Explore the ways Williams portrays the rise of a new social order in A Streetcar Named Desire

The dominating theme in A Streetcar Named Desire is the conflict between values and culture between the Old South and the New South. The rise of a new social order is entirely embodied by Stanley whose domineering presence in the play emphasises the destruction of traditional society and, in turn, the downfall of tragically innocent Blanche DuBois. One way in which Williams portrays the rise of a new social order is through the conflict between Blanche and Stanley. Their first encounter proves that they are each other’s antithesis and represent a clear clash of cultural ideals and ethnic backgrounds. On her entrance, Blanche is “daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice…”, this alliterative and glorified description of her allows Williams to lament and sentimentalise the plantation culture that Blanche depends upon by presenting her to be pure and angelic. In contrast, Williams uses the metaphor of “a richly feathered bird among hens” to represent the animalistic traits of Stanley, perhaps criticising the liberty and irreverence of the rising social order in the ‘New America’ in the post war period. The use of this metaphor immediately gives Stanley a rough and masculine rigour which catalyses the perpetual feud between the two protagonists.