Social Changes In South In Tennessee Williams''s A Streetcar Named Desire

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Siti Norma Nasution : Social Changes In The South In Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar …,1994

SICIAL CHANGES IN THE SOUTH IN TENNESSEE

WILLIAMS’S

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

A THESIS

Presented to the Board of Examiners in Partial Fulfillment of the requirement

for the Sarjana S-2

American Studies

The Department of Humanity Studies

By

SITI NORMA NASUTION

3390/IV-4/206/90

PROGRAM OF GRADUATE STUDIES

GADJAH MADA UNIVERSITY

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ABSTRACT

T h i s t h e s i s d e a l s w i t h s o c i a l c h a n g e s i n t h e American South which is exposed in the drama A Streetcar Named Desire written by Tennessee Williams. The changes w e r e d r a w n f r o m t h e l i f e e x p e r i e n c e s o f t h e m a i n c h a r a c t e r in t h e d r a ma , n a me d B la n c h e D u B o i s. In the glorious time before the war, the Old South was built by Agrarianism and developed as”King Cotton". With the background of Southern tragedy, Williams created a tragic story. Blanche Du Bois became the victim of the social changes in the South.

Blanche endured hardship at the same time while the So u th e rn p eo p l e li v ed in p o v e rty a n d mi s e ry af t e r t h e L o s t C a u s e . T h e p l a n t a t i o n s h a d b e e n b r o k e n , a n d t h e b l a c k s l a v e s h a d b e e n f r e e d a n d r a n a w a y . A s t h e consequences of the sudden changes, many people moved to the newly established towns. They tried their fortune in commerce and industry.

B l a n c h e w a s u n e q u i p p e d t o f a c e t h e c h a n g i n g situation. She was frustrated and hopeless because she w a s u n r e a l i s t i c a n d h y p o c r i t i c a l . S h e c r e a t e d h e r i l l u s i o n a n d l i v e d i n h e r d r e a m . H e r y o u n g e r s i s t e r S t e l l a w a s l u c k i e r a n d c o u l d s u r v i v e b e c a u s e s h e a b a n d o n e d h e r a r i s t o c r a t i c t r a d i t i o n a n d a d j u s t e d herself to the way her husband lived. Social changes in the South emerged different values in the Industrial Era.

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Key words: glorious time -- tragedy -- social changes -victim -- frustrated

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INTISARI

Tesis ini menguraikan tentang perubahan sosial di A m e r i k a S e l a t a n s e p e r t i y a n g t e r l i h a t d a l a m d r a m a A S t r e e t c a r N a m e d D e s i r e k a r y a T e n n e s s e e W i l l i a m s . Peru bahan-perubahan itu digambarkan melalui pengalaman hidup pelaku utama dalam drama, Blanche Du Bois. Amerika Selatan mengalami masa yang gilang gemilang dalam periode A g r a r i s d a n b e r k e m b a n g m e n j a d i "K i n g C o t t o n". D e n g a n l a t a r b e l a k a n g t r a g e d i A m e r i k a S e l a t a n , W i l l i a m s me n c i p t a k an su a tu c e ri t a y a ng t ra g i s. B l an ch e D u B ois menjadi korban perubahan sosial di. Amerika Selatan.

B l a n c h e m e n g a l a m i k e s u l i t a n h i d u p p a d a s a a t y a n g b e r s a m a a n k e t i k a m a s y a r a k a t A m e r i k a S e l a t a n m e n d e r i t a kemiskinan dan kesulitan setelah kalah perang. Perkebunan m e r e k a r u s a k b e r a t , p a r a b u d a k b e r k u l i t h i t a m t e l a h d i b e b a s k a n d a n m e l a r i k a n d i r i . S e b a g a i a k i b a t d a r i perubahan y ang tiba-tiba itu, mereka berpindah ke kota-k o t a y a n g b a r u m u n c u l d i d a e r a h i t u . M e r e k a m u l a i k e h i d u p a n b a r u d a n m e n c o b a k e b e r u n t u n g a n d a l a m perdagangan dan industri.

Blanche tidak cukup berpendidikan untuk menghadapi keadaan yang berubah. Ia menjadi frustrasi dan putus asa k a r e n a i a t i d a k r e a l i s t i s d a n m e n i p u d i r i s e n d i r i . I a hidup dalam khayalan dan mimpi-mimpinya. Adiknya Stella d a p a t s e l a m a t d a n h i d u p l e b i h b a i k k a r e n a i a b e r s e d i a m e n g h i l a n g k a n t r a d i s i " k e b a n g s a w a n a n n y a" d a n d a p a t menyesuaikan diri dengan cara hidup suaminya. Perubahan sosial di Amerika Selatan menimbulkan nilai-nilai yang baru dalam Era Industrialisasi.