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Class/societal comments in Streetcar image (Stanley feels threatened by…
Class/societal comments in Streetcar 
Stella and Blanche come from a wealthy family that have probably profited off of slave labour due to their ownership of a plantation, representing the 'old south' that supported slavery in the civil war
Stanley, Mitch and the other men represent the 'new south', propagating the American dream through the success of immigrants and acceptance of more liberal lower class sentiments
"Only Mr Edgar Allan Poe- could do it justice!" BLANCHE- displays how disgusted the old south is with the new, maybe that Blanche feels she is above the new south. Poe's works were typically gothic and therefore grotesque and shocking, reflecting Blanche's inherent aversion based off of an internal ingrained prejudice towards lower classes- his civilian background! [stella laughs uncertainly]" BLANCHE – reference to Stella having to adapt to Stanley's lower class and race, possibly trying to poke fun at it due to her internal superiority complex based on race and class
"Such things as art- as poetry and music" BLANCHE- Sees Stanley as lacking in 'culture' typically enjoyed by upper class citizens due to easier access to such things and is therefore beneath her intellectually.
Stanley feels threatened by Blanche as she sees herself as higher than him, hitting home to close personal fears of his class/race being used by the rich so to discredit his hard work such as being a "master seargent" during WWII, as Polish men recieved lots of racila prejudice at the time and were threatened by the KKK yet a large percentage of Polish men fought for their country.
"A crown for an empress!" STANLEY- could be sarcasm but also hints at his underlying fears that she is above him in a class sense- with the crown being a direct reference to the metaphorical crown she places upon herself for her illusion of purity and in her internal hierarchy surrounding her class.
When Stella chooses Stanley over Blanche and is attracted to his raw masculinity with little regard for the concurrent violence this brings, she is acting as a metaphor for the new south taking precedence over the old. This reflects the social change at the time as the Great Depression greatly damaged plantation owners which were the richest of American society, causing a simultaneous general fall of the old southern values of cadence, strict gender roles and coquettish southern belles. "
He snatches the screen door open and lifts her off her feet and bears her into the dark flat"- Symbol of stella choosing the new south over the old
Stanley raping Blanche could also be seen as a metaphor for the new south overtaking the old, with the depth of this trauma upon Blanche being heightened by not only the added damage to her issues with her own purity, but also as Stanley is a clear representative for all she objects to in the world.
Stanley's raw violence, sexuality, lack of sensitivity and characterisation as a bastion for the new south's liberal values candidly exists in opposition to Blanche's old southern conservativism and romanticism- which is why him raping her is so obviously a possible worst outcome of her always depending "upon the kindness of strangers". Blanche
seems ignorant and in denial about American citizens no longer all being conventionally acting in ways appeasing to the 'old south'.
Blanche and Stella display racial prejudice against Stanley's polish heritage, displaying American supremacism and westernisation and as a further inference to their plantation. Stella even calls Stanley of "a different species", a combination of his lower class, race and masculinity that make him so utterly unalike the upper class white femininity of Stella and Blanche. "
"species" also has connotations of anthropomorphism and this may even infer that Stanley is animalistic through these factors, displaying the sheer prejudice of the old south- furthered through Blanche's claim that Stanley is -"subhuman...not quite to the stage of humanity yet"
Stanley takes pride in his coercion of Stella to join him in his new southern ways, as this is validation for him of his own strength and masculinity as these have allowed him to overcome the incredibly high intolerant barriers of the old south.
"Pulled you down off them columns and how you loved it, having them coloured lights goin"- Stanley seems to take pride in his achievements of overcoming the restrictions of his socioeconomic class, with his gaining of Stella as a posession (seen in "my baby") reaffirming the power that he struggles to retain whilst he lacks economic power.
"Y'know how indifferent I am to money"- Blanche attempts to try and seem as if she is unnaffected by her upbringing, yet multiple comments such as "The touch of your hands insults them" display that this is yet another one of her illusions
Stanley Kowalski, the son of Polish immigrants, descends from new Southerners, works in a factory of the industrialized South, which contributed to the demise of the agrarian society in which Blanche and Stella were raised.
Stella doesn’t take the fact that Blanche has no papers regarding Belle Reve as meaningful as Stanley does. Stanley from a relatively poor background compared to Stella and Blanches Belle Reve plantation and now would appreciate a slice of their assets and speaks about the Napoleonic code meaning that everything that his wife owns is also his.
"something ape-like about him, like one of those pictures I've seen in anthropological studies"- Blanche even attempts to justify her findings by pretending that they are based on intelligence and not pure prejudice/her aversion to the new south, a power move to try and seen smart and so to re-establish her internal perceived 'superiority' over him
Blanche even plays power moves on Mitch so to exert dominance through intellectual superiority, "we are going to pretend that we are sitting in a little artists' cafe on the Left Bank in Paris", "Vous ne comprenez pas? Ah quelle domage!"- she knows Mitch does not know French, and just wants to show off her ability
Blanche’s language is sophisticated unlike Stanley who has a narrow range of vocabulary. Blanche’s language makes the audience understands that she is a well educated. on the other hand, even though Stanley tries to pretend he is intellectual, for example when he talks about the Napoleonic code, the audience assume Stanley hadn’t much education because of his narrow range of vocabulary and his ‘vulgar expressions’.
Ideas of 'cultural capital'- french, travelling abroad