. This would suggest they were 1850’s rebels, and that ‘love trumps all’. Their relationship would however fail as Stanley is an abusive husband.

     To conclude, if the play had been written in the 1850’s it would have differed greatly, as social beliefs and behaviours were very different, as were attitudes to racial minorities. The play would not be as controversial for 1850’s audiences because adjustments would be made to accommodate the audience’s expectations informed by cultural norms. Such alterations would be necessary, otherwise audiences would be offended by what they would regard as taboo scenes. However, such alterations would make the play less impactful. Compared to the original play, the altered play would be less likely to challenge audiences’ perceptions of the world or themselves. By contrast, the original play challenges racism and social change in the American South.

Word Count: 853

Bibliography

Modern American Poetry. About the American Civil War. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.english.illinois.edi/maps/civilwar/about.htm. [Accessed 16 August 13].

PBS Jazz. New Orleans. The Birthplace of Jazz. [ONLINE] Available at http://www.pbs.org/jazz/places/places_new_orleans.htm. [Accessed 16 August 13].

Williams, T. A Streetcar Named Desire. 1947.

[2] Modern American Poetry. About the American Civil War. [ONLINE]