AQA A-Level English Literature A Paper 2: Texts in shared contexts (2B), June 2025: Question 8

25 marks · Hard difficulty · Extended Response

Examine the view that Tennessee Williams presents Stanley's confidence and self-belief as admirable in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Practise this question

Question

Question 08 from an AQA A-Level English Literature paper featuring the quote: "'I am the king around here, so don't forget it,' Stanley declares to Stella and Blanche." The task asks students to: "Examine the view that Williams presents Stanley's confidence and self-belief as admirable." It is worth 25 marks.
Question text

08 ‘I am the king around here, so don’t forget it,’ Stanley declares to Stella and Blanche.

Examine the view that Williams presents Stanley’s confidence and self-belief as

admirable.

[25 marks]

Mark scheme

Show the mark scheme Mark scheme for Question 08 on A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. It provides possible content categorized by assessment objectives AO1 to AO5, discussing Stanley's confidence and self-belief, masculinity, the American Dream, his violence, cruelty, and dominance, as well as dramatic methods and context.

Question 08

A Streetcar Named Desire – Tennessee Williams

‘I am the king around here, so don’t forget it,’ Stanley declares to Stella and Blanche.

Examine the view that Williams presents Stanley’s confidence and self-belief as admirable.

[25 marks]

Possible content:

Please refer to pages 4 to 7.

AO5 Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations

Students might consider:

• ideas about confidence and ideas about self-belief equally, or choose to prioritise either aspect of

the task focus

• that attitudes towards Stanley may include both those of other characters within the play, and

those of various audiences outside it

• that Stanley’s confidence, exuberance and ‘animal joy’ in life is presented as attracting others to

him, not only Stella, but also Mitch and his other friends

• how Williams uses Stanley to illustrate the changing society and values of America and the

American South just after World War II and the significance of his role as a returning war hero

aspiring to the American Dream

• Stanley’s great confidence in the USA’s future, linked to self-belief generated by being ‘born and

raised in the greatest country on earth and proud as hell of it’

• that Stanley is destined to achieve the consumerist American Dream, unlike any of the other male

characters in the play – as Stella notes, ‘Stanley’s the only one of his crowd who will get anywhere’

• the mutual passion of Stanley and Stella; his delighted pride in becoming a father

• alternatively, the focus may be on Stanley’s cruelty, cunning, insensitivity and violence towards his

pregnant wife and vulnerable sister-in-law

• Stanley’s bullying macho ‘alpha-male’ dominance of his male friends, especially Mitch

• Stanley’s role as ‘captain of the bowling team’ and drunken behaviour during the poker games

• that Stanley’s references to Louisiana’s use of the ‘Napoleonic Code’ and the words of Louisiana

demagogue Huey P. Long, together with his frequent attempts throughout the play to dominate and

control those around him, make his behaviour more despicable than admirable

• that Stanley’s sexual assault on Blanche is an appalling act that makes it impossible to admire any

aspect of his behaviour

• Stanley’s dramatic positioning as the antagonist to Blanche

• the tragic genre

• the possible impact of particular production(s) on the interpretation of the question

• etc.

AO4 Explore connections across literary texts

Focus might be on:

• dramatic representations of masculinity, class and culture in modern literature

• dramatic representations of the American Dream in modern literature

• etc.

AO3 Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which

26literary texts are written and received

Focus might be on:

• how Williams’ presentation of masculinity, class and culture, and the American Dream are

embedded in the play’s specific contemporary context of production, and how responses to the text

then and now can reflect changing attitudes over time

• the ways in which dramatic methods are an integral part of strengthening the text’s evocation of

these elements

• etc.

AO2 Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts

Focus might be on:

• aspects of dramatic form, eg melodrama, tragedy

• non-linear structure, flashbacks

• use of black comedy, non-naturalistic effects, music, sound, lighting

• dialogue and action and other dramatic methods, eg physical and verbal violence

• etc.

AO1 Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated

concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression

• quality of argument

• organisation of ideas

• use of appropriate concepts and terminology

• technical accuracy.

Accept any valid interpretations, any valid comments on contexts and any valid discussion of

authorial methods.

How to answer it

Stanley Kowalski: Admirable Confidence or Brutal Domination?

AQA A-Level English Literature A • Paper 1 / Section B • 25 Marks

What this question tests

Core Task: Critically evaluate whether Tennessee Williams presents Stanley’s unshakable confidence, virility, and self-belief as something to be admired or as a destructive, predatory force.

  • AO1 (Argument & Expression): Constructing a sustained, balanced essay with precise dramatic terminology.
  • AO2 (Dramatic Methods & Form): Analysing how Plastic Theatre, stage directions, dialogue, proxemics, and theatrical symbolism construct Stanley’s dominance.
  • AO3 (Contexts): Post-WWII industrial America, shifting gender roles, class conflict (fading Southern aristocracy vs. rising multi-ethnic working class), and the American Dream.
  • AO4 (Literary Traditions): Conventions of modern domestic tragedy, melodrama, and dramatic representations of masculinity.
  • AO5 (Alternative Interpretations): Weighing competing audience responses (e.g., initial 1947 Broadway empathy for Brando's vital survivor vs. feminist readings of violent, patriarchal subjugation).

1. Deconstructing the Prompt & Forming a Thesis

"I am the king around here, so don't forget it" — Scene 8

The prompt hinges on the subjective value judgement: admirable. Williams does not write flat caricatures; Stanley is neither purely a villain nor an uncritical hero.

💡 The Proposition: Why It Could Be "Admirable"

  • Embodiment of Modern Vitality: Stanley represents post-war energy, democratic pragmatism, and animalistic joy ( "animal joy in his being is implicit" ).
  • The Self-Made American Dream: Unlike Blanche's dying, bankrupt feudal aristocracy, Stanley is a decorated WWII veteran proud of his citizenship ( "one hundred percent American" ).
  • Defender of His Household: Stella is drawn to his raw passion; he protects their sexual and social compact against Blanche's deceptive, classist condescension.

❌ The Counter-Argument: Why It Is Despicable

  • Violent Hegemonic Masculinity: Confidence degenerates into tyrannical cruelty, domestic battery (Scene 3), and misogynistic domination.
  • Pseudo-Intellectual Entitlement: His reliance on the "Napoleonic Code" and quote of populist demagogue Huey Long ( "Every Man is a King!" ) rationalises greed and control.
  • The Ultimate Atrocity: The rape of Blanche in Scene 10 exposes his self-belief not as healthy confidence, but as a ruthless need to destroy anything he cannot assimilate.

2. Structural Essay Arguments & Evidence

Balancing the critical debate across key scenes

✅ Argument 1: Primitive Vitality & The Post-War Hero

Williams initially endows Stanley with an exhilarating, natural dynamism that audiences and characters find magnetic.

  • Evidence: Scene 1 stage directions describe him as the "gaudy seed-bearer" who radiates life. Scene 8: "born and raised in the greatest country on earth" .
  • Dramatic Method: Colour symbolism (vivid bowling shirts, primary colours) contrasting Blanche's ghostly moth-like white.
  • Effect: In post-WWII 1947, working-class audiences admired his raw honesty, work ethic, and refusal to be belittled by aristocratic pretensions.

✅ Argument 2: Fragile Ego Masked by Authoritarianism

Williams shows that Stanley’s loud self-belief is driven by deep social insecurity and xenophobic sensitivity.

  • Evidence: Exploding at Blanche's slurs: "People from Poland are Poles, not Polacks... what I am is one hundred percent American" .
  • Dramatic Method: Physical stage actions — smashing plates, throwing the radio out the window, shouting down women at the dinner table.
  • Effect: Exposes that his "confidence" is actually fragile territorial entitlement requiring violent subjugation of any dissent.

✅ Argument 3: The Degeneration into Brutality

Any potential admiration is systematically dismantled as his self-belief culminates in catastrophic violation.

  • Evidence: Scene 10: "We've had this date with each other from the beginning!" Scene 11: cold, triumphant poker game while Blanche is led away.
  • Dramatic Method: Non-naturalistic expressionism (inhuman jungle cries, shadows on walls, the menacing Blue Piano).
  • Effect: Williams confirms that unchecked patriarchal confidence destroys vulnerability, art, and truth.

3. Structuring a Level 5 Response

Step-by-step thematic progression for a 25-mark response

📐 4-Step Argument Progression

  1. Step 1: Introduction & Nuanced Thesis — Define Stanley's confidence as double-edged: Williams portrays his vital, democratic energy with initial dramatic magnetism, but exposes it as a mask for toxic, authoritarian dominion.
  2. Step 2: Societal & Sexual Magnetism (Admirable) — Analyse the early scenes. Focus on Marlon Brando's original performance, the decline of Southern aristocracy (Belle Reve), and Stanley's pragmatic survivalism as the vanguard of a new egalitarian America.
  3. Step 3: Domination & Insecurity (Flawed/Dangerous) — Explore Scene 8 (the "King" outburst) and the poker night (Scene 3). Analyse how Williams links Stanley's rhetoric to Huey Long's demagoguery and physical battery, showing self-belief curdling into tyranny.
  4. Step 4: The Tragic Climax & Resolution (Despicable) — Focus on Scene 10 (the rape) and Scene 11. Analyse Williams's Plastic Theatre techniques that show Stanley's triumph as the brutal crushing of the lyrical spirit by modern industrial brute force.

4. Key Knowledge & AO5 Perspectives

Essential context and critical interpretations

💡 Theatrical Context: Marlon Brando's 1947 Performance

Directed by Elia Kazan on Broadway, Brando played Stanley with an unforeseen vulnerability, boyish charm, and explosive sexuality. Kazan famously noted that audiences initially rooted for Stanley because Blanche appeared condescending and neurotic. Williams himself acknowledged Stanley had an elemental life-force essential for the survival of the species, even while lamenting his brutality.

🧠 Theoretical Frameworks for AO5

  • Marxist Reading: Stanley represents the industrial proletariat rising to displace the decadent, slave-owning Southern planter caste. His pride is a class-conscious refusal to be disenfranchised.
  • Feminist Reading: Stanley represents coercive control and the enforcement of the patriarchal order. His "confidence" is state-sanctioned male supremacy where women are possessions ( "Napoleonic Code" ).

5. Examiner Insights: What Distinguishes Top Answers?

Examiner observations from previous sessions

❌ Common Student Pitfalls

  • Pure Moral Condemnation: Writing an emotional character assassination of Stanley without engaging with the playwright's dramatic presentation or theatrical power.
  • Ignoring the Spectacle (No AO2): Treating the play as a novel; failing to mention stage directions, lighting, set layout, props (meat package, radio, satin pyjamas), or sound effects.
  • Black-and-White Thinking: Forgetting that Williams deliberately creates ambivalence; Stanley's vitality *is* alluring to Stella and audiences before it turns monstrous.

🧠 Top-Level (Band 5) Differentiators

  • Evaluative Stance: Explicitly evaluates the word "admirable" from multiple viewpoints (contemporary 1947 spectators vs. 21st-century modern audiences).
  • Integration of Methods: Directly ties Williams's plastic theatre (e.g., the lurid green light, locomotive roaring, lurid shapes) to Stanley's psychic invasion of the domestic sphere.
  • Precise Terminology: Seamlessly uses terms like hegemonic masculinity, atavistic, social Darwinism, hubris, plastic theatre, microcosm.
Mark Scheme Reminder (AO1–AO5): A Level 5 response is characterised by an "analytical, sustained and evaluative" approach, presenting a "convincing and insightful exploration of alternative interpretations" supported by perceptive textual and contextual detail.

Topics

Modern times: literature from 1945 to the present day · A Streetcar Named Desire

Question and mark scheme from the AQA A-Level English Literature A examination, Paper 2: Texts in shared contexts (2B), June 2025. QuestionVault is an independent revision resource; questions remain the copyright of the awarding body.