Ask the Expert Tutor: A Streetcar Named Desire
As part of our ‘Ask the Expert Tutor’ series, we will be discussing Tennessee Williams's play, A Streetcar Named Desire. This play is commonly found on the A-Level syllabus.
One of the more commonly set texts for the A-Level English Literature syllabus is A Streetcar Named Desire. The play, through its success both on stage and screen, has found a home for itself in the popular consciousness. With its iconic characters and dramatic scenes, many A-Level English Literature students feel as though they already ‘know’ the story of Streetcar. Even those A-Level students unfamiliar with the text proper can recognise elements of Streetcar in other works of popular media. Yet, to truly understand Williams’s work, Streetcar must be examined in significant detail, going beyond the now well-known depictions of Blanche and Stanley and looking into the context of the work itself. It is only through such a practice that an A-Level English Literature student can truly reach the highest markband.
For A-Level learners to understand Streetcar, they must first recognise the individual who wrote it, as no work exists in a vacuum.
Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) is widely regarded as one of the greatest American playwrights of the 20th Century. Williams had a notably troubled childhood, growing up with an abusive father, and a mentally ill older sister named Rose. Williams was close to his sister, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Her subsequent lobotomy and institutionalisation had a profound effect on the playwright.
An astute reader may see some parallels between Williams’s own life and the lives of his characters in Streetcar. The volatile Stanley Kowalski could very well have been inspired in part by Williams’s own violent father; while his sister appears to be an influence on the character of Blanche DuBois.
Another major factor influencing the playwright was his own homosexuality. Williams notably struggled with his homosexuality, and this internal strife was exacerbated by it being against the law in many places in America, and barely ‘tolerated’ elsewhere. Like Williams, his characters in Streetcar exist on the fringes of what was the acceptable society of the time.
Recognising the ways in which the author’s life crosses over and inspires Streetcar will allow A-Level Literature students to achieve a greater understanding of the work as a whole, and facilitate more comprehensive essay responses.
A Streetcar Named Desire was written at a time of great social and political change. The aftermath of the Second World War enabled America to take a dominant position on the world stage both economically and socially. Working class Americans enjoyed wage increases and social importance, a change in status reflected in the character of Stanley and his friends.
In addition, the role of women was rapidly evolving in the post-war period. During the war, women were enlisted to work in munitions factories, and their labour was essential for the war effort and keeping the American economy going as men were called up to fight. However, in the aftermath of the conflict, women were expected to quit their jobs and return to the domestic sphere to make way for the returning men to rejoin the workforce. Yet, due to the burgeoning women’s rights and liberation movements, this was not so easily done. Women’s status was changing, and many felt caught between the rising tide of modernity and the comfort of traditional gender roles.
As mentioned previously, Streetcar was not written in a vacuum. The dramatically shifting culture of the time, coupled with Williams’s own experiences, exist in the play at the most cellular level. Consequently, for a comprehensive analysis, A-Level Literature students must be able to incorporate such information into their responses. If this is ignored, marks are guaranteed to be missed.
There are a number of commonly referenced themes in Streetcar that those studying A-Level Literature must be familiar with to achieve high marks.
Delusion —The theme of delusion runs all the way through the play. Characters engage in self-delusion to protect their psyche from their difficult circumstances, while others fall straight into fantasy. This is particularly prominent in the character of Blanche.
Masculinity and femininity — Streetcar is deeply concerned with masculinity and femininity, and how it affects relations between men and women. All the characters are governed by it in one way or another. For example, both Blanche and Stella define themselves in terms of the men in their lives, and they see relationships with men as the only avenue for happiness and fulfilment.
Old vs New South — A key symbolic conflict represented in Streetcar is that of the Old and New South. The transition from areas whose economy was supported by agriculture to a more industrial economy led to both soul searching and years of difficulty for those who previously benefited from the Antebellum South. This is exemplified in the play by the DuBois family, and Blanche and Stella’s loss of both wealth and status.
Having established the authorial and historical context of Streetcar, as well as discussing commonly referenced themes, A-Level Literature students can move on to the next stage of their learning.
This must centre around the careful analysis of past exam questions and the repeated tackling of such writing tasks. A common sticking point in Literature examinations is structure, i.e., how best to lay out points and argue comprehensively. Consequently, careful attention must be paid to this issue. A-Level candidates must be selecting and answering exam paper questions, or developing their own to answer. This process will allow students to become increasingly more comfortable discussing Streetcar and forming their own opinions and arguments.
An experienced tutor can be of great aid to A-Level students in this regard, offering feedback and brainstorming sessions to ensure essays of the highest quality are produced. If you feel like you or your child could benefit from assistance in A-Level English Literature, reach out to our admin team today at 2882 1017, or by email at enquiries@bartyed.com.