Many of the central themes of A Streetcar Named Desire are deeply rooted in the history and culture of New Orleans. The vibrant setting of the French Quarter, with its streetcars, bars, entertainment, and jazz and blues music, offers a rich backdrop for the emotional turmoil of the play. This setting also symbolically highlights the societal changes occurring in America, particularly in the South, during the post-World War II era.

Napoleonic Code

When Stanley believes he is being cheated by Blanche’s loss of Belle Reve, he references the Napoleonic Code—a set of laws created by the French and enforced when they governed the area now known as Louisiana. Louisiana continued to adhere to some principles of the Napoleonic Code, including its stance on inheritance law: any property owned by a spouse before marriage becomes shared property after marriage. Thus, Stanley is legally justified in claiming that by denying Stella her share of the family estate, Blanche has also deprived him.

The South

On a broader level, the play illustrates the decline of the aristocratic families traditionally linked to the South. These once-powerful families lost their significance as the South’s agricultural economy struggled to compete with the rise of industrialization. The region's agrarian economy, already in decline since the Confederacy’s defeat in the Civil War, faced further setbacks after World War I. A labor shortage hindered Southern agriculture as many male workers were drawn into the military or defense industries. Consequently, many landowners, left with vast tracts of land but no laborers, moved to urban areas. The subsequent industrialization from the 1920s through the 1940s further transformed the workforce, incorporating large numbers of women, immigrants, and black workers. Women gained the right to vote in 1920, marking the beginning of the end for the old Southern tradition of a male-dominated agrarian aristocracy.

Women's Roles

Some of Blanche’s struggles can be attributed to the limited roles available to women during this era. Although she is an educated woman who has worked as a teacher, Blanche is still restricted by the expectations of Southern society. She understands that she needs men for support and protection. While she has experienced sexual freedom in the past, she knows that such freedom does not align with the chaste behavior expected of Southern women. Her fear of rejection is realized when Mitch learns about her past love affairs. By rejecting Blanche and stating that she is not the ideal woman he thought she was, Mitch highlights the disparity between women’s actual behavior and the behavior society publicly expected of them.

Regarding the play's setting, Williams commented, "I write out of love of the South ... (which) once had a way of life that I am just old enough to remember—a culture that had grace, elegance, an inbred culture, not a society based on money." By depicting Blanche's downfall and her battles with society's conflicting expectations, Williams conveyed his sorrow over the decline of the old South, while also acknowledging that such transformation was unavoidable.

1947: Hungary becomes a Soviet satellite when Hungarian Communists, supported by the Red Army, seize control while Prime Minister Ferenc Nagy is on vacation. Anti-Communist sentiment grows in the U.S. The Truman Doctrine announces plans to assist Greece and Turkey and suggests economic aid to nations threatened by Communist takeover. The CIA receives authorization from Congress to counter Moscow's efforts to establish governments through local Communist parties in Western Europe.

Today: Communism has nearly collapsed since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Revolutions in Czechoslovakia, Poland, and East Germany, along with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, have removed many barriers between East and West. Eastern European nations are now undergoing a slow and challenging transition to a market economy.

1947: New technology: the first commercial microwave oven is introduced by Raytheon Co. of Waltham, Massachusetts. Tubeless automobile tires, which seal themselves when punctured, are launched by B.F. Goodrich. Howard Hughes' new seaplane, the Spruce Goose, the largest plane ever built, makes a one-mile flight across Long Beach Harbor before being retired permanently.

Today: Most American homes are equipped with a microwave, alongside toasters, coffee makers, freezers, and numerous other electrical gadgets. Cars are ubiquitous, but their emissions, together with those from airplanes and heavy industry, contribute to the global pollution problem.

1947: New consumer goods emerge as America begins to recover from the impacts of the Second World War. Sales of frozen orange juice concentrate in the U.S. reach seven million cans. Reddi-Whip introduces whipped cream in aerosol cans. Sugar rationing ends on June 11. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is marketed for the first time, and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) is introduced commercially to prevent food spoilage.

Today: Annual sales of convenience foods reach new heights every year. Processed and "fast" food is readily available to Americans; those who maintain unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles significantly increase their risk of heart disease and cancer. Additives are common in food, and new developments like genetically engineered foods continue to make headlines.