The juxtaposition of the abundance associated with city life and the simplicity that living in a county typically symbolizes is represented quite vividly in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” and the corresponding 1951 movie. The specified concept is represented particularly thoroughly in the scene of Blanche and Stanley meeting for the first time. The contrast between the costumes of the characters, namely, Blanche’s stylist dress with multiple decorations and Stanley’s simplistic clothing, sets a distinctively felt boundary between them, making the audience acknowledge that the specified scene means not only two characters meeting, but also two alien worlds colliding.
Although Blanche’s and Stanley’s clothes belong to the same time period and, therefore, allow the characters to coexist within the same reality and interact naturally, the differences in the details and the style serve more than merely representing them as different characters. The urban style of Blanche’s dress implies that her costume serves a uniquely different purpose from the practical one of Stanley’s. Namely, it serves to emphasize her status and background. For instance, the dainty and elegant nature of the dress and the silhouette that it creates is contrasted sharply with the rough and even coarse impression that Stanley’s costume has. As a result, Blanche’s middle-class background clashes with Stanley’s working-class one before they are properly introduced to the audience. Thus, the premise for further conflict within the play and the tension between the two characters is established.
Furthermore, the costumes of Blanche and Stanley serve as a shorthand to outline the differences in their personalities. The roughness and coarseness of Stanley’s character echoe a range of his personality traits, such as his straightforwardness. In the scene in question, the specified characteristic of his shines particularly brightly as he talks to Blanche directly and without any embellishments. Specifically, he clarifies that he does not seek an idle conversation and does not intend to waste his time on it: “Oh, hiya. Yeah, where’s the little woman?” (“A Streetcar Named Desire” 00:12:34). The specified exchange is quite awkward and short, with the characters’ key traits being established carefully though briefly. Due to the limitation in time that the short dialogue sets, the characters and their personalities must be introduced promptly so that the audience could identify their dynamics immediately. In turn, the costumes perform the specified function impeccably, setting the tone and the dynamics in Blanche’s and Stanley’s interactions.
Remarkably, even the small nuances of the characters’ personalities are reflected in the costumes that they wear. For instance, Blanche’s initial timidity and daintiness that her urban lifestyle and the job of an actress made her develop are reflected in the details of her dress. From delicate frills to the thin material to the decoration on her shoulder that does not serve any purpose outside of an aesthetic one, her costume embodies the quintessence of stereotypical femininity. In contrast, Stanley’s costume, particularly, the roughly cut trousers and the shirt, signify his masculinity: “Mind if I make myself comfortable?” (“A Streetcar Named Desire” 00:13:09). Thus, the costumes outline the nuances of the characters’ personality and forecast the further dynamics between them. Thus, the theme of the juxtaposition of masculinity and femininity, as well as the questioning of these concepts’ rigidity, is once again raised with the help of the details in the costumes of the characters.
Finally, the manner in which the characters wear their costumes discloses a significant amount of information about them and their key traits. Specifically, as Stanley takes off his jacket, his shirt is revealed to be quite sweaty. The specified characteristic is juxtaposed to Blanche’s well-kempt and neat dress. While clearly signifying their class differences, namely, Blanche belonging to the middle-class caste, whereas Stanley being of the working class origin, the described characteristic also reflects the contrast between the traditional notion of masculinity and femininity. Namely, Stanley’s sweaty shirt signals his masculine nature, whereas Blanche’s tidy and neat dress represents her behavior and character, which are feminine to the point of a cliché, especially in her initial politeness and compliance: “Please do” (00:13:12). The described difference creates a menacing feeling that foreshadows the tragic climax of the story, which is why the clothing choice made in the movie is central to the further portrayal of the relationships between the characters. The specified choice of clothing helps set the tone and the character dynamics, thus, making their further relationships and the conflict between them believable.
By utilizing costumes carefully as a means of representing the characters’ backgrounds and social positions, the 1951 movie version of “A Streetcar Named Desire” draws a clear line between Blanche’s world of urbanism and Stanley’s realm of practicality and simplicity. As a result, the clothes used for the movie and described in the play serve a clear purpose of distancing the characters from one another, thus, establishing an evident motive for a conflict. The striking difference between the costumes, namely, the style and the function thereof, helps reinforce the concept that Stanley and Blanche represent two entirely different worlds, which creates premises for the main conflict within the narrative.
Work Cited
A Streetcar Named Desire. Directed by Ella Kazan, performances by Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden, Warner Bros. Pictures, 1951.