Blanche’s struggle is representative of the old world for she turns to her poor relatives, such is the desperation. The once mighty now turn to their subjects for help and they do help out, but not for long. When Stanley gives Blanche the ticket back to Laurel this signals the end of their help, for in the end why should Stanley help her out. He tolerated her for Stella, but Stanley believes that Blanche and her old world don’t deserve his help. It is the ultimate insult for the new world that they have to turn to people like Stanley and Mitch to help them out, such is the struggle of the old world. This desperation is also shown when Blanche says that it is for the best to mix with people like Stanley if they are to survive. The old world is trying to hold on, and in her desperation Blanche hopes to marry Mitch, for this goes against everything Blanche believes in, she is going to dilute her heritage with a commoner. Blanche’s struggle to go on in the play is representative of the last stand of the old world, and the way in which is die’s is shown as very ungraceful, not the end the old world had hoped for.
In the struggle of the old and the new world, the new world is shown to have a large amount of control over the old world for example Stanley says, “Everyman is a king,” he proclaims himself as the alpha male and throughout the play he makes the decisions. Williams is saying that in this new world it is the strong men like Stanley that will rule, he is shown to also have an edge over the other men in the play who are submissive to his demands. The new world’s control is shown when Stanley hits Stella, who is a product of the old world, and when he has sex with Blanche. Stanley always gets what he wants throughout the play. He answers to no one, and when Stella says, “your fingers and face are disgustingly greasy go on wash up,” he throws his plate on the floor, while emotionally immature Stanley “primitive” behaviour shows him as a strong character. Williams uses Stanley as a tool to show how common people can rule over the aristocrats like Blanche and Stella.
The strength and equality of the new world is shown when they play poker, the table similar to Arthur’s round table which stood for equality, for each man around that table is equal to the others. The strength of the poker game in the play is shown in the way that the women frmm Belle Reve are forced to leave the house so it can be played, leaving the men of the new world to play. When the men are playing poker Stella gets hit, another signal of the new world’s strength and brutality. They are also playing poker at the end of the play where Blanche is taken away, this is when the old world dies for the men ignore Blanche and do not give her supposed respect. The poker game also shows how the new world gets by with their own hardwork, they play with their own money, which men earned at the factory, in the old world the aristocrats would play with their inheritance. It shows that the people of the new world get by using their own wits and how the old world is struggling to succeed against the new world.
The other relevance of the poker game is that Blanche plays the game throughout the play; she plays a good bluff pretending to be the poor country girl with high morals, yet when Stanley asks her, “lay her cards on the table,” she carries on bluffing. Once Stanley finds out about her behaviour in Laurel he knows what cards she’s playing so he has an advantage. When Blanche leaves at the end of the play Stanley is winning every hand of the poker, symbolizing the victory of the new world. The poker game represents the struggle of the two card players Blanche and Stanley, old world versus new world. The poker game is like fate, for a clever poker player can manipulate the cards to their own advantage like Stanley did. Each poker night also shows a victory of Stanley’s over the old world, the hitting of Stella and the sectioning of Blanche.
The loss of belle Reve and the taking away of her are the events that signal the end of the old world. Belle Reve is where Williams’ plays with words, the old world have lost a beautiful dream. Their superiority was a dream, nothing more; their dreams and superior behaviour are all the old world has left. They have lost their status which they cannot accept; Blanche shows this attitude throughout the play. The death of the old world is represented in Blanche’s appearance, she has lost that glossy appearance, and is now fearful of the light, which means she has lost hope and found despair. When Blanche submits to Stanley to have sex with her, it shows the old world has given up and has let the new world win. Williams also shows another interesting point, the unification of Stanley and Stella, and a child of both worlds, this also shows acceptance of the old world to the new world. There is a large contrast between the relationships of the two old world women, Stella loves Stanley and has joined his new world, while Blanche is almost addicted to the old ways and will never give them up. Williams shows two sides of the conflict between the two worlds.
The struggle of the two worlds ends in scene ten; Stanley is the survivor of the conflict, while Blanche is emotionally crippled by the experience. Stanley of the new world conquers Blanche’s old world. This new world is cruder, less intelligent, the new world gains victory through their physical vitality not natural superiority.
The play shows a struggle of the two classes, where the new world is the clear victor, but in the play Stanley had to deceive Stella about the sex with Blanche, and Stella had to lie to herself in not believing Stanley had sex with Blanche to avoid the emotional turmoil and with the new baby. So in the end even though the new world won, it didn’t come without comprise.
Williams uses a lot of symbolism throughout the play to do with death of the old world and the rising power of the new world, he clearly dislikes the old world for he casts a deceitful and arrogant character, yet he feels that the new world will be more harsh and crueller like Stanley.
