Notesale: Turn your study into money

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The clash of cultures in the play?

On the surface the play presents the inability of Blanche to come into terms with the changing
reality around her, creating a clash between her and Stanley as well as the fast-changing New
Orleans, which could be seen as an allegorical representation of the conflict between the decaying
ideals of the Old South, overwhelmed by the emerging culture of the New America
...
Arthur Miller employs the genre of Social
Realism to pass on a similar image of the emerging power of the capitalist values of 1950s America,
leading to the death of Willy, who cannot cope with the changing values of his time
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The emergence of Stanley and his macho presence is symbolised through “Meat!”, which he
throws at Stella, establishing the idea of the man being the provider as well as hinting his predatorial
sexuality and dominance
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On the other hand, the “delicate beauty” of
Blanche seems to not only be fragile in nature, implying its decaying state, but it is also in a stark
contrast with the setting, suggested by Williams himself- “incongruous to the setting”,
foreshadowing its fall, overwhelmed by the rough nature of working-class New Orleans
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However, the fatality of the clash between the past and the present is
most explicitly seen in Blanche’s hysterical monologue about “the loss, the loss” of Belle Reve,
dominated by the pathetic fallacy of death
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Furthermore, one may see the voices of the dying DuBois- “Don’t let me go! Don’t let me go!”
as Blanche’s subconsciousness not being able to let go of the past, adding to her inability to adapt to
the present, accelerating the clash of the two conflicting cultures
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One may even argue that her trunk is an allegory of her past that she brings with
her of as presented in the 1950s movie adaptation of the play- following her, which may hint that
her past is always in her consciousness, which Stanley does a “thorough job” of uncovering, using
the power of reality and the brutality of the New America
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The emotive exchange between Stanley and Blanche presents this clash of the New America wanting
to conquer and overpower the Old South, seen in Stanley’s straightforward manners- “Where’s the
papers?” and “Don’t pull that stuff”, implying his desire to own Belle Reve, ultimately leading to the
metaphorical and spatial sinking of Blanche under his power
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