Examine the view that the conflict between Stanley and Blanche is primarily based on their difference in social class:
The constant conflict between Stella’s lower-class husband Stanley and her upper-class sister Blanche defines most of the play’s outcome and disaster. This conflict is one primarily fuelled by the class divide between the two, which is constantly examined in Blanche’s snobbish assumptions and attacks on Stanley’s character and personality as well as Stanley’s refusal to be told off or ordered around by an upper-class lady. The two have several fights over Blanche’s tendency to bathe in a royal and somewhat arrogant manor as well as the stubbornness and sexist attitudes of the working-class Stanley. However, the conflict is also partly due to their own personal differences, Stanley is extremely crude and blunt and unlike Stella is not afraid to call out Blanche’s lies and manipulative ways. The initial conflict between the two is also somewhat caused by the social sexist factor of the southern states’ attitudes to women and their freedoms.
To begin with, from the initial set up of the play, Blanche has a negative impression of Stanley due to his apparent social class status being lower of her own and therefore makes assumptions that provoke him. This is firstly demonstrated in the quotation “You’re simple, straightforward and honest, a little bit on the primitive side I should think”. Calling Stanley “simple” and “primitive” before truly knowing his character (indeed he proves to be like this, but her assumption based on class difference doesn’t exactly help their relationship) truly highlights her snobbish upper-class side. Her rather crude description of him is one that could be said a feature of a posh lady from a royal mansion (indeed she was brought up in the Belle Reve house) and showcases a lack of sympathy to the lower class. Instead of offering kindness and understanding of his less fortunate financial position she reacts in a narcissistic fuelled disgust. This unjust impression of the lower classes is examined in her first reaction to Stella and Stanley’s home “This – can this be – her home?” + “I thought you would never come back to a place like this!”. The shock evident in the fact Stella would live somewhere not intensely rich is one of an almost superior nature to those who are poor. Instead of understanding and empathising with their unfortunate financial situation but instead appears to blame her for living in a “place like this”. This highlights the abhorrent gap between the poor and rich in post-war USA, with policies of the welfare state in the UK being non-existent in the United States and a total void of help to the working class, also explored in Millers “Death of a salesman”.
The same dynamic is continuously evidenced in Stanley’s attitudes and treatment of Blanche throughout the play, he is overly cynical of her nature to bathe herself as well as her attachment to dresses. Blanche’s absurd habit to bathe herself many times (of course trying to cleanse herself of her “sins” from her dark past of prostitution) throughout the week angers and frustrates Stanley. Made worse by the fact her nature is to organise and tidy every element of the house, indeed one of the first thing she does is rearrange ornaments around the living room and “stinking the place out with perfume”. This cultural difference between the two is a part of the social class divide, Stanley being part of a more rugged (due to intense economic struggle) culture less exposed to luxury, taught not to waste water on baths. Whereas Blanche’s rich background not having to worry about issues like water usage due to fruitful financial funds and having servants to run every-day tasks. Stanley also becomes angry at her over the matter of clothing, not used to such expensive items in the house he automatically assumes foul play. He accuses her of selling off her home for quick and easy profit, (wrongly so she gains the sums from her dark past in prostitution) which starts the ongoing battle between the two. Furthermore, Blanche’s name calling further provokes Stanley to the point of rage, referring to him constantly as a “Polack” a racial slur implying his low-class status gives the savagery of someone who is of a polish descent, clearly this is deeply entrenched in New-Orleans culture as Stanley becomes deeply offended.
However, the conflict between the two is not just fuelled by their class divisions but also by Stanley’s frankly appalling attitudes to the rights of women, causing him to act in an overly controlling pattern as well as his eventual rape of Blanche. When discussing the papers of Belle Reve’s sale, Stanley claims “There is such a thing in this state of Louisiana as the Napoleonic code, according to which whatever belongs to my wife is also mine”. This demonstrates a deeply sexist and possessive attitude towards both Stella and Blanche, not only is Blanche completely independent from her sister but Stanley’s belief that anything his wife has is also his is a truly base and misogynist one. This so called “Napoleonic code” represents the backwards and prejudice attitudes towards women in the American southern states, highlighting the history of cultural divide between North vs South USA e.g. the civil war, culture wars etc. However, one could also argue a huge part of the two’s conflict is down to the constant lies Blanche has told to both Stanley, his wife Stella and to his best friend Mitch, breaking the young man’s already damaged heart. Indeed, Stanley uncovers her dark history of being a prostitute after losing her home and the true reason she lost her teaching job (attempting to seduce a 17-year-old student), which she tries to claim was down to some form of unfair treatment by the school. Due to his purely blunt and honest nature he holds nothing back and fully launches the accusation her way, perhaps showcasing the courage that Stella somewhat lacks. Blanche’s constant lies only hurts her position and leads to her eventual mentally ill state.
To conclude, the conflict between our somewhat tragic villain Stanley and tragic victim Blanche is one that is a fundamental part of our play, it is fuelled by many key elements. The individual nature of each character adds to this destructive relationship. Blanche is a tremendous liar who refuses to ever confront the issues of her past, adding to the fire in Stanley’s mind who is a brutal and un-empathising sexual tyrant, made worse by a misogynist society, likely influenced from the US southern states treatment of women. Despite these crucial factors, the paramount cause of the two’s conflict is the gap of class between the two, echoing an excessively inequitable 1950s United states. The working-class Stanley feels patronised and ignored by the upper-class Blanche who makes unjust assumptions of him based on his lesser financial position, demonstrating a lack of care and a dose of cruel disgust for those below her. As a result, proving that the conflict between Stanley and Blanche is primarily based on their difference in social class.
Collected Essays 