Historical Context
The Rose Tattoo was written in the late 1940s, a time following World War II. The U.S. had accelerated the war's end by deploying nuclear weapons for the first time, dropping two atomic bombs on Japan. While many countries were devastated by the war, the United States, with its more peripheral involvement, saw its citizens less severely impacted. During the 1940s, U.S. culture thrived in various forms, setting the stage for the cultural explosion of the 1950s when American popular culture became a global phenomenon.
The 1940s in America marked significant developments. This era saw the beginning of suburban life as developers responded to a growing housing demand that urban areas couldn't meet. These new suburban homes were equipped like never before, with timesaving household appliances such as washers, dryers, and vacuum cleaners becoming widely accessible and affordable. Television also made its debut during this decade.
On social and political fronts, Americans began to witness the early stages of what would become the civil rights movement. In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball by joining the Brooklyn Dodgers as the first African American player. By the mid-1950s, African Americans were fully mobilized, with leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. organizing impactful demonstrations that ultimately led to the full desegregation of U.S. institutions by the late 1960s.
A significant political development of the 1940s was the "Red Scare," which emerged from the post-WWII start of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.). This "cold" war didn't involve direct military conflict but was an ideological struggle, a global battle of beliefs. The U.S. aimed to spread capitalism, while the U.S.S.R. sought to spread communism. The Red Scare in America refers to the intense hunt for communists within the country, which reached a level of hysteria. People were called to testify about their political beliefs or those of their acquaintances. Many believe this period contradicted America's values of free speech, thought, and dissent. Numerous individuals were barred from employment or pursuing their professions due to their beliefs or mere suspicions about them.
Simultaneously, drama, film, and the arts were thriving in the United States. When Williams entered the theatrical world, he had significant expectations to meet, as prominent American playwrights like Carson McCullers, Clifford Odets, and Thornton Wilder were at the peak of their creativity. Much like these dramatists, Williams’s work is generally very serious. Therefore, The Rose Tattoo is notable within Williams's oeuvre for its broad comedic elements.
The Rose Tattoo's affectionate portrayal of its Sicilian American characters reflects Williams's belief that Anglo-American culture at the time was tainted by racial and ethnic prejudice. Consequently, the play’s unsympathetic characters exhibit a dismissive attitude towards Sicilian immigrants, mirroring the prejudices prevalent in American society.
While some Americans held negative views about Italian immigrants and their descendants, others embraced the cultural contributions of Italian Americans. For instance, few singers were more popular than Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin during that era. There was a fascination with Italian culture in the 1940s and 1950s, partly due to the success of Sinatra and others, and also because of the influx of Italian films into the United States. Italy was experiencing a cinematic golden age, and many Italian actors were invited by Hollywood to star in American-made, English-language films. One such actor, Anna Magnani, was cast in the film adaptation of The Rose Tattoo.
Style and Technique
Exploration of Humor
The Bawdy and Slapstick
The play The Rose Tattoo is a comedic work largely due to its clever...
(This entire section contains 501 words.)
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deployment of bawdy humor and slapstick antics. Bawdy humor here is defined by its focus on the physical, particularly the sexual, as seen in Serafina’s exuberant recounting of her husband’s sexual prowess. This humor extends to the playful use of Rosario and Alvaro’s occupation of banana transportation, a thinly veiled innuendo that contributes to the play’s lighthearted tone. Such elements create an atmosphere charged with a sense of playful vulgarity that appeals to the audience’s baser instincts.
Slapstick comedy, another defining feature of the play, is characterized by exaggerated physical actions and improbable events. Serafina often finds herself in situations that lead to physical comedy, such as losing her balance or making a spectacle of herself while trying to dress. These antics are not just for laughs; they serve to underscore the farcical nature of her character’s vibrant but chaotic life.
Symbolism in the Narrative
Williams’s use of symbols in The Rose Tattoo adds layers of meaning to the narrative. The names of characters like Rosa and Rosario are deliberate, echoing the imagery of roses that permeate the play. The rose tattoos themselves symbolize love and passion, sentiments further explored through Serafina’s belief in the mystical appearance of a rose tattoo during a significant moment with her husband.
Beyond romantic symbolism, the mannequins in Serafina’s dress shop serve as a metaphor for social scrutiny and the communal ties that bind individuals. These inanimate figures mirror the neighborhood women who gossip about Serafina, highlighting her isolation from the community due to her perceived arrogance. Through these symbols, Williams not only reflects on individual characters but also comments on the societal pressures and the importance of community.
The Role of Primitivism
Primitivism, a theme running through the play, involves the portrayal of characters as driven by elemental, instinctual forces rather than rational thought. Williams sets his play among Sicilian American characters of peasant descent, whose actions are portrayed as direct consequences of primal emotions such as love, jealousy, and desire. This artistic choice roots the narrative in a perceived authenticity and rawness, highlighting the basic human impulses that connect us all.
However, this primitivist approach is also reflective of early 20th-century Western artistic trends that romanticized non-Western cultures by framing them as more "natural" or "authentic." In The Rose Tattoo, the characters embody this concept by seeming to act on impulse rather than reflection, suggesting a closer connection to nature and simple truths, albeit through a Western lens that simplifies and sometimes distorts their cultural complexity.
Ultimately, Williams’s play leverages humor, symbolism, and primitivism to weave a complex narrative that humorously yet poignantly examines the interplay of individual desires with societal expectations. Through his characters and their actions, he invites the audience to reflect on the nature of love, the constraints of social norms, and the timeless influence of basic human impulses.
Compare and Contrast
1940s: During the 1940s, Williams visited Italy multiple times, as the country endeavored to recover from the catastrophic impacts of World War II.
Today: Italy has since transformed into a premier tourist hotspot, thanks to the widespread availability of international travel.
1940s: Televisions began to enter households, and new TV genres like situational comedies (sit-coms) started to emerge.
Today: Nearly all Americans have a favorite TV comedy or drama that they watch on a daily basis.
1940s: Musical films and stage productions thrived during the Great Depression and World War II, offering much-needed relief and escapism from difficult times.
Today: Musicals remain a staple on Broadway, with many also being performed in smaller off-Broadway venues. Additionally, various prime-time TV shows are starting to feature musical segments.
1940s: Italian Americans made significant cultural contributions to the U.S., often being portrayed in films and dramas to emphasize their rich cultural expressiveness.
Today: The fascination with Italian-American Mafia culture persists, especially following the success of Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather trilogy (1972–1990). TV series like The Sopranos on HBO continue to captivate audiences.
1940s: Racial segregation and ethnic discrimination were prevalent issues in the United States.
Today: Although considerable progress has been made, ethnic tensions still exist in the U.S., and immigration remains a contentious topic.
1940s: Method acting promoted greater emotional depth in performances by training actors to deeply connect with their characters, striving for authenticity beyond mere technique.
Today: Modern actors receive diverse training that incorporates various techniques and approaches, blending different methods for a comprehensive skill set.
Adaptations
The Rose Tattoo was adapted into a feature film in 1995, directed by Daniel Mann. The movie stars Anna Magnani as Serafina and Burt Lancaster as Alvaro.
Bibliography
Sources
Bigsby, C. W. E., A Critical Introduction to Twentieth-Century American Drama, Vol. 2, Cambridge University Press, 1985.
Hawkins, William, Review of The Rose Tattoo, in the New York World-Telegram and Sun, February 5, 1951, p. 10.
Kolin, Philip C., "The Family of Mitch," in Magical Muse: Millennial Essays on Tennessee Williams, edited by Ralph F. Voss, University of Alabama Press, 2002.
———, "'Sentiment and Humor in Equal Measure': Comic Forms in The Rose Tattoo," in Tennessee Williams: A Tribute, University Press of Mississippi, 1977.
Marshall, Margaret, Review of The Rose Tattoo, in the Nation, Vol. CLXII, February 17, 1951, pp. 161–62.
Further Reading
Grant, Michael, Myths of the Greeks and Romans, New American Library, 1962. Grant’s classic presentation and discussion of central ancient Greco-Roman myths and religious practices includes commentary about the god Dionysus.
Mangione, Jerre, and Ben Morreale, La Storia: Five Centuries of the Italian American Experience, HarperCollins, 1992. As the title suggests, the authors explore the history of Italians in North America from the era of European exploration to the present day.
Martin, Robert A., Critical Essays on Tennessee Williams, G.K. Hall, 1997. Martin provides students of Williams with an excellent resource containing contemporaneous reviews of the plays, critical essays on individual works, and discussions of Williams's oeuvre as a whole.
Voss, Ralph F., ed., Magical Muse: Millennial Essays on Tennessee Williams, University of Alabama Press, 2002. This recent volume, composed of various essays, covers a wide range of topics of interest to readers of Williams, from literary analysis to biographical insights.
Williams, Tennessee, Memoirs, Doubleday & Company, 1975. Memoirs is Williams’s captivating autobiography.
