Examining How Marital Conflict is Used in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ Anonymous 12th Grade

‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ is set in New Orleans in the late 1940’s, just two years after World War Two ended; resulting in the setting and context of the play being rich in history and culture, as New Orleans often is. It was seen as a melting pot, and the French Quarter - and by extension, the jazz music originating there - undercut the more emotional moments of the play, especially the use of the ‘varsouviana’ and the ‘blue piano’, when referring to Blanche’s dead husband, Allan. The end of the war, as well as gaining the ability to vote in the 20s, marked a huge cultural and societal shift, as women began to reject being forced back into their roles as homemakers, after years of working and living by - and for - themselves; meaning that the era of male domination of the south began to end (highlighted especially through Stanley expecting Stella to make his supper in this scene). This is especially present in the theme of marital conflict throughout the play - as characters like Stanley and Mitch often attempt to dominate the women in their life, shown through how they address other characters, or the dynamic verb choice in their stage directions.

You could argue that the play represents the downfall of traditionally...