CONTEXT
Timeline of the American South (1800-1940)
~ events that may have influenced Williams ~
Southern Belle (Blanche)
o An archetype characterising the Deep South's upper socio-economic class via a young women
- expectations of them included marriage and becoming upholders of society
- they were also extremely dedicated to their family
WHY CAN BLANCHE (AND NOT STELLA) BE CLASSIFIED AS A SOUTHERN BELLE?
o Looked after her family in their dying days
- Stella is not a Southern Belle as she abandoned her family to run off with Stanley. In the end she even abandons Blanche because she was not strong enough to take a stance against Stanley who has become her new reality since she turned upon her Southern Belle upbringing
o Has previously been married
- the suicide and also homosexuality of her late husband affected her as it once again proves that her truths are not quite what she makes them out to be. This perhaps was the cause of her constant wanderings in which she lives her life through
o Upheld her family home for as long as possible
- Blanche takes pride in her family relationships which is why she makes such a fuss over Stella ("Stella for Star")
o Doesn't fit in at Elysian Fields as it contradicts her way of life
- she is well-spoken and polite to individuals | the complete opposite of Stanley
WHAT QUOTES ARE THERE TO SUPPORT THIS?
o Extensive but soft vocabulary
- "Honey - that's how it slipped through my fingers"
o Take pride in how they look
- Her appearance in incongruous to the setting. She is daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat, looking as if she were arriving at a summer tea or cocktail party in the garden district
- "You know I haven't put one ounce on in ten years, Stella?"
o Limited by their traditional ways of thinking
- "Where were you. In bed with your - Polak!"
- There is a relatively warm and easy intermingling of faces in the old part of town
WHY CAN STANLEY BE CLASSIFIED AS THE INDUSTRIAL NORTHERN WORKING CLASS?
o Long working hours
o Low wage
o Harder life
o Overcrowded settlements
o Poverty
o Less hygienic living conditions
o No fear of bad appearance
o No rich family to rely on
WHAT QUOTES ARE THERE TO SUPPORT THIS?
o This section is poor but unlike corresponding sections in other American cities, it has a raffish charm
o rickety outside stairs
o faded white stairs ascend to the entrances of both
o weathered grey
The Napoleonic Code
o French civil code established by Napoleon in 1804
- it refers to a married couple sharing things such as property
- this is important in case of divorce and legal division of belongings
o Stanley is upset over Belle Reve as, via the Napoleonic code, it would've brought him riches, power and authority
- "in the state of Louisiana we have the Napoleonic code according to which what belongs to the wife belongs to the husband and vice versa" (Scene 2)
Timeline of the American South (1800-1940)
~ events that may have influenced Williams ~
o 1812-1815: War of 1812
- known as the 'second war of independence'
- fought between the US and UK over territory
- United States nationalism rose after the victory at the Battle of New Orleans
o 1812 Louisiana became a state
o 1861-1865: Civil war
- ‘war of southern independence’
- struggle for the abolishment of slavery
o 1874: ‘New South’
- (Henry W. Grady): was a term used to represent the modernisation of the south. This was due to the impacts of the civil war where the south was still relying on crops with low market prices (e.g. cotton) and was also still very rural. The outcomes of this industrialisation and urbanisation meant slavery was abolished
- shown through the binary opposites of Blanche (Southern Belle) and Stanley (Northern Industrial Working Class)
o 1914-18: WW1
o 1928: All women could vote
o 1929- 1939: The Great Depression
- from 1929-1932 5000 banks went out of business. 13 million were unemployed. The entire American banking system reached the brink of collapse
Culture in the Deep South
o Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1936)
- set in Georgia during the Civil War & shows how this conflict led to the destruction of the South
- glorifies the South and depreciates the North
- illustrates the breakdown of traditional gender roles
o Jazz Music
- New Orleans was the birthplace for Jazz music that became popular in the early 20th century (1920s)
- Jazz Age: 1920 - beginning of the Great Depression (1929)
o Culture Divide
- divide between the North and South due to clashing opinions after and before the Civil War
The American Dream
o The ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to all Americans
o A life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought after by individuals in the US
Each character in ASND has a different version of the American Dream and it is their own personal struggles to achieve them that leads to the tragic downfall of Blanch DuBois
o A life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought after by individuals in the US
Each character in ASND has a different version of the American Dream and it is their own personal struggles to achieve them that leads to the tragic downfall of Blanch DuBois
Southern Belle (Blanche)
o An archetype characterising the Deep South's upper socio-economic class via a young women
- expectations of them included marriage and becoming upholders of society
- they were also extremely dedicated to their family
WHY CAN BLANCHE (AND NOT STELLA) BE CLASSIFIED AS A SOUTHERN BELLE?
o Looked after her family in their dying days
- Stella is not a Southern Belle as she abandoned her family to run off with Stanley. In the end she even abandons Blanche because she was not strong enough to take a stance against Stanley who has become her new reality since she turned upon her Southern Belle upbringing
o Has previously been married
- the suicide and also homosexuality of her late husband affected her as it once again proves that her truths are not quite what she makes them out to be. This perhaps was the cause of her constant wanderings in which she lives her life through
o Upheld her family home for as long as possible
- Blanche takes pride in her family relationships which is why she makes such a fuss over Stella ("Stella for Star")
o Doesn't fit in at Elysian Fields as it contradicts her way of life
- she is well-spoken and polite to individuals | the complete opposite of Stanley
WHAT QUOTES ARE THERE TO SUPPORT THIS?
o Extensive but soft vocabulary
- "Honey - that's how it slipped through my fingers"
o Take pride in how they look
- Her appearance in incongruous to the setting. She is daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat, looking as if she were arriving at a summer tea or cocktail party in the garden district
- "You know I haven't put one ounce on in ten years, Stella?"
o Limited by their traditional ways of thinking
- "Where were you. In bed with your - Polak!"
- There is a relatively warm and easy intermingling of faces in the old part of town
WHY CAN STANLEY BE CLASSIFIED AS THE INDUSTRIAL NORTHERN WORKING CLASS?
o Long working hours
o Low wage
o Harder life
o Overcrowded settlements
o Poverty
o Less hygienic living conditions
o No fear of bad appearance
o No rich family to rely on
WHAT QUOTES ARE THERE TO SUPPORT THIS?
o This section is poor but unlike corresponding sections in other American cities, it has a raffish charm
o rickety outside stairs
o faded white stairs ascend to the entrances of both
o weathered grey
The Napoleonic Code
o French civil code established by Napoleon in 1804
- it refers to a married couple sharing things such as property
- this is important in case of divorce and legal division of belongings
o Stanley is upset over Belle Reve as, via the Napoleonic code, it would've brought him riches, power and authority
- "in the state of Louisiana we have the Napoleonic code according to which what belongs to the wife belongs to the husband and vice versa" (Scene 2)
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