Social Conflict In Blanche Dubois By Tennessee Williams

Stanley Kowalski embodies the ideals of a working class man from the northern states of America, as his principles closely resemble those of the new wave of values present in the 1940s in the USA, following the defeat of the southern states in the American Civil War. Williams uses Stanley to portray the social conflict that arose in the southern states, between "northerners" and "southerners" as the other main character, Blanche DuBois, represents some of the values of the southern states. This clash of beliefs is what makes the play so thought-provoking and therefore so interesting. The way Williams makes use of Stanley's background is what generates the conflict in the play; Stanley's dominant behaviour and immature approach towards certain things makes him fit into the stereotype of a 'manly man' that conforms to traditional ideas, making him quite a sexist character, which …show more content…
This geographical divide isn't the only thing that sets him apart from other characters; his inability to not use violence to solve a conflict and his childish behaviour when something doesn’t go as planned also set him apart. The contrast between his sexually arrogant personality and his immature personality adds to the intricacy of his character, the idea that he used to be different but turned into a violent bully as he grew older also increases the complexity of his character. Williams did sacrifice some subtlety of Stanley's characterisation, such as leaving out his past and focusing more on Blanche's, but we can also see how Williams shows us the different sides of Stanley. He isn't a sentimental character, yet with his contrasting traits in his personality we are able to shape a character that may not be as intricately made as others, but still has some interesting sides to his