Streetcar themes Flashcards
What are the main themes of Streetcar?
Death and desire, delusions and illusions, hegemonic masculinity, female entrapment and social class
What is another less prominent but still relevant theme of the play and how is it relevant?
Race - Late 1940s South had a boom of immigration (New Orleans = mix of different ethnicities) However, it is not as progressive as the opening stage directions set it up to be - the black woman is referred to as a Negro and is played by a man in the Olivier production (masculinisation of black women) and Stanley is referred to as a Polack - racial slur for Polish people (Eastern Europeans, Southern Europeans and Irish people were not considered white at the time - whiteness was exclusionary and linked to being m/c and hegemonic masculinity
What is the main idea of Streetcar?
Exploring the psyche of a woman under a patriarchal society where she has challenged its norms by expressing her desire in a world where that is only exclusive to men and the consequences of doing so
