Blanche's Cultural War in a Streetcar Named Desire

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Title:	Blanche's Cultural War in a Streetcar Named Desire
Other Titles:	論《慾望街車》中白朗琦之文化戰爭
Authors:	王緒鼎
Contributors:	淡江大學英文學系
Keywords:	古老的南方;上流社會的價值;現代社會;自然主義的現實;文化戰爭;Past values;Old south;Cultural war;Naturalistic realism;Modern society
Date:	2008-06
Issue Date:	2013-03-12 12:00:48 (UTC+8)
Publisher:	淡江人文社會學刊編輯委員會
Abstract:	本文試圖論證《慾望街車》中的白朗琦，不只是像眾多評論家所說之「精神病的受害者」、「酒鬼」和引誘青少年的「蕩婦」，以及頑固地守護南方之腐朽價值的可憐蟲。的確！她的行為、思想狀況、思維方式和處世風格都帶有過去南方文明之烙印。雖然，古老的南方文明從社會體制上已「隨風而逝」，但是白朗琦所代表的南方文明上流社會價值在劇中是得到劇作家同情的，也是從正面展示的。然而，在眾多評論家的論述之中，還沒有任何評論提到白朗琦是一位「強者」，也沒有論及她是劇作家所塑造的「最具理性者」，更沒有任何論述認為她在維護和重新製造南方古文明上流社會的價值之中永不妥協之積極作用。因此，本文將論證白朗琦不僅總是企圖生活在過去的文明之中，而且還總是堅決地攀附於南方古文明上流社會價值上，也為此價值的生存而毫不妥協地戰鬥，更為捍衛和重新製造此價值而積極地努力不息。雖然，威廉斯體認到現代社會中自然主義的現實當然要使得白朗琦在政治和社會上注定要失敗，他確實暗示，在精神上，白朗琦反抗冷酷無情的現代社會之文化戰爭並非徒勞無益，她的精神自始至終也沒有被完全擊垮；她的文化戰爭最終留下了文明的印記。 This essay attempts to prove that Blanche is much more than just "a victim of neurosis," an alcoholic, a debauched seducer of young boys, and a "faded Southern belle" who just pathetically clings to the decayed values of the decadent old South as some critics claim. Rather her behavior, her state of mind, her way of thinking, her style of doing things, and her social manner all show signs of the culture of the old South. All what Blanche represents and what she attempts to protect and preserve are positively presented as the genteel values of the old Southern civilization even though it has physically "gone with the wind." But surprisingly critics neither have said anything about Blanche being "the strongest" character in the play, nor have mentioned anything abut "Blanche being the most rational of all the characters [Williams has] created," let alone explore her active role in defending, preserving and recreating the past genteel values of the old Southern civilization in her cultural war against the relentlessly brutal modern society represented by Stanley. Thus in this essay, I will argue that consciously or unconsciously Blanche not only attempts to live in the past in her so-called "illusions," but also pertinaciously clings to the genteel values of the old South, tenaciously fights for their survival and actively recreates them whenever she has an opportunity. Although Williams recognizes that the naturalistic realism of the modern society necessarily requires that Blanche be physically, socially and politically beaten in the ruthless reality of the modern society, he sympathetically suggests that spiritually, Blanche's cultural war is not completely futile, at it has indeed left its potential marks in the world even after she leaves.
Relation:	淡江人文社會學刊=Tamkang Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences 34，頁111-132
Appears in Collections:	[Graduate Institute & Department of English] Journal Article

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