29. Dr Rita Lot is analysing Tennessee Williams' play, 'A Streetcar Named Desire', using Marxist criticism. Which aspect of the play is she exploring?
From Quiz Theory
Answer:
Tensions between social class
Marxist criticism in literature was inspired by the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Like feminist criticism, Marxism can be applied to the characters in the text, as well as the writer and their own historical context.
In 'A Streetcar Named Desire', Blanche was a bankrupt Southern belle who had no choice but to move in with her sister, Stella. The two sisters grew up in a relatively wealthy family, but the money had dwindled down to nothing, and when Blanche lost her job as a teacher, that was the last straw.
When Blanche arrived in the New Orleans French Quarter, she was yet to meet Stella's husband, Stanley. Their social backgrounds were worlds apart: Blanche came from a sprawling plantation home, but Stanley lived in a two-room flat. He was rude and violent, and there was clear tension between the two of them.