|
Have questions?
Contact us
Already a member? Sign in
|
Get every literary device explanation for A Streetcar Named DesirePlus so much more...
Sign up for LitCharts A+Get instant access to every literary device explanation, plus so much more...
Allusion
Explanation and Analysis—Napoleonic Code:
Stanley accuses Blanche of cheating Stella and him out of money from Belle Reve using an allusion. As he quizzes his wife about what happened to the family plantation, he says says angrily to Stella:
STANLEY: In the state of Louisiana we have the Napoleonic code according to which what belongs to the wife belongs to the husband and vice versa [...] It looks to me like you have been swindled, baby, and when you’re swindled under the Napoleonic code I’m swindled too. And I don’t like to be swindled.
As he angrily complains to Stella that he thinks Blanche has been siphoning money away from them, Stanley alludes to the Napoleonic Code. This "code" is a real legal framework, established in France in 1804, that influenced many legal systems (including that of Louisiana). However, the specifics of Stanley’s claim are pretty dubious. The code itself does not stipulate that “what belongs to the wife belongs to the husband, and vice versa.” It does contain provisions about community property, but the way Stanley recounts this information implies that his knowledge of the code is secondhand and misguided.
This moment shows two important things about Stanley: he’s willing to leap to assumptions based on minimal evidence, and he’s also under the strong impression that he possesses both Stella and everything she owns. His statement here is a blatant misunderstanding of the law, which he incorrectly believes gives him rights to any assets his wife might have inherited.
The irony of Stanley invoking the Napoleonic Code—a law from the Old South—is almost painful here, given his disdain for the genteel traditions that Blanche and Stella represent. Despite his contempt for their aristocratic background, he’s very quick to leverage this outdated legal point of order when he believes it might benefit him. Stanley firmly believes that he should be in a position of power and able to subjugate the women in his life, using any means available to assert his dominance.
Monthly
Annual (Best Value)
$595USD/mo
Charged $71.40 USD every year
Teacher$795USD/mo
Charged $95.40 USD every year
Literature Guide PDFs
LitCharts PDFs for every book you'll read this year.
Instant PDF downloads of all 2242 LitCharts literature guides and of every new one we publish. Try a free sample literature guide.
"Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!"
Quotes Explanations
Find the perfect quote. Understand it perfectly. Then rock the citation, too.
For all 49,991 quotes we cover.
For all 49,991 quotes we cover.
Teacher Editions
Close reading made easy for students.
Time saved for teachers.
For every book we cover.
Time saved for teachers.
For every book we cover.
Common Core-aligned
PDFs of modern translations of every one of Shakespeare's 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 3 longer poems.
Literary Terms and Devices
Definitions and examples for every literary term and device you need to know.
Plus a quick-reference PDF with concise definitions of all 136 terms in one place.
Plus a quick-reference PDF with concise definitions of all 136 terms in one place.
Try a free sample literary term PDF.
Advanced Search
Refine any search. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more.
Related Themes
Comparing and contrasting texts? Find where any theme occurs across all of LitCharts in seconds.
Poetry Guides
Line-by-line explanations and analysis of figurative language and poetic devices.
For every lyric poem we cover.
For every lyric poem we cover.
