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A Streetcar Named Desire (Zaynah Sadiq)

In ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, the most significant source of tension is between
femininity and masculinity
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In the 1947 dramatic tragedy, Williams explores the significant source of tension
mainly through the presentation of conventional masculinity juxtaposed with
traditional femininity
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‘A
Streetcar Named Desire’ is a work of social realism, which is a naturalistic play set in
milieus whose characters are cultural paradigms
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It can be argued that one of the most significant sources of tension stem from the
hypersexuality between masculinity and femininity
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Early in
Scene 1, Stanley calls out to Stella, shouting ‘Meat!’
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’ The meat
embodies the sexual tension between the two and the phallic stage direction of ‘haul’
is a physical act of Stanley’s masculinity; this miscellaneous prop conveys his almost
brutal and primitive nature
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Likewise, Stella’s delight in catching Stanley’s meat signifies her sexual
infatuation with him
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Furthermore, Williams presents the domineering aspects of masculinity to contrast
meek femininity, an ultimate cause for significant tension
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The
earliest description of Stanley is that he has ‘the power and pride of a richly
feathered male bird among hens
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This authoritative illustration of Stanley contrasts with the character of
Blanche; Williams uses her character to explore the traditional feminine archetype of
delicate, illusive femininity, presenting the post-world war two female dependence on
males
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This connotes a feminine vulnerability, and as having
a ‘delicate beauty’ that ‘must avoid a strong light’
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Both a modern audience and an audience of the 1940s could recognise
through Blanche the past and current social pressures forced upon women to stay

youthful and stereotypically feminine-presenting in order to attract the masculinity of
others
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The disparity between these two
characters, as explored previously, is a climactic expression of a larger conflict that
Williams explores within the play - the ultimate tension between masculinity and
femininity
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Blanche embodies the aristocracy of the Old
South, cultivated by a homogenous upper class system; whereas, Stanley
symbolises the New South, an industrialised and diversified version of the
transformed New Orleans post World War Two
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The repetition of this language emphasises the prejudice
Blanche upholds against Stanley, insulting his immigrant heritage, a factor out of
Stanley’s control
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These dehumanising
terms heighten Blanche's sense of superiority and judgemental tone to ultimately
highlight her animalisation of Stanley, due to his low-level status
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Whereas, the majority
of modern audiences currently would condemn her for these remarks, which expose
both her prejudice and further discrimination of Stanley - based purely on his lower

echelon within society
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In response,
Stanley finally snaps at Blanche with ‘People from Poland are Poles, not Polacks
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’ He corrects Blanche’s many
misapprehensions and forcefully exposes her as an uninformed bigot
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This is in comparison to Blanche, who is an antiquity in the new
America
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As a result, the class divide between these two
characters creates a socio economic conflict that serves as a significant source of
tension within the play
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During the game, Stanley abruptly orders ‘You hens cut out
that conversation in there!’ The reference to Stella and Blanche as ‘hens’ objectifies
the women, and is clear in exuding Stanley’s sense of superiority as a male
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In extension, Stanley represents the
patriarchal society at the time, who permanently placed women in inferior positions
for their own advantage
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The colloquial tone of the line suggests this demeaning
behaviour towards wives was a normalcy in the patriarchal society of the 1940s
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It is a possibility that
Stanley’s hostility towards Blanche is because she is less reluctant to manipulation
and control as his wife is
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This may have caused
surprise amongst audiences at the time, as women normally conformed to the banal,
domestic standards men held for them
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It is interesting to note this view
encapsulates the tension arising from this clash between femininity and masculinity it is agreeable that Stanley is able to overcome Blanche's challenge, because as a
male, his words, ‘libido’ and actions are imbued with greater authority than
Blanche's
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To conclude, the contrast between such maculine-presenting and
feminine-presenting characters, and their subsequent behaviour, is the most

significant cause of tension throughout the play
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It is this tension
between the societal expectations of masculinity and femininity that generates the
dilemmas that the major characters encounter

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