Explore how Williams presents old and new ideas in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.

Tennessee Williams’ dramatic exploration of events during ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ sees an effective presentation of new and old ideas, reflecting the character of Blanche, the overall narrative of the play and its dramatic impact, as well as the troubled past of Tennessee Williams and the context of the play.One effective presentation of old and new mentalities is Williams’s exploration of the explosive relationship between Stanley and Blanche. Blanche is representative of ideas of the Old South, where even the name “DuBois” references the traditional old South ideals. Conversely, Stanley’s character presents an emergence of the ‘new’ american ideal, consolidated by the post-War attitudes of America and a rejection of traditionally patriotic views, effectively represented through the physical extension of Stanley’s language “don’t ever call me a Pollack”. Williams litter’s Stanley’s dialogue with imperatives, such as “don’t”, “get” and “want”, reflecting the patriarchal mentalities of society and presenting positive attitudes post-War that made many members of society keen to achieve and aspire. This brutish and simplistic extension of language is contrasted through Blanche’s evocative and elaborate use of language. This embeds Blanche as wholly representative of the Old South. Williams extends Blanche’s use of animal imagery, especially when in describing Stanley as acting “like an animal”, describing something “ape-like about him”. In a dramatic sense, William’s references a traditional Southern-Gothic trope in incorporating “lurid reflections”and “noises” and breaking the consistent realism of the play so far, demonstrating effectively to the audience that this literal attack upon Blanche is a metaphorical attack not just upon her mental state, but her values of the Old South, her “scuffed” diamond shoes an oxymoron reflective of her maintenance of old ways despite their lack in value in 1947 New Orleans.