Spring Break Prompt

Many plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Choose a novel or play that contrasts two such places. Write an essay explaining how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the work.

The Great Depression eventually led to the industrialization and development of America; however, the sudden change in which America became an industrial nation caused many Americans shock and disbelief at how different the culture had become. Immigrants from different countries began to come in at alarming rates as the depression affected Europe and Asia, as well as Ireland, Russia and the German Jews. In Tennessee Williams "A Streetcar Named Desire," two places, Belle Reve and Elysian Fields, represent the old and the new in America; the old, crumbling aristocracy and the new, growing industry.

Belle Reve, the childhood plantation home of Stella Kowalski and Blanche DuBois, was a beautiful home with great white columns and plenty of income, wealth and prestige. Blanche seems very proud to have lived there, and throughout "A Streetcar Named Desire" always seems as if she and Stella are superior to the other characters because of their upbringing. Belle Reve represents the pre-Depression values of America: beauty, class and a long history of respectable social status. This was not only true in America, but also for the world's society as a whole; aristocrats and old, wealthy families led the world, while the peasants and commoners followed behind.

Elysian Fields, the current home of newlywed Stella Kowalski, in contrast to Belle Reve, is ugly, cramped and set in crowded, metropolitan New Orleans. Stella's new home, unlike sprawling Belle Reve, only has two rooms, and is located right next to the L & N railroad track, which suggests that Elysian Fields is a cheap and horrible place to live. However, Elysian Fields is set in New Orleans, which is a cosmopolitan city with a relatively easy intermingling of races, represents acceptance and confidence. The "new" America has become much more tolerant of non-Caucasians as people; Negroes included. The "new" America, as demonstrated by the confident, cocky personality of antagonist Stanley Kowalski, is young and exuberant, with a wide margin for error and a tendency to be pretentious. Elysian Fields, despite its appearance, is the place where more Americans are willing to be, rather than Belle Reve, which is falling behind quickly.

Near the beginning of this play, it is revealed to the reader that Belle Reve has been lost to mortgage companies. The inability for Belle Reve to provide for its owners showed that the old America was no longer of use to society; beauty, class and social standing no longer mattered in the busy, fast-paced world of New Orleans. It is no surprise to the reader to know that Belle Reve, and to a greater extent Blanche DuBois, was left behind in the cold lonely memories of the past.