How does Williams explore the themes of vanity and superficiality in A Streetcar Named
Desire?
Blanche and Stanley both obsessed with appearance and how others view them (though this
manifests itself differently) and this similarity is part of what causes their clash because they
can’t stand to allow the other to keep up the facade.
“Faint redolences of bananas and coffee” New Orleans’ tie to slavery emphasised by “coffee”
“tinny piano being played with the infatuated (AO3: one of the largest exports of slavery) and the
fluency of brown fingers” city’s refusal to acknowledge it by the transience and
ignorable sensory language of “redolences”.
Persistent leitmotif used to show the clash between
past and present, but the Plastic theatre also
demonstrates how, despite its supposed equality, the
“brown fingers” are still relegated to the role of
performer and of a space in the background.
Sense that New Orleans, rather than becoming better,
has decided to change its image to appear more
“cosmopolitan” and improved.
“Daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy Colour symbolism: conveying image of purity.
bodice…white gloves and hat” Juxtaposing image with New Orleans backdrop
emphasises her difference. Her vanity is to display a
facade in order to hide her true (socially shameful -
AO3) promiscuous self.
“I never met a woman that didn’t know if Ironic - Stanley’s derision of superficial and vain
she was good-looking or not” women betrays his own self-obsession with how he
appears, because it conveys his intense desire to
appear aloof and untouchable and conform to
hegemonic masculinity (AO3); specifically conveyed in
the specificity of “woman”, which allows him to
reinforce patriarchal ideas of shallow women.
Hints at how B and S’s different kinds of vanity cause
the clash between them. Her superficiality threatens
his performance of uncaring hypermasculinity because
she forces him to take a position and attempts to
make him more ‘gentlemanly’ (Southern etiquette
ideals - AO3)
“I have an idea she doesn’t understand you Blanche and Stanley recognise in each other the fact
as well as I do” they present facades rather than their true selves -
Stella doesn’t try to perform and therefore can’t see
their superficiality. This mutual understanding leads to
conflict.
Stanley’s vanity seen during Poker night: AO2: Monosyllabism and the aggression shows him
“Yeah. Me.” attempting to conform to hegemonic masculinity and
“Shut up.” convey his dominance. This is more pronounced
“A loud whack of his hand on her thigh” within a group of men perhaps because he feels
especially inadequate in his masculinity and so feels
the need to overpower the other men (and his wife) in
Desire?
Blanche and Stanley both obsessed with appearance and how others view them (though this
manifests itself differently) and this similarity is part of what causes their clash because they
can’t stand to allow the other to keep up the facade.
“Faint redolences of bananas and coffee” New Orleans’ tie to slavery emphasised by “coffee”
“tinny piano being played with the infatuated (AO3: one of the largest exports of slavery) and the
fluency of brown fingers” city’s refusal to acknowledge it by the transience and
ignorable sensory language of “redolences”.
Persistent leitmotif used to show the clash between
past and present, but the Plastic theatre also
demonstrates how, despite its supposed equality, the
“brown fingers” are still relegated to the role of
performer and of a space in the background.
Sense that New Orleans, rather than becoming better,
has decided to change its image to appear more
“cosmopolitan” and improved.
“Daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy Colour symbolism: conveying image of purity.
bodice…white gloves and hat” Juxtaposing image with New Orleans backdrop
emphasises her difference. Her vanity is to display a
facade in order to hide her true (socially shameful -
AO3) promiscuous self.
“I never met a woman that didn’t know if Ironic - Stanley’s derision of superficial and vain
she was good-looking or not” women betrays his own self-obsession with how he
appears, because it conveys his intense desire to
appear aloof and untouchable and conform to
hegemonic masculinity (AO3); specifically conveyed in
the specificity of “woman”, which allows him to
reinforce patriarchal ideas of shallow women.
Hints at how B and S’s different kinds of vanity cause
the clash between them. Her superficiality threatens
his performance of uncaring hypermasculinity because
she forces him to take a position and attempts to
make him more ‘gentlemanly’ (Southern etiquette
ideals - AO3)
“I have an idea she doesn’t understand you Blanche and Stanley recognise in each other the fact
as well as I do” they present facades rather than their true selves -
Stella doesn’t try to perform and therefore can’t see
their superficiality. This mutual understanding leads to
conflict.
Stanley’s vanity seen during Poker night: AO2: Monosyllabism and the aggression shows him
“Yeah. Me.” attempting to conform to hegemonic masculinity and
“Shut up.” convey his dominance. This is more pronounced
“A loud whack of his hand on her thigh” within a group of men perhaps because he feels
especially inadequate in his masculinity and so feels
the need to overpower the other men (and his wife) in
