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ASND and TCP: Changing social attitudes - Coggle Diagram
ASND and TCP: Changing social attitudes
ASND
Blanche represents the views of the declining Old south, embodying the traditional ideal of a Southern Belle with her emphasis on beauty and status
However, when she moves to Elysian Fields in New Orleans, a more modern working class environment, these outdated values do not fit within the societal context, highlighting the clash between old southern ideals and post-war attitudes
'Her appearance is incongruous to this setting'
Stanley represents an archetypal, hegemonically masculine man who believes men are superior to women
Stanley and Blanche clash immediately due to the power imbalance between genders
His first representation is brute and masculine
'roughly dressed in blue denim work clothes...carries a red-stained package'
Blanches first representation is in binary opposition to Stanley
'suggests a moth' 'daintily dressed in a white suit' 'delicate beauty'
Blanche tries to survive through traditional feminine ideals (beauty, dependence on men, marriage
While Stanley embodies a post-war model of aggressive masculinity, valuing dominance and control - his behaviour reflects a society where male authority is still powerful
Stanley believes he has legal and social authority over women - 'invokes the
'Napoleonic code'
to claim Stella's property - reflects how post-war society still legitimised male dominance in marriage
Stanley constantly reasserts control over the home - throws the radio out the window, he hits Stella, he aggressively interrogates Blanche about belle Reve - Suggests that even in the private home, traditionally associated with women, becomes a site of male dominance
Also shown through Scene 3, The Poker night, when Stanley takes complete domination over the setting and women
Women reinforce the patriarchal system
Stella return to Stanley after he beats her ' -
'When men are drinking and playing poker anything can happen'
Eunice also deals with the same abuse with Steve and forgives him - Stella states
'That's much more practical'
Women are socially conditioned/indoctrinated to accept male authority as normal
Blanche's fate is sealed in Scene 3 when Stanley overhears Blanche's dramatic monologue about Stanley as an
'animal' - 'Under cover of the train's noise Stanley enters from outside. He stands unseen by the women'
- dramatic irony
Stanley asserts dominance through sexual violence
Blanche's rape represents the extreme expression of patriarchal power -
'[He picks us her inert figure and carries her to the bed]'
Williams was writing this play as a homosexual in a time when it was illegal - represents his view of society as regressive and unaccepting, continuing to follow traditional patriarchal expectations
Blanche places significant importance on her sexuality but she is also judged harshly for it reflecting the sexual double standards imposed on women in a patriarchal society
Blanche uses flirtation and charm to gain security and attempts to attract Mitch because she needs the financial and emotional stability -
'I want to deceive him enough to make him want me'
Shows she sees sexual desirability as her only remaining power
Stanley openly enjoys his sexuality and faces no social consequences while Blanche is condemned once her sexual history is exposed -
'not clean enough to bring in the house with my mother'
says Mitch
Williams exposes how women are morally judged for behaviour that men are socially permitted to engage in
Blanche constructs an image of youth, purity and innocence by avoiding bright light and wearing white clothing - Suggests Blanche understands that a woman's social value is tied to sexual respectability
In 1940s America, women were expected to be sexually modest and morally pure
Blanche's past relationships make her socially unacceptable, even though similar behaviour from men would not be condemned
TCP
Celie is owned and abused by men in the beginning of the novel reflecting how women were possessions of men
However, in the denouement of the novel Celie's gains sexual and financial independence reflecting changing social attitudes
Mr sews with Celie and also wears her pants at the end of the novel - symbolises a reversal of gender roles
Her pants business also subverts typical expectations of women as it is usually men who wear the pants
The pants symbolise authority and independence
Walker reflects second-wave feminist ideas emerging when the novel was written in 1982
Celie initially associates sex with violence and suffering and describes sex with Mr as something she endures -
'I make myself wood'
- emotionally disconnects
Shows how patriarchal control turns sexuality into a tool of oppression rather than intimacy
Celie's relationship with Shug represents a radical shift in attitudes towards sexuality
Shug teaches Celie about pleasure, love and self-worth
Their relationship challenges heteronormative expectation
Walker presents sexuality as something that can be liberating once women gain autonomy over their bodies
Celie is repeatedly raped by her stepfather who tells her
'You better not never tell nobody but God'
- this silences her and demonstrates male control over female voices reinforced by the epistolary form
Women experienced double oppression
Racial attitudes
Black characters live within a society controlled by white power structures
Sofia is violently punished after refusing to work for the mayor's wife - Beaton and imprisoned when she says 'hell no'
White authority expects obedience and submission from black people
Shug is described as having lighter skin and is often admired for her beauty reflecting white ideals
Racism can influence self-perception and beauty standards within marginalised communities
The novel does emphasise black identity and community strength
The strong relationships between Celie, Shug, Sofia and Nettie and the celebration of black culture and spirituality
Walker presents racial identity as something that can be reclaimed and celebrated rather than surprised
Thesis
Both ASND and TCP explore societies shaped by deeply rooted prejudices and inequalities. However, while Williams presents a world where these attitudes continue to dominate, Walker offers a more optimistic vision where personal growth and solidarity allows individuals to challenge and reshape expectations placed upon them