A Streetcar Named Desire: Context: Southern Belles

The idea of the Southern Belle originated in the antebellum period of the American South, referring to the daughters of elite plantation owners living in the Southern US.
The term embodies expectations of Southern hospitality, purity, and submission. Southern belles were raised with the expectation of marrying well and maintaining an air of innocence and flirtatiousness.
Blanche DuBois is often interpreted as a fading Southern belle, struggling with these traditional expectations and the realities of a modern, industrialised society.

Blanche DuBois: Her upbringing and identity as a Southern belle influence her behaviour throughout the play. Her frequent flirtatiousness, delicate manner, and need for male validation stem from the expectations placed upon her as a Southern belle.
Stanley Kowalski: His brutish behaviour and dismissal of Blanche’s refined airs represent the working-class reality contrasting with the gentility of the old Southern aristocracy.

Old vs New: The concept of the Southern belle symbolises the old aristocratic South that is being replaced by the modern, industrialised society represented by characters like Stanley.
Gender Roles: The expectations placed on Southern belles delineate strict traditional gender roles, highlighting Blanche’s struggles with her identity in a society that no longer values these old norms.
Reality vs Illusion: Representative of old romantic notions, the ideal of the Southern belle stands as an illusion that starkly contrasts with the harsh reality faced by Blanche.

“I can’t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action” – Blanche. Her sensitivity to harsh light symbolises her inability to face reality, adhering instead to the gentility of her Southern belle upbringing.
“She is a lady and her feelings must be respected”—Mitch. His defence of Blanche to Stanley reveals that the ideals of Southern femininity still hold some respect, even in this new society.

Symbolism: Use of light and darkness throughout the play symbolises Blanche’s desire to obscure the truth and maintain her image as a Southern belle.
Dialect: The distinct Southern accents of characters play a significant role in differentiating the cultured and genteel Blanche from the gritty realism of Stanley’s New Orleans.
Dramatic Irony: The audience’s knowledge of Blanche’s true past juxtaposed with her attempts to maintain the façade of a Southern belle creates tension.
Pathetic Fallacy: The setting, a dilapidated apartment in a teeming, modern city, reflects the passing of the world that Southern belles like Blanche once ruled.