Blake Hobbs
American Literature 2
Mrs. Stephens
4/28/15
Decay of the Old South The old south was a time when people used manors, were polite, men acted as gentlemen and blacks were slaves that worked to death, known as the Old South. Throughout the readings done in American literature one begins to see the old south decaying. Traditions began to fade away and what used to be the norm is evolving into a new era where men are abusive to women, and blacks began to fit into the society slowly gaining the rights other races have had all along. This is described as the New South where people are always intermingling in a diverse manner. People in the Old South speak exceptionally formal and precise, as opposed to the slang that has been picked up in the New South. There are many reasons that contrast just how different these two eras became. The decay of the old south is present in A Streetcar Named Desire, written by Tennessee Williams. Blanche and Stella’s ancestors were wealthy plantation owners. In the old south majority of people were farmers. Although Blanche and Stella inherited everything from their ancestors, they didn’t have enough income to keep it all. They ended up selling all of it besides a small portion in which their ancestor’s graves laid. During the 1940’s in New Orleans, there is a constant theme of how society and class effects Americans in this era. A Streetcar Named Desire deals with these class differences in an abnormal way. At one point of view is a disappearing Southern belle that has outdated ideals about the upper class and those “beneath” her social class or rank. Neither Stanley nor Stella, put social class into concern when regarding their relationship. Both characters are exempt from their class boundaries all together. Since Stella is a southern belle and has qualities from the old South, its ideals almost seem as if it’s something to be sought after when compared to Stanley. Stanley, described as an animal by Blanche, uses his judgement to determine women based off of their appearance.
The people’s demeanor of the Old South are known to be pre-Civil War, portraying them as discriminating, judgmental, and racist. To put more into contrast, Blanche’s last name is Dubois, which means “white woods”. When Blanche first came to see Stella, she wore all white elegant clothing, these actions can categorize her under the Old South. Her name along with her choice of clothing signifies that her rather elusive belief that whites are superior to Negro’s. Blanche is disgusted with Stanley’s unremorseful attitude, which is shown in the story. Blanche explains to Stella how different Stanley is compared to the “proper” boys they dated from her hometown, Belle Reve, Mississippi. Blanche’s explanation’s on Stanley displays the contrast between the New South and the Old South as well has how social class easily depicts judgement on someone. It is a prime example of how the Old South is infamous for discrimination as opposed to the New South, with its more relaxed and “laid-back” atmosphere. Alcohol plays a vital role in A Streetcar Named Desire, it is used by the main characters to “get away” or escape. One of the main characters, Blanche Dubois, utilizes alcohol to divert herself from reality and coward back into this fantasy world. During this time in the 1940’s, drinking habitually is not best for a woman’s standing, the habit is often concealed. As far as the male gender goes, alcohol plays a part in the play’s most violent act and is tied to physical aggression. Blanche’s drinking problem tells us that she is trying to escape, she possesses bad memories from the past and also has a present debacle, but what is she trying to escape from the most? Blanche’s drinking problem causes her to descend into madness throughout A Streetcar Named Desire. Stanley, on the other hand, acts abusively towards Stella and Blanche. He has a temper problem that is uncontrollable. Throughout the readings he is easily agitated. At one point Stanley goes on a rampage, tears the house up, and ends up hitting Stella. Another time Stella tells Stanley to clean up his dishes from the dinner table, and Stanley smashes the dishes. Unfortunately, Stan has a drinking problem which fuels his abusiveness towards Stella and Blanche. When Stella is scared away by Stanley, he switches his mood to get Stella back. Another piece of American Literature that depicts the Old south and the New south, “A Rose for Emily”, written by William Faulkner. This short story is unique because of Faulkner’s creative ability to use literary techniques like refined structure, plot utilization, and enthralling characterization. Through these techniques, Faulkner was able to create a story that is filled with symbolism, multiple contrasts, and moral value. Although this story is brief, it covers almost seventy five years in the life of Emily Grierson. Faulkner creates the character Emily to help portray a certain view of the South’s transformation, post-civil war. Miss Emily is the protagonist that is used to show the customs and traditions of the antebellum era. As the South struggles to face change, the story “A Rose for Emily” is symbolic of the transformation as Emily becomes the catastrophic heroin of the Old South. “A Rose for Emily” is a short story about a girl named Emily Grierson. She kills her northern boyfriend, Homer Barron, while keeping the body stowed in her bedroom for over forty years. Although, this story is not about Emily’s actions but more how the way she was brought up and “society” that made her. Emily's father was very hard on her. While growing up in an aristocratic family, her father had an overpowering attitude and did not allow her to be date or marry young men of the town. What started Emily to idolize status was the fact that her father kept her segregated amongst her peers. After her father passes, the town idolizes Emily as a monument of their Era that has slipped away. As Emily is this monument, she was also a tradition that represented the Old South and the peoples past. Post-Civil war, people of the south were being forced to alter their way of life and become as industrialized as the North. Homer, is seen as a threat to the town because they want to keep their values and ways of the traditional, instead of reform, as Homer represents the industrialized North. Not only is Homer a threat to the town but also for Emily, as he made it known that he will not marry her. This is tragic for Emily as she becomes the heroin of the Old south, she is never allowed to become fully humanized and love someone. The town interferes with this relationship because they need Emily, as an icon, to upkeep their values and represent their past. Emily depends on the town because the town allows her to hold onto her outdated beliefs. Emily murders Homer, she feels it had to be done and it is seen as heroic from the town’s point of view. No one accuses her, allowing her to hide the secret for almost five decades, and it is also their way of “preserving the honor and myth of the Old South”. The narrator of this story also goes through a significant change as he conveys the story from first idolizing the old ways to eventually accepting that those old ways are outdated and over. This is shown by his view of Emily through the time of being an idol until her death, which he describes as “a fallen monument” (Faulkner 29). This depicts that in Emily’s death she finally becomes human. Although she died, Emily is still seen as a monument of the Old south, as well as a lasting remembrance. William Faulkner utilizes his character, Emily Grierson, to display a certain image of the Old south historical society, including their values. “A Rose for Emily shows the differences between the Old south and new south. Maybe Faulkner is trying to uncover the dangers of living in the present or past times, instead that mankind chooses to look at both to survive during reform. These two important pieces of American literature show the hardships, transformation, lifestyle and beliefs during the time of the Old South’s development. “A Rose for Emily” it is murderer or victim. In human life, what a person senses and what that person is taught has all of the influence in the world on that certain life. Those influences could either be good or bad, depending on how the person lets it affect them. Emily, as an antagonist, felt she had to safeguard the town’s belief and lost her humanism. “A Street Car Named Desire”, you can see that there is Fantasy’s incapability to overcome reality, while also displaying the relationships between death and sex. Different lifestyles of characters in these stories show how the way they think are and how much the times truly changed in this period. The way Blanche feels of Stanley, is a direct cause of where she comes from in Mississippi. The town idolizing Emily because she represented the Old south affected her whole life. In terms of history, change is inevitable and it was only a matter of time before the old values become disclosed and new traditions arrive. The change of the South is a change that has been seen throughout American culture, and what has developed a region of America that stands today.

Works Cited

Randall, J.G., and David H. Donald. “The Post Civil War South.” The Civil War and Reconstruction. N.P., 18 Jan. 2005. Web. 01 May 2015.
Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, n.d. Web. 01 May 2015
Shmoop Editorial Team. “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Shmoop.com/ Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 01 May 2015
“History of the United States Industrialization and Reform (1870-1916).” History of the United States, Industrialization and Reform. Active USA Center A.U.C., n.d., Web. 01 May 2015