What Is the Presentation of Femininity in a Streetcar Named Desire?

Plan:

1. Femininity is a presentation which is varied when viewed through different perspectives e.g.

- Author - Tennessee Williams

- Blanche

- Stella

- Stanley

- Mitch

2. Williams blurs the distinction between this binary opposition of womanhood and manhood/ femininity and masculinity.

- Stella in the play attributes certain stereotypical characteristics of a man e.g. Demanding/controlling - 'you'd better give me some money' (atypical). However can also be argued that she is the typical women of today's society as she likes to have control or she wants to have control yet has none? (Williams blurs distinction).

- Blanche portrays conventional attributes of womanhood as she is highly dependent on others 'I can't be alone'... [Her voice drops and her look is frightened] - Dependent 'talk while I look around for some liquor...No coke, honey, not with my nerves tonight!' - Blanche is laid bare as incapable, lonely, isolated and afraid...When Blanche first appears in 'Elysian Fields', she is presented through her 'incongruous' appearance: 'She is daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat.' Williams portrays Blanche as a split character, in front of Stella she's this broken incapable women however in front of Stanley/Mitch these characteristics still lay however she has a subtle element of power. Tennessee subverts the weakness characteristics of women to be used for power - he blurs the distinction between weakness and power -'Oh, is there an inscription? I can't quite make it out. [He strikes a match and moves closer.] Oh! [Reading with feigned (insincere/ not genuine) difficulty]...'I'll show you a shuperficial- Listen to me! My tongue is a little-thick!'

Stella  Blanche: incapable, dependent, weak, afraid, fragile... Stanley/Mitch  Blanche: Blanche is still portrayed as this fragile woman however her stereotypes are manipulated  femininity subverted into a discrete masculinity...

- Stanley... Through Stanley's gaze, feminism is smashed to pieces both Blanche and Stella are placed on a pedestal of objectification -'[A chair scrapes. Stanley gives a loud whack of his hand on her thigh]'  Stanley whacks Stella as if a piece of meat. We can also argue that the whack is a lustful whack, so Stella is subtly, yet sexually objectified.

Williams allows us to know very little of Stanley's social background (all we know is is that his of lower class and is Polish) however Williams emphasises that Stanley is this instinctive, dominant male... This is expressed through the characterisation of Stanley, Williams allows the reader to make their own judgement on Stanley - likely to be a moral judgement? Or depended on the reader - male/female? Or are forced to believe the moral of femininity?

- Mitch arguably is the male version of Blanche as both are this feeble, broken being, yearning for love and mourning the loss of love and is the antithesis of Stanley. Williams deliberately creates this polar opposition between Stanley and Mitch to emphasise each characters characteristics. Mitch is portrayed as: innocent, naive, respectful, gentleman, gentile, courteous, weak and feeble. This characterisation of Mitch creates a different perception as Blanche... We see Blanche as this innocent, courteous woman - 'a proper lady,' but we as the audience know Blanche

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