The Conflicting Cultures

During the course of a major social revolution or just any revolution in general, major changes such as social structure and ideas are a common occurrence. Take the ongoing industrial revolution in the early 1900s, the old American South is still recovering from the end of the Civil war and has been rapidly changing into a mechanized industry. However old ideas of social class continues to live with many southerners. In Tennessee Williams’ “A streetcar named desire”, Blanche and Mitch are the remnants of an old Southern past, while the rest of the cast live are in a more realistic setting. The use of the character’s symbolic actions and distinctive language usage outlines a generational gap that exists as a recurring theme in the play.

            Blanche’s arrival produced an imbalance with the play’s setting. Blanche, whose Stella’s older sister is the primary focus thus far, came into New Orleans to seek Stella in a fashionable manner. This is in terms, of her clothes and mannerism that came along with her upbringing. Later in the play, the reader sees Blanche’s attitude towards Stella’s home as unappreciative. For instance, during a poker game, Blanche remarks to Mitch (one of the recurring characters), “I can’t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action”(60). One may interpret this as a sign of possible insanity, however it also reveals Blanche’s need to “refine” the plain mechanized world into a more artistic one. Here, it is revealed that Blanche desires a more civilized way of life. As she refers to a plain light bulb as “naked”, she’s addressing the need to design or decorate a product of the industrial world into something more artistic and traditional. She compares a light bulb to a “rude remark” suggesting her expectations of people around her to behave in a certain way. This is further amplify as the very person she’s asking this favor towards is Mitch, who happens to be the most gentleman-like of the group on the poker table. Mitch is also the only person she talks to for an extended period of time during the entire poker game. Thus unveils Blanche’s avoidance towards the other men especially Stanley, who she remarked to as a brute.

            Compare to the rest of the character, only Blanche and Mitch seems to be using language in a gentle manner. Unlike Stanley and the other poker players, who seems to be using a lot of accented or slang terms rather than a more formal approach like Blanche.  Blanche replies to Mitch’s question regarding her profession, “I attempt to instill a bunch of bobby-soxers and drug-store Romeos with reverence for Hawthorne and Whitman and Poe!”(61-2). Reference to classical literary authors shows Blanche’s continued want to “instill” people with what she considers to be a way of life. The generational gap that exists is that Blanche’s family, assumed to be more educated and taught well in mannerism, is representative of the Old South, while Stanley and most of his friends are regarded as less educated due to their current status. Given that Blanche used the word “instill” meaning to implant, reveals her disgust in the New South’s social structure. This is further compounded by her use of slur terms such as bobby-soxers and drug-store Romeos, alluding to the common working man.

            Language and action pertains much of the Old South vs. New South conflict theme of the play. Much of these were from Blanche’s character throughout the play. Her use of language is sophisticated but at the same time condescending to the other characters of the play. Especially condescending towards Stanley, who she continued to refer to as a brute. Her actions or indirect actions gives the reader a insight into her need to transform her environment to fit her needs. And her environment is basically that of the Old South and old ways. 

Courtesy of <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdLBpcguoDM>
This is a video of The Last Samurai starring Tom Cruise. In this video it illustrates Tom Cruise's character who was capture in battle by a rebel group of Samurais. In this film, there's a sharp contrast between the evolving post Meiji restoration Japanese society and the old Samurai culture. Unlike "A streetcar named desire", it's violent. But Tom Cruise's character alludes to what Blanche refers to in the play. Cruise's character called some of the samurai "unusual" towards the end of the video.
The main difference between this conflict in culture with the plays is that the Old and New are inverted. But the contrast remained the same. Similar to the play's recurring theme, it's an old culture struggling to keep itself alive in the presence of a modernizing world. Thus the group of Samurai would correspond with Blanche's character. As both strive for the old way of life and refuse to accept the new system. As seen, Tom Cruise's character had no influence on any of the samurai's culture throughout the film. More or less, Cruise's character had been influenced by the samurai's ancient philosophy.
Word count: 750

Images of Inevitability

“Sweet and beloved Elizabeth! I read and re-read her letter, and some softened feelings stole into my heart, and dared to whisper paradisiacal dreams of love and joy; but the apple was already eaten, and the angel’s arm bared to drive me from all hope” (Shelley 159).

Frankenstein’s words after reading Elizabeth’s letter regarding their possible bonding in marriage and insurance to Frankenstein regarding his many decisions to the marriage problem. Shelley’s usage of biblical imagery of fallen angels and genesis basically generalized a sense of inevitability for Dr. Frankenstein. In the bible, specifically the Genesis chapter explains to believers of the reason behind mankind’s knowledge of good and bad along with morality.

Genesis is where a character named Eve consumes a forbidden fruit (presumed an apple in many works of art) and thus mankind in general possessed the ability to see what God sees. Thus leading to man’s ultimately inevitable morality. Frankenstein already had eaten the apple, which reflects his rebellious actions towards his creation; by having a nearly completed female version of his creation destroyed in the last few chapters. However, even so this passage is referring to the inevitable chance of destruction at the hands of the monster, Frankenstein also remarks on “dreams of love and joy”. Ironically Frankenstein didn’t give in much thought towards creating his creature earlier in the book. As he explains, “but my imagination was too much exalted by my first success to permit me to doubt of my ability to give life to an animal as complex and wonderful as man”(35). As shown, Frankenstein pursues his work indiscriminately in terms of ethical reasons. The result is ultimately his “fruit”. The use of angelic imagery in the first passage explains divine intervention, however in this case, it’s used metaphorically to explain the likely probability of retribution at the hands of Frankenstein’s own creation. In any Abrahamic religions such as Christianity, angels are often the servants of a divine being (God in this case), thus the usage by Frankenstein to exert his ultimate fate is appropriate. Divine intervention is often used to enhance the feeling of hopelessness and inevitability. Similar to when Eve ate the fruit of knowledge in Genesis, morality is now inevitable.

            The angel image can be extended towards the concept of fallen angels. Most famous one is Lucifer. Dr. Frankenstein’s input of  “angel’s arm” could also be like an angel’s banishment from heaven and therefore be considered a fallen angel. “Drive me from all hope”, Frankenstein remarks this to exert that just as a fallen angel is forced away from all that is familiar and good due to some sacrilegious reason, he, too, is experiencing a purge from reality and that same sense of inevitability and hopelessness thus pursues his mentality. Frankenstein is therefore being forced from his familiar surrounding of a happy family and vibrant life to one where he dreads loss.

            Focusing on the second quote on page 35, Frankenstein did indeed give a thought upon his then current experiment. However he didn’t anticipate the consequences of creating life or reviving what has been dead. His success was short lived since the creature is described as hideous and unlike anything. So how can this be necessarily as “wonderful as man” as Frankenstein initially exerts? In Genesis, Adam and Eve knew that by consuming the fruit, they will anger God. However under deception by a serpent in the Garden of Eden, Eve performed the unspeakable. Frankenstein, too, under the deception of his own vibrant imagination to complete his work, didn’t forgo the possible consequences of his actions. Inevitably, both cases led to inevitability.

            Courtesy of dharma-media.org

This is a buddhist wheel of life. In the buddhist religion, life and death are part of a cycle of life or wheel of life. In which is depicted by this painting of the many cycles of life an individual can undergo. The inevitability of escaping this natural occurrence is portrayed through the usage of a wheel. A round object often shows how something can have a start and then an end and then another start and so forth. 

Similar to Frankenstein's situation: He creates the monster, leaves it alone, and the monster later seeks revenge due to the initial abandonment from his creator. Like the circle of life, there's a cause and effect. Ultimately Frankenstein's irresponsible actions led to dreadful consequences.


Word count: 648