A Streetcar Named Desire

THEMES

MEN & MASCULINITY

The sheer animal force of antagonist Stanley Kowalski is partly responsible for the fame
of A Streetcar Named Desire. In this play, masculinity means aggression, control,
physical dominance, and even violence. Accompanying these traits are a general lack of
refinement, manners, and sensitivity. One point of view expressed in the play is that this
sort of brute masculinity is primitive and sub-human; another is that it is attractive and
sexually appealing.

Stanley carries his bowling jacket and a red-stained package from a

butcher’s. (Scene One, Stage Directions)
Look at how Williams uses props to emphasize Stanley’s "primitive" masculinity.

BLANCHE
Well, I never cared for wishy-washy people. That was why, when you
walked in here last night, I said to myself — "My sister has a married
man!"— Of course that was all that I could tell about you. (2.114)
Blanche may be deluded, but she’s not dumb. She understands that Stanley prides
himself on his masculinity, so this is the angle she works when trying to get into his good
graces.

STANLEY
[booming] Now let’s cut the re-bop!
BLANCHE
[pressing hands to her ears]
Ouuuuu! (2.115-6)
Stanley’s masculinity is often expressed through loud noises, whether it be "bellowing" or
"booming" or smashing things around. This takes a toll on the delicate Blanche.

STANLEY
You see, under the Napoleonic code – a man has to take an interest in
his wife’s affairs – especially now that she’s going to have a baby.
[Blanche opens her eyes. The "blue piano" sounds louder.]
BLANCHE
Stella? Stella going to have a baby? I didn’t know she was going to
have a baby! (2.151-2)
Stanley says this deliberately in order to hurt Blanche. He’s just been a bit humiliated
since Blanche proved her story about Belle Reve with the financial papers, so this is his
way of asserting his dominance once more.
Stanley, Steve, Mitch, and Pablo wear colored shirts, solid blues, a
purple, a red-and-white-check, a light green, and they are men at the
peak of their physical manhood, as coarse and direct and powerful as
the primary colors. There are vivid slices of watermelon on the table,
whiskey bottles and glasses. (Scene Three, Stage Directions)
Williams uses physical props – or, in this case, clothing – to make his point about
Stanley’s masculinity. These vivid, virile colors contrast with Blanche’s white, moth-like
clothing. (And, of course, her name itself, which means "white.")

MITCH
I’m out again. I oughta go home pretty soon.
STANLEY
Shut up.
MITCH
I gotta sick mother. She don’t go to sleep until I come in at night. (3.15-
7)
Mitch deviates from the classic masculinity which Stanley so fiercely embodies. Blanche
finds this attractive in Mitch, which means her ideal man is a Southern gentleman, not a
man like Stanley.

STELLA
It’s a drive that he has. (3.76)
Stella’s admiration of Stanley’s vitality and virility is evident from the start. Is she correct,
though, in thinking that this "drive" will get him places?

STELLA
Drunk – drunk – animal thing, you!
[…]
[Stanley charges after Stella.]
STELLA
You lay your hands on me and I’ll –
[She backs out of sight. He advances and disappears. There is the
sound of a blow. Stella cries out.] (3.165-8)
Violence is the unfortunate accompaniment to the assertive virility that Stella finds so
attractive. Because the two are so closely tied together, Stella can’t distinguish between
them, and finds even his aggressive streak to be attractive.

STELLA
He was as good as a lamb when I came back and he’s really very, very
ashamed of himself. (4.16)
Stanley’s dual nature makes it difficult for us to condemn him as readers (or as the
audience).

BLANCHE
On the contrary, I saw him at his best! What such a man has to offer is
animal force and he gave a wonderful exhibition of that! But the only
way to live with such a man is to – go to bed with him! And that’s your
job – not mine! (4.90)
Think about this passage in the context of the eventual rape in Scene Ten…

MARRIAGE
The central marriage in A Streetcar Named Desire operates on a tumultuous combination
of hero-worship, aggression, sexual attraction, and a difficult class difference between
husband and wife. Despite the challenges, we never doubt for a moment the intensity of
love these two feel for each other. There’s something primitive or almost animal in the
ferocity of their interactions – both fighting and love-making – that makes their
relationship difficult for some other characters to understand. In this marriage, we
definitely see traditional gender roles of a dominant husband who brings home the
money and pays the bills; and the doting housewife who is responsible for making dinner,
cleaning up, and raising a child.

STANLEY
[bellowing] Hey there! Stella, Baby! (1.1)
The first thing the audience sees in Streetcar is the dynamic between Stanley and Stella
– not the relationship between the two sisters or the sexual tension between Stanley and
Blanche. This marriage and its foundations are at the core of the play’s conflicts.

STELLA
Can I come watch? (1.8)
Mitch will later tell Blanche that Stella and Stanley are just crazy about each other, but we
get a sense of this mutual adoration early on in the play. Stella dotes on her husband to
the point of worship.

STELLA
Yes. A different species.
BLANCHE
In what way; what’s he like?
STELLA
Oh, you can’t describe someone you’re in love with! (1.146-8)
Love blinds Stella to the social differences between herself and her husband. She
doesn’t see the compatibility issues that Blanche does.
STELLA
I can hardly stand it when he is away for a night…
[…]
STELLA
When he’s away for a week I nearly go wild!
[…]
STELLA
And when he comes back I cry on his lap like a baby… (1.161-6)
Stella’s feelings for Stanley are driven by an intensity bordering on madness.

STELLA
…You come out with me while Blanche is getting dressed.
STANLEY
Since when do you give me orders? (2.70-1)
Blanche has changed the dynamic of Stanley and Stella’s relationship. This is why
Stanley resents her so much.

STELLA
No. Stanley’s the only one of his crowd that’s likely to get anywhere.
[…]
STELLA
It isn’t on his forehead and it isn’t genius.
[…]
STELLA
It’s a drive that he has. (3.68-76)
As we’ve seen elsewhere, Stella’s love for her husband borders on hero-worship. How
accurate is her vision of Stanley?

BLANCHE
I’m terrified!
MITCH
Ho-ho! There’s nothing to be scared of. They’re crazy about each other.
(3.205-6)
Mitch is right; Stanley and Stella might have their violent altercations, but we never for a
moment doubt their feelings for each other. This basic tension – between violent anger
and sexual desire – drives the play.

STELLA
Stanley doesn’t give me a regular allowance, he likes to pay bills
himself. (4.79)
This tiny detail is rather telling about Stanley’s approach to marriage. This is no
partnership between equals – he wants to be in complete control.

Stella has embraced him with both arms, fiercely, and full in the view of
Blanche. He laughs and clasps her head to him. Over her head he grins
through the curtains at Blanche. (4.126)
Stanley establishes power over Blanche via his marriage. They’re basically fighting for
Stella as if she’s territory.

STELLA
Blanche, do you want him?
BLANCHE
I want to rest! I want to breathe quietly again! Yes – I wantMitch… very
badly! Just think! If it happens! I can leave here and not be anyone’s
problem… (5.85-7)
Look at Blanche’s reasons for wanting to marry – she needs security and safety. This is
so different from the passion between Stella and Stanley.

SOCIETY & CLASS

A Streetcar Named Desire deals with class differences in New Orleans during the 1940s.
One point of view is that of a fading Southern belle, with outdated ideals about the
socially elite and those she considers "beneath" her social rank – like second or third-
generation immigrants. Contrast this with the opposing, more modern (at the time) point
of view that Americans are Americans, and that immigrants are the foundation of the U.S.

Her appearance is incongruous to the setting. She is daintily dressed in

a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white
gloves and hat, looking as if she were arriving at a summer tea or
cocktail party in the garden district. (1.14)
This is a fitting initial description of Blanche, since she does indeed spend all of the play
feeling "out of place." What’s interesting is that, rather than adapt to her surroundings
(which, amusingly, she claims while talking to Stanley that she is very capable of doing),
Blanche tries to alter her surroundings to suit her persona.

EUNICE
A great big place with white columns. (1.63)
Stanley later references these same white columns. Belle Reve is very much a part of
Stella’s background, and no one has forgotten that.

BLANCHE
…I let the place go? Where were you! In bed with your – Polack! (1.185)
Blanche comes to rely heavily on this derogatory term. She uses her outdated idea of
"class" in order to establish her superiority over Stanley.

BLANCHE
Please don’t get up.
STANLEY
Nobody’s going to get up, so don’t be worried. (3.3.38-9)
Here, again, we see Blanche’s ideal of the Southern gentleman contrasting with the
reality of the men here in New Orleans.

BLANCHE
That one seems – superior to the others.
STELLA
Yes, he is.
BLANCHE
I thought he had a sort of sensitive look. (3.57-9)
Blanche is actually attracted to more sensitive qualities, whereas Stella is all about
Stanley’s aggressive masculinity.

BLANCHE
It’s a French name.
[…]
MITCH
You’re French?
BLANCHE
We are French by extraction. Our first American ancestors were French
Huguenots. (3.136-8)
Blanche seems to think her ethnic origins make her better than others. It’s a point of pride
for her.

BLANCHE
Stop it. Let go of that broom. I won’t have you cleaning up for him!
STELLA
Then who’s going to do it? Are you?
BLANCHE
I? I!
STELLA
No, I didn’t think so. (4.44-7)
Blanche somehow manages to maintain her superior air while staying as a penniless
guest in her sister’s already cramped apartment. This just speaks to the power of
denial…
STANLEY
That’s how I’ll clear the table! [He seizes her arm.] Don’t ever talk that
way to me! "Pig – Polack – disgusting – vulgar – greasy!" – them kind of
words have been on your tongue and your sister’s too much around
here! What do you think you two are? A pair of queens? Remember
what Huey Long said – "Every Man is a King!" And I am the King
around here, so don’t forget it! (8.14)
Many critics have pointed out that Stanley represents the new America – land of
opportunity and equality – as opposed to Blanche’s more archaic ideals. Again, this
complicates our understanding of his character and any blanket categorization of him as
a mere villain.

STANLEY
You showed me the snapshot of the place with the columns and how
you loved it. (8.55)
Stella’s attraction to Stanley is about more than just his intense masculinity – Stella was
in part running away from her home and background by marrying him. It is as much
about escape as anything else.

SEX
Sex is essentially a destructive force in A Streetcar Named Desire, though this
destruction takes a variety of forms, including literal death, physical violence, mental
degradation, the sullying of a good reputation, and even financial ruin. It’s very much tied
to physical aggression, both in the sexual relations between husband and wife, but also
in the play’s rape scene.

… but contains a folding bed to be used by Blanche. The room beyond

is a bedroom. (1.40)
Notice the immediate and obvious presence of Stanley and Stella’s bed? Blanche finds
herself right on the edge of their sex life – in more ways than one.

Animal joy in his being is implicit in all his movements and attitudes.
Since earliest manhood the center of his life has been pleasure with
women, the giving and taking of it, not with weak indulgence,
dependently, but with the power and pride of a richly feathered male
bird among hens. […] He sizes women up with a glance, with sexual
clarifications, crude images flashing into his mind and determining the
way he smiles at them. (1.205)
After this description of Stanley, we expect him to view Blanche in an overtly sexual way.
Look at the dialogue that follows – does he view her as a sexual object? Why or why not?

STANLEY
My clothes are stickin’ to me. Do you mind if I make myself
comfortable? [He starts to remove his shirt.]
[…]
STANLEY
Be comfortable is my motto. (1.219-21)
Stanley’s ease and comfort contrast sharply with Blanche’s rigid sense of sexual
propriety and the hidden shame she harbors.

Blanche moves back into the streak of light. She raises her arms and
stretches, as she moves indolently back to the chair. (3.88)
Blanche tries to use her sex appeal to gain influence over men. It’s essentially the only
tool she has at her disposal. This is interesting, since Stanley’s overt masculinity is his
only tool.

Blanche waltzes to the music with romantic gestures. Mitch is delighted

and moves in awkward imitation like a dancing bear. (3.164)
Blanche’s subtle charms and sophistication are clearly lost on Mitch. It’s interesting that,
because of the almost caricature-like nature of the awkward Mitch, the audience is
inclined to side with Stella’s choice of a partner, rather than Blanche’s. This certainly
complicates our reading of the play.

STANLEY
[with heaven-splitting violence]
STELL-LAHHHHH!
[The low-tone clarinet moans. The door upstairs opens again. Stella
slips down the rickety stairs in her robe. Her eyes are glistening with
tears and her hair loose about her throat and shoulders. They stare at
each other. Then they come together with low, animal moans. He falls
to his knees on the steps and presses his face to her belly, curving a
little with maternity. Her eyes go blind with tenderness as she catches
his head and raises him level with her. He snatches the screen door
open and lifts her off her feet and bears her into the dark flat.] (3.198)
Sex seems to be the strongest bond between Stella and her husband.

STELLA
Why on our wedding night – soon as we came in here – he snatched off
one of my slippers and rushed about the place smashing the light-bulbs
with it.
[…]
BLANCHE
And you – you let him? Didn’t run, didn’t scream?
STELLA
I was – sort of – thrilled by it. (4.18-22)
There is definitely an undercurrent of sexuality to Stanley’s violent aggression – and one
that Stella finds very attractive.

STELLA
But there are things that happen between a man and a woman in the
dark – that sort of make everything else seem – unimportant. [Pause]
BLANCHE
What you are talking about is brutal desire – just – Desire! – the
name of that rattle-trap street-car that bans through the Quarter, up
one old narrow street and down another… (4.103-4)

BLANCHE
Well you do, honey lamb! Come here. I want to kiss you, just once,
softly and sweetly on your mouth! (5.116)
One of the most fascinating aspects of Streetcar is the tension between Blanche’s
Southern belle demeanor and what is obviously a very sexual and very hidden self.

DRUGS & ALCOHOL

Alcohol is used as a means of escape in A Streetcar Named Desire. Main character
Blanche DuBois uses booze to distract herself from reality and to retreat further into a
world of fantasy and cleverly contrived artifice. Habitual drinking isn’t ideal for a woman’s
reputation in the 1940s, so the habit is often hidden or disguised. For the male gender,
alcohol is very much tied to physical aggression and plays a part in the play’s worst
violence.

She springs up and crosses to it, and removes a whiskey bottle. She
pours a half tumbler of whiskey and tosses it down. She carefully
replaces the bottle and washes out the tumbler at the sink. (1.71)
Notice that drinking is essentially the first thing Blanche does in the Kowalski home…

BLANCHE
…Now don’t get worried, your sister hasn’t turned into a drunkard, she’s
just all shaken up and hot and tired and dirty! (1.91)
Stella seems to be the only person that Blanche doesn’t attempt to conceal her
alcoholism from. Why?

BLANCHE
No, one’s my limit. (1.111)
Blanche recognizes that her drinking threatens her reputation. This is why she tries to
hide it all the time; it contradicts her Southern belle persona.
BLANCHE
…I’ll show you shuperficial – Listen to me! My tongue is a little – thick!
You boys are responsible for it. The show let out at eleven and we
couldn’t come home on account of the poker game so we had to go
somewhere and drink. I’m not accustomed to having more than one
drink. Two is the limit – and three! [She laughs] Tonight I had three.
(3.131)
At what point does it become clear to Mitch that Blanche is lying about her drinking
habits?

The rapid feverish polka tune, the "Varsouviana," is heard. The music is
in her mind; she is drinking to escape. (Stage Directions, Scene Nine)
This is a key stage direction from Williams because it lets us know WHY Blanche drinks
the way that she does. Indeed, many of her actions and words have to do with escaping
both her past and the harsh reality of her current situation.

BLANCHE
[She rushes about frantically, hiding the bottle in a closet, crouching at
the mirror and dabbing her face with cologne and powder.] (9.3)
Blanche tries to hide both her age and her drinking – two things that threaten her
potential match with Mitch.

MITCH
I told you already I don’t want none of his liquor and I mean it. You
ought to lay off his liquor. He says you been lapping it up all summer
like a wild-cat. (9.22)
This is meant to be insulting to Blanche because her alcohol consumption is incongruent
with her stereotypical over-the-top femininity.

Blanche has been drinking fairly steadily since Mitch left. […] As the
drinking and packing went on, a mood of hysterical exhilaration came
into her and she has decked herself out in a somewhat soiled and
crumpled white satin evening gown and a pair of scuffed silver slippers
with brilliants set in their heels. (Stage Directions, Scene Ten)
Alcohol is fuel to the fire, as far as Blanche’s mental illness is concerned. She uses it to
further delude herself.

APPEARANCES
For main character and fading Southern belle Blanche DuBois, appearances are
important. They’re also generally fake. Consumed with the need to appear younger and
more innocent than she actually is, every personal interaction is a series of machinations
and contrivances designed to reveal the truth, regarding both looks and reputation.

BLANCHE
And turn that over-light off! Turn that off! I won’t be looked at in this
merciless glare! (1.75)
As you can read in "Symbols, Imagery, Allegory," light comes to mean a lot of different
things in A Streetcar Named Desire. This first instance is the most important, and reveals
Blanche’s fear of showing her age.

BLANCHE
…You know I haven’t put on one ounce in ten years, Stella? I weigh
what I weighed the summer you left Belle Reve. The summer Dad died
and you left us… (1.123)
For Blanche, looking good is all about maintaining her youth and the illusion that nothing
has changed.

STELLA
And admire her dress and tell her she’s looking wonderful That’s
important with Blanche. Her little weakness! (2.22)
Blanche isn’t fooling anybody, least of all her sister. Those around her propagate her self-
delusion.

STANLEY
Compliments to women about their looks. I never met a woman that
didn’t know if she was good-looking or not without being told, and some
of them give themselves credit for more than they’ve got. I once went
out with a doll who said to me, "I am the glamorous type, I am the
glamorous type!" I said. "So what?" (2.103)
This is where the conflict in Streetcar really rises to the surface – from what we know
about their characters, it’s basically impossible for these two to coexist.

BLANCHE
…After all, a woman’s charm is fifty percent illusion… (2.129)
As is Blanche’s self-image and her veneer of innocent charm. What’s so interesting is
that she KNOWS she’s full of it, but continues to operate on a level of fantasy anyway.
Or, as she later says to Mitch, "I don’t want realism — I want magic!"

STANLEY
Well this somebody named Shaw is under the impression he met you in
Laurel, but I figure he must have got you mixed up with some other
party because this other party is someone he met at a hotel called the
Flamingo.
[…]
BLANCHE
I’m afraid he does have me mixed up with this "other party." The Hotel
Flamingo is not the sort of establishment I would dare to be seen in!
(5.38-9)
Now we know that Blanche isn’t just suffering from self-image issues – her reputation has
in fact been completely destroyed since the days of her youth.

BLANCHE
It isn’t enough to be soft. You’ve got to be soft and attractive. And I – I’m
fading now! I don’t know how much longer I can turn the trick. (5.60)
Blanche’s "softness" may have been an asset in her youth, but it’s certainly a liability
now. It means that she isn’t a strong enough person to deal with men like Stanley.

STELLA
She is. She was. You didn’t know Blanche as a girl. Nobody, nobody
was as tender and trusting as she was. But people like you abused her,
and forced her to change. (8.50)
Blanche’s charms helped her socially when she was younger, but hurt her after she
matured into adulthood. Stanley’s pragmatism is far more suited to the real world than
Blanche’s poetry and flirtations.

BLANCHE
A cultivated woman, a woman of intelligence and breeding can enrich a
man’s life – immeasurably! I have those things to offer, and this doesn’t
take them away. Physical beauty is passing. A transitory possession.
But beauty of the mind and richness of the spirit and tenderness of the
heart – and I have all of those things. […] But I have been foolish -
casting my pearls before swine! (10.44)
Look at the intensity of Blanche’s self-deception moments before she is finally "broken"
by Stanley.

MADNESS
A Streetcar Named Desire features a gradual descent into madness, brought about by
loss, depression, financial ruin, and the cruelty of others. At first, this so-called "madness"
is just an attempted escape from reality – an altered self-image and a polished persona
that doesn’t accurately reflect the character below. As the play progresses, however, this
self-deception intensifies and deviates further and further from reality. By the play’s
conclusion, the main character can no longer distinguish between her fantasies and the
world around her.
BLANCHE
…I want to be near you, got to be with somebody, I can’t be alone!
Because - as you must have noticed - I’m – not very well… [Her voice
drops and her look is frightened.] (1.141)
This is the first hint we get of Blanche’s madness. Oddly enough, it isn’t solitude but
rather the negative influence of other people that ultimately destroys her.

BLANCHE
…And funerals are pretty compared to deaths. Funerals are quiet, but
deaths – not always. (1.185)
We get the sense from lines like this that all these deaths – of her family members and
also her husband – are really at the source of Blanche’s madness.

BLANCHE
Yes. [During the pause she looks up at the sky.] There’s so much – so
much confusion in the world… [He coughs diffidently.]Thank you for
being so kind! I need kindness now. (3.215)
Notice when Blanche starts retreating into her fictional world of fantasy – at the first
display of real violence from Stanley. This almost foreshadows her breakdown at the end
of the play as the result of Stanley’s sexual violence against her.

BLANCHE
Young man! Young, young, young man! Has anyone ever told you that
you look like a young Prince out of the Arabian Nights!
[The Young Man laughs uncomfortably and stands like a bashful kid.
Blanche speaks softly to him.] (5.116)
It’s no coincidence that Blanche describes the young man as a fictional character – it
reminds us that this entire scene is part of her altered perception of reality.

BLANCHE
I guess it is just that I have – old-fashioned ideals! [She rolls her eyes,
knowing he cannot see her face.] (6.80)
Blanche’s relationship with Mitch is founded on her lies and intentionally distorted
perceptions. Regardless of Stanley’s actions, the Blanche-Mitch couple is doomed from
the start.

BLANCHE
I don’t want realism. I want magic! [Mitch laughs] Yes, yes, magic! I try
to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don’t tell the truth,
I tell what ought to be truth. And if that is sinful, then let me be damned
for it! – Don’t turn the light on! (9.43)
Now we see that Blanche’s fear of the strong light is about more than the age showing on
her face. She’s not only hiding her appearances from the world, but refusing to look at
the world in a harsh light herself.

BLANCHE
Never inside, I didn’t lie in my heart… (9.59)
What Blanche means is that she believed her own lies, too – she was as taken in as
Mitch with the persona she exuded.

STELLA
I couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley. (11.24)
Uh-oh. Looks as though self-delusion runs in the family. And as though Stella is picking
up where her sister left off. On the other hand, delusion seems to be the only option
Stella really has (again, not unlike Blanche).

BLANCHE
You know what I shall die of? I shall die of eating an unwashed grape
one day out on the ocean. I will die – with my hand in the hand of some
nice-looking ship’s doctor, a very young one with a small blond
mustache and a big silver watch. […] And I’ll be buried at sea sewn up
in a clean white sack and dropped overboard – at noon – in the blaze of
summer – and into an ocean as blue as my first lover’s eyes! (11.69)
Blanche’s delusions have grown more romantic and literary as she retreats further into
madness. She’s given up on trying to reconcile her visions with reality and surrendered
completely to fantasy.

MORTALITY
Death features prominently in A Streetcar Named Desire, and is very much connected to
lust. Sex seems to be responsible for much of the death – literal and figurative – that we
see in the play. Oddly enough, characters also turn to sex to comfort themselves in times
of loss, which only leads to…more destruction. Death comes in all varieties in this play:
the loss of reputation, sanity, physical well-being, relationships, and youth.

BLANCHE
They told me to take a street-car named Desire, and then transfer to
one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at — Elysian
Fields! (1.16)
Um…death much? "Cemeteries" is pretty much self-explanatory, but Elysian Fields are
basically like heaven in ancient Greek Mythology. In other words, "death" is written all
over this scenery before we even jump into much of the play. For more on how "Desire"
fits in there, see "What’s Up With the Title?"

BLANCHE
I was on the verge of — lunacy, almost! So Mr. Graves—Mr. Graves is
the high school superintendent — he suggested I take a leave of
absence. (1.109)
Mr. Graves, eh? Oh, Williams, we just wouldn’t put it past you. Looks like we’ve got even
more death imagery, and we haven’t even left Scene One yet.

BLANCHE
I, I, I took the blows in my face and body! All of those deaths! The long
parade to the graveyard! Father, mother! Margaret, that dreadful way!
So big with it, it couldn’t be put in a coffin! But had to be burned like
rubbish! You just came home in time for the funerals, Stella. And
funerals are pretty compared to deaths. Funerals are quiet, but
deaths—not always. Sometimes their breathing is hoarse, and
sometimes it rattles, and sometimes they even cry out to you, "Don’t let
me go!" (1.185)
All this death – not only of Blanche’s family, but also of her former husband – seems to
be largely responsible for her loss of sanity.

BLANCHE
The four-letter word deprived us of our plantation, till finally all that was
left — and Stella can verify that! — was the house itself and about
twenty acres of ground, including a graveyard, to which now all but
Stella and I have retreated. (2.148)
It’s interesting that Blanche blames sex for the loss of Belle Reve, when her own "epic
fornications" have cost her so dearly.

STELLA
You are as fresh as a daisy.
BLANCHE
One that’s been picked a few days. (3.33-4)
Wait a minute…flowers…death…sounds familiar. You’d better go check out "Symbols,
Imagery, Allegory." Meanwhile, compare this line to the other mention of daisies later in
the play, when Blanche references the soldiers outside her window.

BLANCHE
The first time I laid eyes on [Stanley] I thought to myself, that man is my
executioner! That man will destroy me. (6.102)
Interesting choice of words, isn’t it? Notice how rape – a sexual act and therefore one
that involves desire – brings about the effective "execution" of Blanche’s sanity.

BLANCHE
Yes, that’s where I brought my victims. […] Yes, I had many intimacies
with strangers. After the death of Allan — intimacies with strangers was
all I seemed able to fill my empty hearty with. (9.55)
Looks like we have one more complication to add to our understanding of death and
desire in Streetcar. Desire seems to cause all this death, and yet Blanche turns to sex to
comfort herself in the aftermath of death.

MEXICAN WOMAN
Flores.
BLANCHE
Death—I used to sit here and she used to sit over there and death was
as closer as you are… We didn’t even admit we had ever heard of it.
MEXICAN WOMAN
Flores para los muertos, flores—flores…
BLANCHE
The opposite is desire. (9.68-71)
This final line is incredibly important to understanding some key elements of A Streetcar
Named Desire. Blanche here states that desire is the opposite of death – this explains
her attempt at taking refuge from death through "intimacies with strangers," and why she
relies so heavily on her looks in relating to others. For lots, lots more, read "What’s Up
With the Title?"

BLANCHE
You know what I shall die of? [She plucks a grape] I shall die of eating
an unwashed grape one day out on the ocean. I will die—with my hand
in the hand of some nice-looking ship’s doctor, a very young one with a
small blond mustache and a big silver watch. […] And I’ll be buried at
sea sewn up in a clean white sack and dropped overboard — at noon
— in the blaze of summer — and into an ocean as blue as my first
lover’s eyes! (11.69)
Blanche romanticizes even her death. And notice how this final image of mortality is
saturated with desire and love….
CHARACTERS

BLANCHE DUBOIS

Character Analysis
Blanche DuBois is a tragic figure. She’s out of place both geographically and temporally
(that is, she's stuck in the wrong time). Blanche is lost, confused, conflicted, lashing out
in sexual ways, and living in her own fantasies.

Blanche and Her Retreat From Reality

Discussing Blanche's retreat from reality is interesting because it’s difficult to distinguish
between when she has lost her grip on reality, when she’s simply imagining a better
future for herself, and when she’s immersed in fiction and indulging in romantic fantasies.
What start off as harmless flights of fancy soon escalate to a dangerous level.

At the beginning of the play, Blanche tells lies and knows that she's lying. For example,
she tells her sister in Scene One that she’s simply taking a “leave of absence” from her
job as a schoolteacher. We suspect at this point that she’s not telling the truth, and our
suspicions are later confirmed. Does this mean that Blanche is deluding herself? No – it
just means she’d rather not drop this bombshell on her sister immediately. This is a case
of keeping up appearances.

But, later, when Blanche orchestrates a telegram to the supposedly rich and adoring
Shep Huntleigh, it looks as though her fantasies are going overboard. Now she seems to
believe them herself. When Tennessee Williams shows us what’s going on in Blanche’s
head – the shadows on the wall, the voices echoing madly, the sound of the polka music
(see “Symbols, Imagery, Allegory”), it’s his way of letting us know that, yes, we are
correct in thinking that something is amiss. (Here’s an interesting question for you – is the
Mexican woman selling flowers real, or is Blanche imagining her?)

But what drives Blanche over the edge? One explanation is that she spent so long lying
to everyone else that she eventually believed her own lies. Remember when she tells
Mitch, “Never inside, I didn’t lie in my heart” (9.59)? What she means is that she believed
her own lies about her age and lady-like demeanor as much as he did. Of course, we can
also look to Blanche’s husband’s death – and the death of all her relatives at Belle Reve
– as another cause of her mental illness. After all, she is most haunted by that scene of
Allan’s death, brought to us by the polka-music-and-gunshot memory.

We also have to remember that Blanche is an English teacher, and romance and fantasy
are part of her profession. She famously tells Mitch: “I don’t want realism, I want magic!
[..] Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don’t tell
the truth, I tell what ought to be truth. And if that is sinful, then let me be damned for it!”
(9.43).
Then, there’s the tipping point to Blanche’s wavering between sanity and madness – the
rape. Stella foreshadows this when she tells her husband, “You didn’t know Blanche as a
girl. Nobody, nobody was tender and trusting as she was. But people like you abused
her, and forced her to change” (8.50). It is indeed Stanley’s abuse that forces Blanche to
continue her path of change – to retreat further from the reality that so clearly destroys
her.

Whichever nuanced reasoning makes the most sense to you, we can likely agree that
Blanche simply can’t deal with certain events and circumstances of her life. And, rather
than face them, she chooses to retreat into a fantasy world of her own making. Does
Williams condemn her for this? Not exactly. Blanche has had a pretty rough life, so you
can't help but sympathize with her. And retreating is her coping mechanism.

Blanche the Elitist

Though we do feel sorry for Blanche, we can't ignore the fact that she’s a bit of a snob.
Blanche has no money or prospects, and is essentially living off Stanley while she stays
as a guest in his rather small and cramped apartment. Yet, as Stanley puts it, she acts
like the Queen of the Nile. She makes Stella run around buying her cokes because she
“love[s] to be waited on.” She expects compliments from Stanley left and right regarding
her looks. She soaks for hours in the bathtub when others are waiting to use it. And she
flaunts herself shamelessly in front of a group of unsophisticated men who certainly don’t
intend to pull out chairs for her and tip their hats in her direction. Worst of all is her
treatment of Stanley as something sub-human or primitive because of his social standing.
Her use of the derogatory slang “Polack” irritates the audience in addition to Stanley
Kowalski.

Yet this, too, actually does garner a bit of sympathy for our protagonist. Blanche is living
in a world that doesn’t really exist anymore, and we can’t help but feel sorry that her
ideals are hopelessly out of date. In fact, it’s ironic that she urges her sister to move
forward and progress with the world (rather than “hang back with the brutes”) when it is
Blanche who is unable to move into modernity. Her vision of a man like Shep Huntleigh –
the quintessential Southern gentleman – is as far from possibility as Stanley standing up
to show respect when Blanche enters the room. What’s so interesting is that Blanche’s
ideals about herself – as the quintessential Southern belle – are also completely false,
but she can’t even recognize that her own actions clash with her self-image.

Blanche, Desire, and Tragedy

We talk a lot about the relationship between desire and destruction in “What’s Up With
The Title?” – but what does it all mean to Blanche? Specifically, Blanche uses sex to
seek refuge from destruction, unaware that she’s simply causing more death and disaster
in the process.

It’s likely that she pursues inappropriately young men for two reasons: 1) to recapture the
love she had with Allan when they were both young, and 2) because having sex with
younger men makes her feel younger. It’s a way to recapture her youth (and we all know
how touchy Blanche is about her age). What’s sad is that Blanche recognizes the folly of
her ancestors, whose “epic fornications” brought them to ruin, yet doesn’t seem to realize
that her own actions are doing the same.

This tragic irony is at the heart of her character, as shown by that famous last line of
hers: “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers” (11.123). Strangers…
strangers… have we heard this word before? Back in Scene Nine when Blanche finally
admits to Mitch what she did back in Laurel. “Yes,” she says, “I had many intimacies with
strangers. After the death of Allan – intimacies with strangers was all I seemed able to fill
my empty heart with” (9.55). Blanche turns to strangers for comfort, but the only way she
knows how to interact with them is through sex. These strangers weren't offering her
kindness, as she deludes herself into thinking at the end of the play. It was simply “brute
desire” – the same emotion by which she accuses her sister of being consumed.

Blanche and Stanley

The conflict between Blanche and Stanley drives much of A Streetcar Named Desire.
The 1951 film does an impressive job of driving home what might be difficult to see in the
text alone – the sexual tension between Blanche and Stanley from the moment they first
meet. Notice that Stella is out of the picture (in the bathroom washing her face) the first
time Blanche encounters Stanley. They’re alone together. He takes off his shirt on the
grounds that he wants to be “comfortable.” While Blanche pretends to be OK with this,
we know later that such informalities in fact make heruncomfortable.

Later, there’s the constant proximity of Blanche to Stanley and Stella’s bed, which is
more tension for all. When Stanley rifles through the personal things in Blanche’s trunk,
it’s as though he’s violating her as well. The big “Stelll-ahhhhh!!!” scene is as much about
Blanche’s discomfort with Stanley’s aggressive sexuality as it is fear for her sister. She’s
horrified that Stella goes back downstairs in order to make love to Stanley.

One important characteristic of Blanche is that she seems unable to relate to men in a
non-sexual way, even men with whom it would be completely inappropriate for her to
have a sexual relationship (like her brother-in-law, Stanley). In fact, she seems desperate
to seek Stanley's sexual approval, and she’s always fishing for compliments about her
physical appearance. After their first argument in Scene Two, she tells Stella: “I called
him a little boy and laughed and flirted. Yes, I was flirting with your husband!” (2.155).
What really tipped us off was this line in Scene Four: “What such a man has to offer is
animal force […]. But the only way to live with such a man is to – go to bed with him! And
that’s your job – not mine!” (4.90). Is Blanche jealous? We certainly know that she envies
Stella the security and safe haven of her marriage while she, Blanche, was dealing with
the loss of Belle Reve: “Where were you! In bed with your – Polack!” (1.185).

It’s interesting that Blanche chooses the word “bed” here, rather than simply berating
Stella for her absence. It’s very possible that she resents the sexual freedom Stella
enjoys as a married woman. By “freedom” we mean she can have sex any time she
wants without reproach, albeit it with the same man. Blanche, by old Southern standards,
shouldn’t be having sex at all since she isn't married.

One of the most tragic aspects of this story is that we have a hard time imagining an
alternative ending. During the rape scene when Stanley tells Blanche that they’ve “had
this date with each other from the beginning,” we understand why he says it (10.81).
Since Blanche is a woman who relates to men only on sexual levels, and Stanley is a
man who relates to women only in a sexual manner, how can this play end happily? The
heavy-duty sexual tension between these two is clear from the start, though whether
Blanche is a conscious participant is up for debate.

STANLEY KOWALSKI

Character Analysis
Unlike Blanche, whose past we learn about to some extent, we really don't have much
back-story on Stanley, so we're left to learn about him from his actions during the present
instead of finding out how he's grown and changed over time. Quickly we gain a picture
of him as aggressive, dominant, and very sexual. He's a man of habit and structure, and
his desires in life are quite simple: 1) he enjoys maintaining stereotypical gender roles in
his home, with himself as the respected head of the household; 2) he likes spending time
with his male friends; and 3) his sexual relationship with his wife is very important to him.
For Stanley, Blanche's arrival overturns all three aspects of his structured life: she acts
as a disruptive force in every way.

Stanley and Gender Roles

Let's start with the gender roles in the Kowalski household. Stanley sees himself as the
provider and head of the household He sees Stella's role as a homemaker, who stays at
home, cooks his meals, and generally takes care of him. As such, he also expects Stella
to respect him.

We only get one window into the Kowalskis' relationship before Blanche shows up, so we
have to assume that their first interaction in Scene One is a good example of their
relationship. From Scene One, Stella and Stanley seem pretty happy with each other,
and also content in their gender roles. You can see this when Stanley comes on stage,
bellows, and hurls a pack of meat up to his wife, who is standing on the landing of their
apartment. He's providing the day's dinner, and she laughs and his gruff antics, happy to
make their meal and watch him go bowling with his friends.

Problems arise when Blanche shows up with her elitist notions and criticism of Stanley.
Now instead of feeling like the "king" of the house, he worries that Stella's attitude toward
him has changed. Stella starts ordering him around in Scene Eight and telling him to
clean up the table after dinner and stop eating so messily. According to the structure of
their usual relationship, Stella is trespassing into his territory – he's the dominant one;
she shouldn't be ordering him around.
Not to mention, he feels that his wife is looking down on him. He states it quite clearly:
"'Pig—Polak—disgusting—vulgar—greasy!'—them kind of words have been on your
[Stella's] tongue and your sister's too much around here! What do you two think you are?
A pair of queens?" And when Stanley feels like he's being mistreated, he becomes
aggressive, throwing things and breaking dishes.

This is obviously not a flexible guy who can handle having his routine changed, but you
can still sort of get where he's coming from. Blanche doesn't respect him as the head of
the house, and she's trying to turn his wife against him. She acts like a tyrant queen
instead of a thankful guest with nowhere else to stay. She's a bit of a house guest from
hell. She considers his home a dump, she criticizes him personally and calls him an ape,
insinuates that he is completely uncultured, is racist and classist against him, acts like he
doesn't love his wife, drinks a ton of his alcohol and lies about it, hogs the bathroom, and
tries to get his wife to leave him repeatedly.

Stanley and His Friends

Another structured, routine aspect of Stanley's life is the time he spends with his male
friends. He's used to having poker nights and going bowling with his buddies. But when
Blanche shows up, she interferes with this aspect of his life as well. She tries to get his
friends' attention while they're playing poker, and flirts with Mitch. She turns on her music
when Stanley just wants to focus on his hand of cards. All of this drives him nuts until he
tosses the radio out the window and hits his wife.

Stanley and His Romantic Relationship With Stella

Stanley sees his sexual relationship with his wife to be one of the most important aspects
of their marriage. Although Stella and Stanley fight, their physical relationship is the way
that they make up and forgive each other. Stella herself realizes that their sex life helps
them smooth out their marriage; she says to Blanche, “there are things that happen
between a man and a woman in the dark – that sort of make everything else seem –
unimportant” (4.103). So essentially, Stanley's way of showing his wife that he loves her
tends to happen through sex.

Not surprisingly, since they have a two-room apartment (we're talking a kitchen and a
bedroom), when Blanche shows up, Stanley and Stella's sex life suffers, and their
mechanism for maintaining the peace in their relationship is disrupted. After fighting with
Stella about Blanche, Stanley talks about how he wants their relationship to simply go
back to normal:

STANLEY:
Stell, it's gonna be all right after she [Blanche] goes and after you've had the baby. It's
gonna be all right again between you and me the way it was. You remember that way
that it was? Them nights we had together? God, honey, it's gonna be sweet when we can
make noise in the night the way that we used to and get the colored lights going with
nobody's sister behind the curtains to hear us!" (8.55)
Basically, Stanley sees his marriage as suffering because with the sister-in-law in town,
he can't relate to his wife the way he normally does.

Stanley and Sex

We know that sex is important to Stanley in his marriage, but even outside of his
marriage, he basically relates to seemingly all women on a sexual level. Williams gives
us some good descriptions of Stanley in his stage directions. For example, “since earliest
manhood the center of [Stanley's] life has been pleasure with women.” And check this
out: “He sizes women up at a glance, with sexual classifications, crude images flashing
into his mind and determining the way he smiles at them.”

Stanley's strong sexuality is a parallel to Blanche's. Both have a hard time relating to the
opposite sex in anything but a sexual way, even when it's inappropriate to do so. From
the moment Blanche steps into his house, Stanley and Blanche have some serious
sexual tension going on – he's taking off his shirt, she's flirting with him. It's all just bad
news. It's especially bad news when we realize that Stanley uses his sexuality and
aggression to assert his dominance in his household, and Blanche seeks comfort when
she's feeling bad through sexual interactions (think of her “depend[ing] on the kindness of
[male] strangers” (11.123)). As a result, we get an explosive situation in which Stanley
ends up raping Blanche.

Stanley's Soft Side

Yes, indeed, Stanley, has a softer side. The complete turn-around he pulls in Scene
Three from a raging, abusive drunk to a tender, loving husband certainly leaves our
heads spinning. “My baby doll’s left me!” he cries, and “breaks into sobs” (3.189). When
he and Stella reunite at the bottom of the stairs, it’s a touching and incredibly tender
moment. As Stella tells Blanche the next day, “He was as good as a lamb when I came
back, and he’s really very, very ashamed of himself” (4.16).

This duality makes Stanley a tough nut to crack. We can't stand him for hitting his wife,
then we feel bad for him when Blanche treats him like an ape, and then we hate him
when he rapes Blanche.

What’s so interesting is the opposite way these characteristics are interpreted by the two
sisters. Blanche makes her opinion pretty clear in a long passage in Scene Four which
we distill here for you:

BLANCHE
He acts like an animal, has an animal’s habits! […] There’s even something — sub-
human — something not quite to the stage of humanity yet! Yes, something — ape-like
about him […] Bearing the raw meat home from the kill in the jungle! […] Maybe he’ll
strike you or maybe grunt and kiss you! (4.118)

Wow, Blanche isn't shy about telling us what she thinks. Stella, on the other hand, finds
him to be, well, kind of hot. Or, as she says of his violent foreplay, "I was – sort of –
thrilled by it” (4.22).

Stanley the American

Adding to this already messy situation is the social commentary Williams makes through
his antagonist. Many critics have pointed out that Stanley is part of a new America, one
comprised of immigrants of all races with equal opportunity for all. Blanche, however, is
clinging to a dying social system of “aristocrats” and “working class” that is no longer
applicable in the 1940s. Modern readers especially tend to side with the more liberal idea
that merit, and not ancestry, makes us who we are. Blanche loses points for being
prejudiced, and Stanley garners some favor for being the classic “pulled up by his
bootstraps” hard-working American.

STELLA KOWALSKI

Character Analysis
Stella is the mediating point between Blanche and Stanley. In many ways, we can
interpret the conflict between Stanley and Blanche as a territorial battle over who gets
Stella’s love and affection. Nowhere is this more clear than in Scene Four, when Blanche
rails against Stanley in what is essentially a scene-long tirade while he stands outside
(for the latter half, anyway) and listens in. When he finally enters, “Stella […] embrace[s]
him with both arms, fiercely, and full in the view of Blanche. He laughs and clasps her
head to him. Over her head he grins through the curtains at Blanche” (4.126). And round
one of the battle goes to Stanley.

But the fight is far from over. Stella comes to her sister’s defense against her husband
time and time again, starting with his accusation of a “swindle” in Scene Two and
continuing as he uncovers more and more information about Blanche's past in Laurel.
Stella remains firmly on her sister’s side, refusing to believe these stories even in the
face of overwhelming evidence. “You didn’t know Blanche as a girl,” she argues.
“Nobody, nobody, was tender and trusting as she was” (8.50).

This is what we most have to remember about Stella – that she knew Blanche when they
were both girls. It goes a long way in helping us understand her loyalty and kindness to
her sister. However, it makes it considerably more difficult for us to understand her
decision at the end of the play to disbelieve her sister, send her off to a mental institution,
and side with Stanley. So what does Stella possibly use to justify her decision?

“I couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley.” (11.24)

Interesting! Stella says she can’t believe the story if she wants to go on living with
Stanley. She doesn’t say that she thinks Blanche is lying; rather she’s
consciouslychoosing to think Blanche is lying so her life can continue without interruption.
Does this sound like self-delusion? A retreat into a world of fantasy in order to avoid
dealing with reality? Does this sound like (gasp!) the very same thing Blanche is doing?

On the one hand, this is pretty awful on Stella’s part. She has good reason to suspect
that her husband raped Blanche and drove her over the edge to insanity, but she’s
pretending it never happened. On the other hand, Stella really doesn’t have another
option. (Even more interesting is the fact that Blanche used this same argument to
defend her own self-delusion.) Or, as Stella's neighbor Eunice says, “Don’t ever believe
it. Life has got to go on. No matter what happens, you’ve got to keep on going” (11.25).

This line in particular is fascinating because it so much sounds like survival instinct.
These words, “survival” and “instinct,” should ring a bell with you. They should send you
back to Blanche’s tirade against Stanley in Scene Four, when she tells her sister that
Stanley represents ape-like primitivity, the law of the jungle, and that Stella should move
forward and progress with the world out of sub-human darkness. She begs her sister,
“Don’t hang back with the brutes!” (4.118). In fact, by obeying a primitive survival instinct
instead of considering morality or loyalty or even logic, Stella has done just that. She
hangs back with the brutes not just by staying with Stanley, but by catering to the animal
impulse of survival over all else.

MITCH

Character Analysis
Mitch and Blanche are an example of a co-dependent relationship that is founded on
mutual loneliness and the desire to be with someone – anyone – to distract themselves
from previously suffered emotional damage. The only reason these two are together at all
is out of mutual need. Or, as Mitch says, “You need somebody. And I need somebody,
too. Could it be — you and me, Blanche?” (6.121).

Mitch might have his own reasons for liking Blanche, but we have a hard time believing
that she harbors any real feelings for him. When they meet, it’s clear that she has to carry
the conversation entirely herself. Mitch is a bit slow, definitely awkward, and way
inexperienced with women. This is in part why it’s so easy for Blanche to manipulate him.

The big tip-off as to Blanche’s real motives comes when Stella asks her, “Do you
wanthim?” and she replies, “I want to rest! I want to breathe quietly again! Yes—
I wantMitch…very badly! Just think! If it happens! I can leave here and not be anyone’s
problem…” (5.86-7). It’s more about what Mitch can do for her than who Mitch actually is.
And it’s more about being married at all than it is about having him in particular as a
husband.
ANALYSIS

SYMBOLISM, IMAGERY, ALLEGORY

LIGHTS & THE PAPER LANTERN

Blanche makes a big deal out of never being seen in direct light. She uses a paper
lantern like a shield to block out the strong light of the naked bulb in the Kowalski
apartment. The obvious conclusion is that she’s getting older and doesn’t want anyone –
particularly Mitch – to see that she’s no longer a girl of sixteen. Actually, Mitch says it
best: "I don’t think I ever seen you in the light. That’s a fact! [..] You never want to go out
in the afternoon. […] You never want to go out till after six and then it’s always some
place that’s not lighted much. […] What it means is I’ve never had a real good look at
you" (9.28-36).

Of course, if you want to get fancy, you might argue that Blanche is hiding more than just
the fine lines around her mouth. We know that she’s ashamed of her behavior in Laurel
and desperate to hide her past from Mitch. Is it possible that she’s manifesting this desire
to hide in a physical way? Probably.

We get another layer of meaning to this lights business when Blanche discusses her
former husband, Allan. She describes falling in love as though "you suddenly turned a
blinding light on something that had always been half in shadow, that’s how it struck the
world for me" (6.120). When she caught him with another man, later confronted him, and
discovered his suicide, she claims that "the searchlight which had been turned on the
world was turned off again and never for one moment since has there been any light
that’s stronger than this — kitchen — candle…" (6.120).

In short, what she’s saying is that being in love illuminated the world for her. When her
husband died, the world was in darkness again. What does this have to do with the paper
lantern? Plenty. What we see now is that shielding the harsh light isn’t just about blocking
Blanche from the plain view of the world – it’s also about blocking the world from
Blanche’s eyes. She doesn’t want to see it. She doesn’t want to deal with reality. Does
that sound like a Major Point in Blanche’s character? Good, because it is. (Read her
"Character Analysis" for more.)

Blanche also uses light imagery to describe the benefits of poetry, music, and art – in
contrast to what she considers to be Stanley’s primitive nature. She tells Stella, "There
has been some progress since then! Such things as art—as poetry and music—such
kinds of new light have come into the world since then! […] In this dark march […]don’t —
don’t hang back with the brutes!" (4.118). It’s fitting that things like art and poetry are
described the same way as love for Blanche – as forms of light penetrating the darkness
of the world. Remember, she’s an English teacher, and her idea of love is an incredibly
romanticized, poetic, artful one.

The last prong of this light imagery has to do with Stanley. We couldn’t help but notice
that he describes the sex with his wife as "having them colored lights going" (8.55). He
uses this phrasing twice, actually, which should draw your attention. It’s important that
while light was a form of love for Blanche, it’s innuendo for sex for Stanley. It’s also
important that the lights are colored, which is in contrast to Blanche (whose name means
"white"). See "Tools of Characterization" for more discussion of this color business.

FLOWERS

Remember in "What’s Up With The Title?" when we talk all about the connection
between desire and death in A Streetcar Named Desire? If not, you should check it out.
Flowers are the perfect symbol of this odd pairing of lust and destruction. To start, take a
look at the end of Scene Five, when Mitch brings Blanche roses. He’s using flowers to
court Blanche – desire, right? Now look at Scene Nine, when the Mexican Woman comes
around selling flores para los muertos, or "flowers for the dead." We just went
from desire to death in three scenes using one symbol. As if that weren’t enough, we
have this lovely exchange right here:

STELLA
You are as fresh as a daisy.
BLANCHE
One that’s been picked a few days. (3.33-4)

Stella means to suggest that Blanche is attractive (desire), but Blanche feels as though
she’s past her prime (death).

MUSIC

First of all, if you read your stage directions carefully you'll notice that Williams uses
music to establish the mood of many different scenes in Streetcar. It’s basically like
watching a movie, where the music is fast-paced during a chase scene, tender in a love
scene, etc. But we’re interested more in the specific songs that are used repeatedly as
symbols in the play – starting with the "Varsouviana." Williams mentions the name of this
polka in his stage directions, but Blanche, too, gives its name in Scene Nine. This is
important, since those watching the play instead of reading it don’t have the benefit of
Williams’s commentary. If he wanted the audience to know the tune, he had to place it in
the dialogue of one of his characters.

Now what is this Varsouviana? Why haven’t we heard of it? Well, it’s a polka tune, so
unless you’re into that you likely wouldn’t have encountered this song before. It sounds a
bit like merry-go-round music, which you can imagine is eerie to hear in a Gothic-type
drama on the stage. Or, if you don’t feel like imagining, watch this a man play it on the
accordion on YouTube. Or listen to a 30-second clip on iTunes; there are a few.

Anyway you get the point. It sets the mood of Blanche being unstable and imagining
creepy music that no one else can hear. It also helps when she explains that her
husband killed himself while the Varsouviana Polka was playing. She can’t escape the
guilt of feeling like she caused his suicide. She can’t escape her husband’s death, so she
can’t escape the music, either.

What else have we got for music? How about the song "Paper Moon" that Blanche sings
while she’s in the bathtub in Scene Seven? Just a random ditty? Take a look at the lyrics
before you write it off. These lines – all sung by Blanche – are interwoven with Stanley
and Stella’s argument:
BLANCHE
(singing) "Say, it’s only a paper moon, Sailing over a cardboard sea—But it wouldn’t be
make-believe If you believed in me!
[…]
It’s a Barnum and Bailey world, Just as phony as it can be— But it wouldn’t be make-
believe If you believed in me!
[…]
Without your love,
It’s a honky-tonk parade!
Without your love,
It’s a melody played in a Penny arcade…
[…]
It’s only a paper moon, Just as phony as it can be— But it wouldn’t be make-believe If
you believed in me!
[…]
It’s a Barnum and Bailey world, Just as phony as it can be." (9.30-45)

We-lllll, what do we have here? A world filled with fantasy? Check. Blanche’s complete
dependence on the love of other people? Check. The need for others to join her in self-
delusion and artifice? Check, check, check.

SETTING

The Kowalski apartment and the surrounding neighborhood in

1940s New Orleans
What we know about the atmosphere of setting in Streetcar comes from Williams’s stage
directions. He tells us that us that the area is "poor" but "has a raffish charm." He says
the sky is "a peculiarly tender blue, almost a turquoise, which invests the scene with a
kind of lyricism and gracefully attenuates the atmosphere of decay. […] In this part of
New Orleans, you are practically always just around the corner […] from a tinny piano
being played with the infatuated fluency of brown fingers. […] New Orleans is a
cosmopolitan city where there is a relatively warm and easy intermingling of races"
(Stage Directions, Scene One). Here’s a great image of this mood-setting coloring, by the
way.

This introduction – and particularly its attention to social context – is important for the way
we read Streetcar. Race relations weren’t "easy" everywhere in the 1940s, but it’s
important to establish the atmosphere in this particular setting, especially since Blanche
brings to the Kowalski apartment her prejudices, which prove to be out of time and place.
Class distinctions don’t matter here, which is why Stella and Stanley seem to make a fine
match despite their backgrounds.

As far as the actual physical set-up on the stage, it’s important that we can see the
upstairs, the downstairs, the interior, and the exterior. The play’s action takes spectacular
advantage of the flexibility this offers, whether it be Stanley listening in on his wife and
her sister, Stella walking down the stairs to the waiting arms of her husband, or the way
we get to watch two scenes at once – Blanche flirting with Mitch in the back-room while
the men play poker in the front.
NARRATOR POINT OF VIEW

Who is the narrator, can she or he read minds, and, more

importantly, can we trust her or him?
Though all works of literature present the author’s point of view, they don’t all have a
narrator or a narrative voice that ties together and presents the story. This particular
piece of literature does not have a narrator through whose eyes or voice we learn the
story.

GENRE

Family Drama, Realism, Southern Gothic, Tragedy

A Streetcar Named Desire is actually realism of several different varieties. First you’ve
got Magical Realism, which is a generally realistic setting with some odd fantasy thrown
in. In this case, the fantasy enters the picture when the audience gets to see and hear
some of Blanche’s imagined horrors: shadows on the wall, the eerie polka music
overhead, the sounds of echoing voices. We can also call it Psychological Realism for
these same reasons: at times it portrays reality as it exists in the mind, not as it exists
objectively. Lastly there’s Social Realism, because of the play’s frank treatment of issues
like immigration, class, gender roles, and power plays between women and men.

All that creepy shadows-on-the-wall voices-in-Blanche’s-head stuff that we talked about

also explains the play’s categorization as Southern Gothic. Sure, the "supernatural"
elements of the play turn out to be only in Blanche's imagination, but that’s the case in
many horror movies. Oh, and Streetcar is a great portrait of social issues in New Orleans
(ahem, the SOUTH) in the 1940s. But you knew that.

Lastly, there’s PLENTY of drama to go around in these eleven scenes, and, because this
is a play, it’s all expressed through dialogue and action (and OK, fine, through Williams’s
indulgent stage directions). Family factors in big-time to all the dramatic goings-on, from
Blanche and Stanley (brother and sister-in-law) to Stanley and Stella (husband and wife)
to Stella and Blanche (sisters).

TONE

Sympathetic
What we’re getting at here in our discussion of "Tone" is Williams’s attitude toward his
protagonist, Blanche DuBois. We admit that Blanche comes off as quite silly for a good
chunk of the text (spraying Stanley with her perfume, flirting with the men at the poker
table), but it’s actually more tear-jerking than laughable. We feel bad for her – and
probably embarrassed on her behalf. The rape in Scene Ten and the broken-down
Blanche in Scene Eleven is what really drives the point home, and what convinces us
that the play takes a sympathetic approach – not a ridiculing one – to this fading
Southern belle.

WRITING STYLE

Lyrical, Potent
Williams’s style comes across best in his stage directions, with lines like this one: "You
can almost feel the warm breath of the brown river beyond the river warehouses with
their faint redolences of bananas and coffee." He doesn’t hold back. He also brilliantly
strikes at the heart of his characters with such potent descriptions as this one of Stanley:
"The gaudy seed-bearer, […] he sizes women up at a glance, with sexual classifications,
crude images flashing into his mind and determining the way he looks at them." Single
lines carry enormous weight in helping us understand the characters we see on the
stage. In other words, this prose packs a punch.

WHAT’S UP WITH THE TITLE?

Let’s start with the literal meaning of the title. There is an actual streetcar named “Desire”
that Blanche takes on her way to the Kowalskis’. She mentions it twice. First, in Scene
One, she tells Eunice that “they told [her] to take a street-car named Desire, and then
transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at—Elysian Fields!”
(1.16). Later, she berates Stella for her obsession with Stanley and mentions the
streetcar again. Take a look:

BLANCHE
What you are talking about is brutal desire—just—Desire! The name of that rattle-trap
street-car that bangs through the Quarter, up one old narrow street and down
another…STELLA
Haven’t you ever ridden on that street-car?
BLANCHE
It brought me here. (4.104-106)

Which brings us nicely into our discussion of the metaphorical meaning of the title.
Blanche is literally brought to the Kowalski place by “Desire,” but she is also brought
there by desire; her sexual escapades in Laurel ruined her reputation and drove her out
of town. Now, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen sex do destructive things in Williams’s
play. In fact, go back to Blanche’s first reference to the streetcar that we opened this
discussion with. Desire, then Cemeteries, then Elysian Fields. Sex, death, the afterlife.
It’s like a linear progression. Sex leads to death, or at least some heavy-duty wreckage.
Don’t believe us? Here are a few examples:

1. Blanche claims that her ancestors’ “epic fornications” led to the squandering of
the family fortune and the eventual loss of Belle Reve.
2. Blanche’s own good reputation meets its end at the hand of her epic fornications
in the Flamingo Hotel.
 3. After Blanche had an affair with a high school student of hers, her boss, a Mr.
GRAVES, fired her.
4. When Blanche’s former husband was found having sex with another man, he
killed himself out of shame.
5. And The Big One: Stanley’s rape of Blanche (a sexual act) kills what’s left of her
sanity.

Blanche herself seems to recognize some sort of connection here with this line, one that
is key to understanding the role that desire plays in Streetcar: “Death […], death was as
close as you are. […] The opposite is desire” (9.69-71). Blanche is somehow under the
impression that sex is her escape from death. She turned to sex to comfort herself after
her husband died, and after her relatives passed away one by one. Unfortunately, as we
already know, Desire leads to Cemeteries leads to the Elysian Fields. Blanche has
actually gotten herself into a vicious cycle. Something dies, so she turns to sex, which
causes something else to die, which makes her turn to sex, and on and on...

WHAT’S UP WITH THE EPIGRAPH

Epigraphs are like little appetizers to the great entrée of a

story. They illuminate important aspects of the story, and they
get us headed in the right direction.
And so it was I entered the broken world
To trace the visionary company of love, its voice
An instant in the wind (I know not whither hurled)
But not for long to hold each desperate choice.
– “The Broken Tower” by Hart Crane

Williams was a great admirer of the poet Hart Crane, and one thing both writers had in
common was their love of metaphor. Perhaps “The Broken Tower” acts as a sort of
metaphor for the poetic mood and themes of love and loss that Williams wanted to bring
out in Streetcar. The start of the epigraph brings to mind Blanche’s journey into New
Orleans, to her a “broken world.” It also captures the fleeting nature of love, which for
Blanche was only “an instant in the wind” (remember the boy that died?). As for the
epigraph’s ending, it’s cryptic, but it certainly seems that desperate choices are made
throughout Streetcar, right? So why not lead in with a note of desperation? It’s certainly
dramatic.

WHAT’S UP WITH THE ENDING?

The ending to A Streetcar Named Desire is all about cruel and tragic irony. Blanche is
shipped off to a mental institution because she can’t deal with reality and retreats into
illusion – yet Stella is doing the very same thing by ignoring her sister’s story about
Stanley. (See Stella’s “Character Analysis” for lots more.) Blanche, who always insisted
that she “[doesn’t] tell the truth, [but rather] what ought to be truth,” has actually come
clean about reality for the first time (by revealing that Stanley raped her). But no one
believes her.

Blanche’s final and very famous line, “I’ve always depended on the kindness of
strangers,” is yet another example of tragic irony; what she considers “kindness” is only
desire – the attention she gets from “strangers” is generally sexual in nature. (Again, lots
more to say on this in her “Character Analysis.") It’s a fitting ending for a work that
explores cruelty and tragedy to such a gut-wrenching degree.

PLOT ANALYSIS

Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients:

the initial situation, conflict, complication, climax, suspense,
denouement, and conclusion. Great writers sometimes shake
up the recipe and add some spice.

Initial Situation
"Meat!"
Yes, that’s right – the early interactions between Stella and her husband constitute the
initial situation of A Streetcar Named Desire. It’s important for us as the reader/audience
to see the status quo of the Kowalski's relationship before Blanche shows up and alters it
for the duration of the play.

Conflict
Blanche arrives; something is up
The immediate physical incongruity of Blanche and her surroundings lets us know that
she isn’t going to fit in well here in New Orleans. Her first conversation with Stella hints at
secrets she’s trying to hide. And her first encounter with Stanley is wrought with tension,
sexual and otherwise. All the news of the loss of Belle Reve doesn’t help, either.

Complication
Blanche’s relationship with Stanley grows more and more antagonistic,
especially as Stanley learns more about Blanche's past in Laurel.
Blanche and Stanley's relationship grows more and more difficult, with Blanche
constantly insulting him, and Stanley becoming more angry and aggressive. Stanley also
learns about Blanche's secret past, which he informs Stella and Mitch of. These multiple,
small complications are what modern writer and essayist John Barth calls "incremental
perturbations" – the water gets muddier bit by bit as the play progresses, and every new
complication adds a layer of intensity and emotional weight to the story.

Climax
Scene Ten – the rape
Did you notice that Stanley says to Blanche, "We’ve had this date with each other from
the beginning!"? We know that 1) Stanley doesn’t like Blanche, 2) he takes out his anger
physically, and 3) he’s practically defined by his sexual aggression. This scene seems
the inevitable result of their increasingly antagonistic relationship.

Suspense
Already happened
In this play, the suspense stage can be found in Scene Ten with the Climax. The
suspense builds as we watch Blanche interact with Stanley, make a frantic phone call,
declare repeatedly that she’s "caught in a trap," and try to run away. Once the rape is
over, we enter Scene Eleven without further suspense.

Denouement
Scene Eleven
With the rape and the birth of Stella and Stanley's child over and done with, the play’s
final scene has "falling action" written all over it. Blanche’s descent into madness is
complete, and we’re now looking at the aftermath to the destruction that took place at the
earlier climax.

Conclusion
Stanley and Stella on the porch together
Stella’s reaction to Blanche’s condition and story regarding her husband, and her
decision to carry on her marriage in spite of it, constitute the play’s conclusion. This is
summed up nicely in the image of her sitting on the porch with her baby in her arms,
accepting comfort from her husband after her sister’s just been carted off to an institution.

Christopher Booker is a scholar who wrote that every story

falls into one of seven basic plot structures: Overcoming the
Monster, Rags to Riches, the Quest, Voyage and Return,
Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. Shmoop explores which of
these structures fits this story like Cinderella’s slipper.

Plot Type : Tragedy

Anticipation Stage
Blanche arrives in New Orleans and meets Mitch
Mitch is the "object of desire" through which Blanche, our protagonist plot, hopes to find
fulfillment. As she settles in at the Kowalski place, her budding romance is her chance for
a better future.

Dream Stage
Blanche gets her hooks into Mitch
It’s clear that Mitch returns Blanche’s feelings, which means the chance of marriage and
escape from her past life is definitely possible.

Frustration Stage
Stanley gets violent – and suspicious
The famous "Stelllahhhhhh!!!!" scene may be hot for Stella, but it’s definitely frustrating
for Blanche, who can’t understand her sister’s desire for the aggressive Stanley. Things
really start to go wrong when Stanley mentions his friend who travels through Laurel,
Blanche's hometown, and heard some bad stuff about Blanche. This threatens her
"dream" of marrying Mitch.

Nightmare Stage
Stanley brings the truth to light; Mitch rejects Blanche
Just when things were going well, right? Actually, things were never going well. Blanche’s
entire relationship with Mitch was always founded upon lies and fantasy, which means
we’ve known this moment was coming from the start.

Destruction or Death Wish Stage

Stanley rapes Blanche
The "destruction" here is not only a physical one, but mental as well. Stanley’s act of
violence is basically the straw that breaks the camel’s back, and he sends Blanche over
the edge. Think of Scene Eleven as the aftermath to this destruction – we see the
devastating effects of the violence.

For a three-act plot analysis, put on your screenwriter’s hat.

Moviemakers know the formula well: at the end of Act One,
the main character is drawn in completely to a conflict. During
Act Two, she is farthest away from her goals. At the end of Act
Three, the story is resolved.

Act I
Blanche arrives in New Orleans, reunites with sister, and meets Stanley. Conflict seems
inevitable as we get a glimpse of Stanley’s violent streak, and of course the Mitch saga
begins. Stella’s pregnancy is revealed as well.

Act II
Tension rises as Stanley grows more and more frustrated with Blanche’s presence. Her
relationship with Mitch is threatened by rumors of her activities in Laurel, and Stanley
rapes Blanche.

Act III
Stella decides to send Blanche to a mental institution. Stanley, predictably, plays some
more poker.

STEAMINESS

Exactly how steamy is this story?

R
Let’s let the tamale-vendor at the end of Scene Two sum this up for us: "RED-HOT!"
Stanley, a.k.a. "the gaudy seed-bearer," is very sexual. Stella is all about the virility
popping out of his veins, and is attracted to his violent streak. Even Blanche experiences
sexual tension with him, and she seems to spend a good amount of the play telling
Stanley not to undress any further in front of her.

Of course, Williams also presents the darker side of sex during the rape scene at the end
of the play. Stella might think the Stanley's aggressive nature is sexy, butStreetcar sides
with the more delicate Blanche in condemning sexual violence.

ALLUSIONS

When authors refer to other great works, people, and events,

it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and
figure out why.

Literature, Philosophy, and Mythology

 • Edgar Allan Poe (1.93, 3.162)
• Edgar Allan Poe, "Ullalume" (1.93)
• Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "How Do I Love Thee?" (3.115)
• Nathaniel Hawthorne (3.162)
• Walt Whitman (3.162)
• One Thousand and One Arabian Nights (5.116)

Pop Culture
• Vincent van Gogh (opening stage directions, Scene Three)
• Xavier Cugat (3.94)
• The Mills Brothers, "Paper Doll" (3.188 stage directions)
• Richard Strauss, Der Rosenkavalier (5.117)
• Mae West (opening stage directions, Scene Six)
• Ella Fitzgerald, "It’s Only a Paper Moon"
• Huey Long (8.14)
• The Varsouviana Polka (Music used throughout scenes nine through eleven)