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A Streetcar Named Desire
Background Information
Tennessee Williams
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1911 - 1983
Had a difficult childhood, was able to use these experiences in his writing
His dad was a heavy drinker which mentally scarred Williams
His mother was mentally ill and so he lived with his grandparents for a short period
of time
Moved 17 times in 10 years during his childhood
Went to uni to study journalism
Before tennessee completed degree, father forced him to withdraw from college
because he had failed a military course
Went back to Washington University - meanwhile sister had mental illness and had
surgery, but was put in a mental institute for the rest of her life - led him to
depression
Then went to Iowa after depression and finally graduated in 1938
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Unacceptable at the time- feminine tendencies since childhood
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During an
alcoholic episode, died by choking on medicine bottle cap in 1983
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He uses his experiences so as to
universalize them through the means of the stage
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Tennessee Williams was born Thomas Lanier Williams in Columbus, Mississippi
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His father was a loud, outgoing,
hard-drinking, boisterous man who bordered on the vulgar, at least as far as the young,

sensitive Tennessee Williams was concerned
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Tennessee was himself a rather delicate child who was plagued with several
serious childhood diseases which kept him from attending regular school
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His maternal grandfather was an Episcopal rector, apparently a rather liberal and
progressive individual
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Perhaps because his early life was spent in an atmosphere of genteel culture, the greatest
shock to Williams was the move his family made when he was about twelve
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Louis and moved the family from the expansive
Episcopal home in the South to an ugly tenement building in St
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Their cramped
apartment and the ugliness of the city life seemed to make a lasting impression on the
boy
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Likewise, his father, who had been a traveling salesman, was suddenly
at home most of the time
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Louis that Williams' slightly older sister, Rose, began to cease to develop
as a person and failed to cross over the barrier from childhood to adulthood
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Eventually, she had to be placed in an institution
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The description of Laura's room, just across the alley from the Paradise Dance
Club, is also a description of his sister's room
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And both were seen by Williams as being shy,
quiet, but lovely girls who were not able to cope with the modern world
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At the university he began to write more and discovered alcohol as a
cure for his over-sensitive shyness
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He worked there for two years; he later classified this time as the most
miserable two years of his life
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After two years of working all day
and writing all night, he had a nervous breakdown and went to Memphis, Tennessee, to
recuperate with his grandfather, who had moved there after retirement
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In fact, Tennessee gave this character his own first name, Tom
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After his rest in Memphis, he
returned to the university (Washington University in St
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Here he wrote and had some of his earlier works
produced
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After leaving Iowa, he drifted around the country, picking up
odd jobs and collecting experiences until he received a Rockefeller Fellowship in 1940
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The
in
Williams has used his early life in most of his plays
...
In Stanley Kowalski, we see many of the rough, poker-playing, manly
qualities that his own father possessed
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In Tom Wingfield, we find again the struggles and aspirations
of the writer himself re-echoed in literary form
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Tennessee Williams' plays are still controversial
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Scene One
● Initial description of New Orleans - Williams creates a sense of charm about the
slums, emphasising the juxtaposition of the decaying city with the vivaciousness of
the people who fill it
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Ironic as the setting is nowhere near like that
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Shows the two races coming
together after WWII
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(I’ll throw u the meat huehue)
● Stella quite submissive to her husband even though socially she is above him
● Blanche stands out from her surroundings and her peers - ​
‘daintily dressed’​
,​
‘white
suit’​

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● ‘They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, and then transfer to one called
Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at--Elysian Fields!’​
connotations of the
stops - desire foreshadows later into the play, and cemeteries implies death
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Blanches journey to Stanley and Stella’s and all the
events that take place there lead to her demise: Her downfall from a

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culturally refined Southern belle living in a plantation to being mentally ill
and sleeping in a cot in a one bedroom apartment in a lower class area
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’​ show the melancholic atmosphere conveyed by
Blue
Blanche’s dismay, outside areas are dim, possibly showing how she is outside of her
comfort zone
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She used to live on a plantation - references to slavery
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Implies when they were together as a family
her parents favoured Stella so created the endearment
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Blanche is attracted to Stella - sees
her as symbol of hope
● Throughout this passage she asks Stella to focus on her appearance, to distract her
from noticing her mental instability
● Shows her privilege and ignorance of poverty when she criticises the house, despite
the fact that she is clearly having to rely upon Blanche
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Stella has put weight on whereas Blanche has not gained an ounce, as
if it is some kind of competition
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The summer Dad died and you left us
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Possibly blames her sister for things that have gone wrong in her own life?
● Stella always submitting to those around her - Stanley’s more rugged power play
and Blanche who bases her control around words and verbal contempt
● Blanche relies heavily on others for her own self esteem, despite trying to appear
confident and independent
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Without her vanity she has nothing
● Confusion between Irish people and Polish people, clearly finds it difficult to
distinguish between people
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● Can’t stay in a hotel both because she can’t afford it but also because she can’t be
alone - clearly very mentally unstable and dependent on other people
...
’
● Blanche changes the subject when they begin to discuss something she doesn’t
want to talk about, eg her mental health
● Clearly hasn’t had any close relationships in her life, been alone for a long time “​
I
guess that is what is meant by being in love
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○ Just come back from the army - possibly explains his crude and violent
nature
○ ‘A different species’ ​ the men they used to go out with
from

● Blanche makes it very clear that she blames Stella for the loss of the house, refuses
to accept any of the responsibility
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The music of the "blue piano" grows louder
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with your Polack!” ​the first time we
“I
is
truly see her mental state - whereas her previous dialogue with Stella is shallow
and about her appearance, we see how disturbed and emotionally vulnerable she
really is
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○ Blanche has witnessed death first hand on a number of occasions, which
shows why she might be the way she is
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Clearly anyone
who describes a funeral as pretty has not experienced much beauty within
their life
● The sexual connotations throughout the play and even within the title are
subverted into an insult against Stella - she makes her feel guilty about being ​
‘In
bed with your--Polack!’​
whilst she watched their old life decay
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Could also be referring to soldiers resorting to alcoholism
after experiencing trauma
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● Willingness to undress in front of Blanche shows how he is not intimidated by her
and is generally quite open - lack of value for his relationship

● Every time the cat screeches Blanche jumps - shows she is on edge and generally
quite a nervous person
● We learn that Blanche has had a husband
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● Stanley’s lack of respect, social class and quite rough and brutal nature is shown
when he goes through Blanche’s possessions without any care
○ “stalks into bedroom
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everything he does is physical and aggressive
● ‘I got an acquaintance who deals in this sort of merchandise’​
Pretending that he has
many connections and a high social status even when the reality is very different
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● ‘Since when do you give me orders?’ ​
Stanley is only being asked to leave the room
whilst his wife’s sister dresses, which shouldn’t be a difficult request
● Flirtation between Blanche and Stanley
○ Foreshadows later revelations about Blanche’s past as well as the plot twist
at the end hehe spoiler alert!!
○ Shows that Blanche is both lonely and lacking in morality, as she is prepared
to flirt with her sister’s husband
● ‘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
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● “Lay
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Also shows that Blanche is not as
fragile and weak as she appears; in many ways she is similar to Stanley - they both
seek control
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● Holds on to the letters as she likes to live in the past - “​ that you’ve touched them
now
I’ll burn them!” ​ thinks that Stanley is impure and tainting her fond memories of
She
the past
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He knows it will have an effect on Blanche so he uses it at the
point the power begins to shift her way (blue music plays louder)
● ‘Yes - I was flirting with your husband, Stella!’ ​
Blanche needs to prove, particularly in
her weakened state, that she can still wield power over men
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Still thinks she can escape her suffering
Scene Three
● Poker - game of chance and powerplay
● Concept behind Van Gogh’s painting - ‘​ my
In
picture of the "Night Café" I have tried to express
the idea that the café is a place where one can
ruin oneself, go mad or commit a crime
...
’
● Bright, uncomfortable light functions to reveal character’s secrets and true
personalities
● Stanley is hugely involved in the game - it’s a way of showing dominance and yet he
has been losing, so it’s essential that they carry on playing until he has won
● Stanley mocks Mitch for caring about his mother, showing how he views Mitch’s
sensitivity and emotions as weaknesses
...
’
● Blanche feels that she is past her prime so therefore requires constant
compliments to restore her self-esteem, particularly as she is just above to enter a
room full of unknown men OOER
● ‘Blanche: Please don’t get up; Stanley: Nobody’s going to get up, so don’t be worried’
Shows Stanley’s lack of respect towards Blanche - she is just trying to be polite and
he throws it back in her face
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Hits her on the thigh, sexual connotations
● When Blanche meets Mitch he is the first character we have met so far treats her
with courtesy and respect
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Stella on the other hand believes it’s Stanley because
for her masculine dominance rather than intelligence is the deciding factor in
success
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● Blanche has been standing in the light, perhaps purposefully, meaning that the men
can see her through the drapes in just her underwear
● The colours associated with the men in the poker night scene are vivid and garish contrasts to the delicate colour of Stella’s “​ blue satin kimono”, ​
light
therefore colour
imagery is used to emphasize masculinity vs
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Stella tries to assert herself - increasingly we see the two in
conflict
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Also the fact that she is
W
’sitting in her ​ silk brassiere’ ​ does not flinch at his gaze shows again her
‘pink
and
flirtatious attitude and lack of respect towards her sister’s marriage
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● ‘And if God choose, I shall love thee better - after death!’ ​ Blanche and Mitch have
Both
clearly lost someone, and this poem is about the everlasting nature of that love
despite death or tragedy
● Blanche makes profound and deep observations about death and mourning, ​
“sick
people have such deep sincere attachments”, “sorrow makes sincerity” ​ they
but
overwhelm Mitch’s simple replies
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Like an orchard in spring!’ ​hite is linked to
W
purity, but the woods almost convey a sense of mystery or unknown, showing how
Blanche’s innocence is rather superficial
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Lies about her age to Mitch because she wants to create a certain image of herself
where she is still innocent and flawless
Wants to cover up the naked light bulb, which is symbolic of how she wants to hide
her real self and the truth about her life
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She craves acceptance
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She dances with ​
‘romantic
gestures’ ​
whereas Mitch dances ​ a dancing bear’​she tries to make him into
‘like
something he’s not, but he is still a brute
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The men don’t seem to care that much about Stanley’s violent nature - afraid to
stand up to him as they don’t take proper action until it Stanley’s hits Stella and it is
necessary - supports Stella’s view that Stanley is ‘superior’
...
)
“poker should not be played in a house with women” ​
refuses to recognize that
Stanley’s abusive nature is the cause of this, rather attributes it to gender
difference
The song ​
“Paper Doll” ​ significance to Blanche as it accurately describes her
has
emotional vulnerability (delicate like paper) and how she is mentally unstable
butalso how she wants to appear as beautiful (like a doll)
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When he
and Stella reunite ​ come together with low, animal moans’​
‘they

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They act on their impulses
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His first action in the play is tossing a
slab of meat to Stella, which gives the audience the first hint of the primitive,
Neanderthal-like nature of his physicality—the hunter has returned home to
provide for his family
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She cannot understand how Stella is
able to love someone who hurts her so much, or how Stanley can beat his wife then
howl after her only moments later
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The sensitivity and the quietness of Blanche and Mitch
emphasize the delicate basis of their relationship
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However, the word ​
‘narcotized’ ​
implies that this is as a
result of a drug, showing that the domestic felicity of their relationship is a ruse
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● Blanche’s appearance ​
‘entirely contrasts with Stella’s
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● We see Blanche being truly caring for her sister - she does not ask for reassurances
on her appearance despite the fact she has not slept or put any effort into looking
polished
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● ‘on our wedding night … he smashed all the light-bulbs with the heel of my slipper!’
○ Stella is attracted / gets a thrill from Stanley’s physicality and dominance
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Furthermore,
Blanche is trying her best to fix her situation
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I think of money in terms of what it does for
you’ ​
Blanche isn’t concerned with wealth, she’s concerned with appearing wealthy
● Blanche fails to call Shep Huntleigh because she can’t admit that they have fallen
from grace
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● ‘[Stanley] gave me ten dollars to smooth things over’ ​
Stanley and Stella’s relationship is
based on sex and bribery
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Stella is likened to a prostitute
● ‘Sometime today I’ve got to get hold of a bromo!’ ​
Bromo is a painkiller
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● ‘the only way to live with such a man is to - go to bed with him! And that’s your job - not
mine!’ ​
foreshadowing the later action of the plot
● Blanche portrays Stanley as a savage and a brute
...
​
‘sub-human … survivor of the Stone Age! Bearing the raw
meat home from the kill in the jungle!’ ​
Highlights why she believes Mitch is the
superior character when she talks about ​
‘poetry and music’ ​ ​
and ‘tenderer feelings’
● Stanley is usually an impulsive, irrational and openly violent character
...


Scene Five Summary
Stella walks into the apartment to find Blanche writing a letter to Shep, telling him she’s
thinking of popping down
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Eunice goes to
the pub and her husband comes downstair with a bruise (role reversal?)
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Stanley asks Blanche if she has ever met a man called Shaw at Hotel
Flamingo, which makes Blanche very uncomfortable
...
She has a whiskey and coke and then they
discuss her relationship with Mitch
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A paper boy comes and Blanche probably freaks him out a bit cause she’s got
major issues tbh
...

Scene Five Analysis
● Blanche fans herself with a palm leaf, which has quite regal connotations
...
It is also similar to how Blanche’s own life was suddenly and
brutally disrupted
● Eunice shows strength against her husband when she threatens to call the police
because he has hit her
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She is trying to block out the fact
that the world around her is not as she believes it to be
...
Perhaps she romanticizes this
violence because she uses it as a source of escapism

● Stella: ​ she got the police?” ​
“Has
Stanley: ​
“Naw
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… I’m compiling a notebook of quaint little words
and phrases I’ve picked up here’ ​
Shows her disillusionment - as if this whole stage of
her life isn’t real, or is some kind of joke
...
She treats it as a temporary visit that she
has volunteered to go on, rather than something which she has been forced to do
...
Blanche patronises Stanley by saying five hundred is a ​
‘mighty
high number’ ​
however he retaliates ​ jerks open the bureau drawer, slams it shut,
‘he
and throws shoes in a corner’
...
“​
Blanche winces slightly” ​
demonstrating fear and loss of power to him as in
previous scenes, she would stare back at Stanley, unafraid
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Goats symbolize virility and strong sex
drive, obviously fitting with Stanley’s character
○ Blanche uses his star sign as an insult ‘​
Capricorn - the goat!’ ​
emphasising
how she believes he is inhuman
● Blanche is virgo, the sign of the virgin
...

● Shows the beginning of Blanche’s life and fantasy world unravelling, as Stanley asks
her about a man named Shaw from her past
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Very paranoid
...
’
● Blanche speaks in a very euphemistic manner, glossing over certain things and
using romantic language leaving it open to interpretation
...

● Refers herself to a butterfly - beautiful yet vulnerable and delicate, don’t live more
than 12 months and move around a lot
...


● ‘the soft people have got to - shimmer and glow - put a - paper lantern over the light …
I don’t know how much longer I can turn the trick’ ​
Shows how Blanche is trying to
deceive people - the paper lantern was not a show of class but a way of softening
the light
...
Paper is also translucent, so despite her best attempts to put on
this facade Stanley can see right through her
...
she curtsies low” ​
he
bowing and curtseying as if she is living in a fairytale
world - she is delusional
● Mitch gives in to Blanche’s strange demands - he’s humouring her or wants to win
her over any way possible?
Scene Six Summary
Mitch and Blanche return at 2am from an amusement park but looks like they’ve had a pretty
shit time
...
Blanche invites Mitch inside
...
Turns out
Mitch is a bit of a sweaty geezer but Blanche takes his coat off anyway cause she’s horny af
...
Blanche pretends she’s not a sexual deviant and tells Mitch
to back off? Blanche tries to find out if Stanley’s talked about her to Mitch, turns out he doesn’t
really
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Instead of telling him about her age, she tells him about her ‘love lost’
...
Polka music in the background as she tells story
...
She starts crying but in a kind of like relief way?? And
then she’s like ‘Sometimes - there’s God - so quickly!’ which is awkies bc she doesn’t know
what’s coming
Scene Six Analysis
● “it is about two a
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the same night
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Time is significant - she’s fading in the twilight of her years
...
She says that ​ girl has to keep a firm hold on her emotions” ​ does not
“a
and
want to have sex with Mitch, but as evidenced in previous scenes Blanche does not
try to keep a firm hold on her emotions, and is notorious for sleeping around
...
Blanche wants to present to people

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around her that she acts within the bounds of what she sees as social propriety, but
when noone is there she is free to do whatever she wants
...

Mitch and Blanche share the same feeling of loneliness, which is why they’re
attracted to each other
...

“I’m lighting a candle” ​
gives an atmosphere of intimacy but is also a soft source of
light, so doesn’t harshly expose Blanche’s physical flaws
...

○ Blanche says she wants to be ‘Dame aux Camellias’ and Mitch to be
‘Armand’
...
It also foreshadows the fact
that they will eventually break up, as in the book Armand’s father convinces
the Dame to leave Armand because the scandal will affect her sister
○ She tries to mask the vulgarity of what she’s saying by romanticizing it, using
the language of love
...

Mitch is not portrayed as an attractive character and talks about his physical flaws
openly - ​am ashamed of the way I perspire
...
” ​ fact that
“I
The
Blanche is trying to seduce him shows she has become desperate now, and Mitch is
her last chance
...
She pretends to be naive when actually she is quite sexually
experienced - this is why she rolls her eyes in the darkness when Mitch
cannot see after she states she has ​
“old-fashioned ideals”
Mitch tells Blanche to ​ me a slap whenever I step out of bounds” ​
“give
- teasing her, the
couple are clearly very tactile with each other
...
Role reversal also takes
place as the relationships in the play show the men hitting the women
...
” ​
Blanche wants to antagonize Stanley to Mitch to turn him
against Stanley, she he can protect her from him
...
However,
the other characters are blinded by their judgement and do not see Stanley’s
behaviour as a problem
...

● Blanche reveals the truth about her past for the first time about her dead husband,
the audience begin to feel sympathetic towards her
...

● Reveals the significance of the Varsouviana Polka and why it is always present when
Blanche is feeling particularly emotional - her husband shot himself when the
casino was playing the polka
...

● The tune fades out indicating how the presence of Mitch does improve her mental
state, even if this is superficial as she not actually in love with him
...


Scene Seven Summary
Skip to the good bit (aka mid September)
...

Stanley’s clearly fed up of Blanche’s behaviour, and he’s been finding out some proper beef
about her
...
Also that she got fired from her school for having sex with a
pupil
...
She tells Stanley some of the stuff might be true, because Blanche
was always a bit ‘flighty’ at home but then she tells him about the gay marriage
...
He’s also going to kick Blanche out on Tuesday
...
Symbolises decay and decline from the high point of the
year
● The birthday decorations for blanch suggest a time of celebration, which contrasts
with the scenes events
...
Very symbolic of
Blanche - she has created an idea of herself that will be authenticated by the
approval of Mitch
...

● Stanley reveals Blanche was fired from her school because ​seventeen year old
‘a
boys- she’d gotten mixed up with!’
...

● Blanche’s singing becomes more frequent as the drama increases
● ‘​
I don’t to hear any mor​- Stella would rather be ignorant and in denial - reflects
e’
her relationship with Stanley
● ‘​
I hate to tell you​ clearly enjoying it
’● ‘​
frolicking, a child​ innocent
’● Blanche’s offer to Stella to bathe shows how she uses it as a treatment and way to
make things better
● Stella ​
‘Automatically she starts sticking little pink candles in the birthday cake’ ​ is
She
desperate to be ignorant and in denial, or justify Blanche’s actions, so begins to put
the candles in the cake when she is clearly attempting to cover these revelations
with happiness and celebration
● Stanley attempts to justify his telling Mitch by talking about their friendship, but it
was clearly an action of spite
● Stanley says Blanche’s ​
“future is mapped out for her” ​
which foreshadows later events
in the play but also could suggest that women like Blanche in that society are
common and the same thing happens to all of them - their downfall
...
You know that, don’t you? Just to make
sure I bought her ticket myself
...
His words, moves and actions are forceful and decisive
...

● Blanche is mainly kept out of this scene, much like all the action crucial to the
play’s plot-line and ending has happened off-stage, in the past
...

○ Everyone knows the truth about Blanche now
...

Scene Eight Summary
45 mins later at dusk
...
Blanche asks Stanley to make a joke and says it's the first time she’s ever been stood
up
...
Blanche tells a shitty story about a parrot and thinks it’s bare
hilar, Stella pretends to laugh but Stanley just doesn’t give a fuck
...
Makes it clear that he is the ‘king’ and throws more stuff on the floor
...
While Blanche tries to call Mitch, Stanley says how it’s all going to be better
when Blanche leaves cause they can have sensational sex again
...

Stanley gives Blanche a birthday present which is a ticket back to Laurel, which is a bit of a
shitty present cause Blanche then goes and throws up in the bathroom
...
Stanley
goes on about how they were happy before Blanche turned up but he has to stop because Stella
needs to go into hospital
...

Scene Eight Analysis
● Dusk = descent into the night, fear etc
...

● Fourth place at the table is set but left vacant, which emphasises Mitch’s absence
and the trouble this has caused
● Blanche tries to cover up the sadness of the situation with laughter ‘​
Stanley, tell us a
joke’ ​
- always trying to keep up appearances and make light of her own failures
● The hectic music fades as she begins to tell a story - although this could be to show
that her mental state is calming down, it is more likely to highlight the awkward
silence created by her rather boring joke
● The parrot story is designed to make a dig at Stanley, because they both repeat
curses and are seen as vulgar
...

Foreshadows the later plot because he blames all of his problems on Blanche
...

○ Stanley feels threatened by the fact that Blanche feel she is mentally superior
to him, and so uses his physical superiority to prove this is not the case
● Stella’s weak crying reflects her character when it comes to Stanley - she has little
power to fight him
● Stanley ​
‘stalks’ ​ on the porch - more animalistic characterisation
out
● ‘The Negro entertainers around the corner are heard’ ​
contrasts with the misery of
their situation
● Stella ​
‘shakes her head helplessly’ ​ speaks ​
and
‘miserably’ ​
shows how she has no
control over the situation
...
She is upset about the fact that the
person she loves is the cause of so much pain in her sister’s life, but she loves him
too much to leave him and cannot dominate him
...

● Stanley believes that all of the problems in his relationship are the fault of Blanche
because she is a convenient scapegoat - her arrival highlighted his flaws, but he
cannot accept this and so instead blames it on the very fact of her arrival
...

● ‘Coloured lights going’ ​Stanley’s sexual innuendo
...

● ‘I hope that his eyes are going to be like candles, like two blue candles lighted in a white
cake!’ ​
Thinking of her husband, as his eyes were blue and she connects him to hope
and love
● ‘His Auntie knows candles aren’t safe, that candles burn out in little boys’ and girls’ eyes’
talking about how her life will fade
...
She says that Stanley does
not have a nerve in his body, reflecting how she feels he is emotionless
● Stanley resents being called a ‘Polack’ because then he would be regarded as a
second class citizen
...

● Stanley uses the phone call to show Blanche that he is superior
...
He requires the recognition of everyone because his
pride has been hurt by Blanche
● Blanche rejects Stella’s sympathy because she needs to appear in control of the
situation
...
​
‘Sister Blanche’ ​
could be a jeer at her feigned
innocence (connotations of a nun)
● Blanche wants to forget the birthday because she knows that each year she fades
more
...
This not only
creates an eerie atmosphere but it takes Blanche back to the worst moment of her
life, when her husband tried to kill himself
...
She tries to keep up her facade but this time she cannot manage it
...
Nobody, nobody, was tender and trusting as she was
...
’ ​
Reflects Blanche’s character - although she can be
incredibly vain, she is extremely caring towards her sister after the poker night
incident, and she is just looking for someone to care
...

The brilliant colour of the shirt reflects how he’s thriving from the situation - he
enjoys Blanche’s misery, and the fact that he has established his control
● ‘​ common as dirt
...
Furthers his characterisation; he brings other people
down in order to be better than them
● Stella goes silent just after Stanley has said ‘​ wasn’t we happy together’​
And
, showing
that perhaps they never truly were happy
...
The song
she sings translates as ‘corn bread, corn bread, unsalted corn bread’ again
demonstrates her impending insanity
...
Mitch comes in and
the polka tune stops, and she tries to hide the bottle
...
She pretends to search for the
bottle that she literally JUST hid but Mitch doesn’t want any and he tells her she should lay off
it
...
Blanche tells the truth (turns out it was the Tarantula Arms not
the Flamingo Hotel which u know is a bit more appropriate because she’s a spider they’re the
flies, web of lies etc ooer tennessee getting very deep here)
...
Mitch wants sex but she’s like ‘only after marriage!!!!’
Scene Nine Analysis
● Blanche wearing a scarlet satin robe symbolising how she is dangerous to men,
trying to be sexually arousing
● Mitch’s appearance is juxtaposed to Blanche’s - ​ denim shirt and pants
...
Tries to fool herself
● Comparison created between Mitch and Stanley, as she ​
‘offers him her lips
...

Interesting because really she is the one that requires forgiveness, shows how she
wants to make herself the victim and pretend that their relationship is ok
● Speaks in many short sentences indicating a frantic nature, parallelling to rhythm
of the polka
● “Have you ever had anything caught in your head
...

● ‘I don’t know what there is to drink
...
’ ​
Lying to cover up her
lack of control and mental instability
...
The polka starts again”
“she
● When Mitch says ​wasn’t going to see you any more’ ​
‘I
Blanche tries to move the
subject on and pretends that she can’t hear what he’s saying because she wants to
ignore what he’s saying, and keep the illusion of her perfect life alive
● ‘Here’s something
...
He says you been lapping it up all summer like a
wild-cat!’ ​
refers to the fact that Blanche doesn’t actually belong anywhere, and also
show that Mitch is now fully aware of Blanche’s character
...
The dark is comforting to me
...
She utters a frightened gasp’ ​
refers to
earlier when she has compared herself to the paper lantern (see notes at end of
Scene 5)
● “I don’t want realism” ​
encapsulates Blanche’s character and shows her idealistic
view of the world
...
Magic! … I don’t tell the truth
...
’ ​
to
conveying Blanche’s sense of innocence, and demonstrates
that the punishments that have befallen her are unjustifiable
...
Also the ‘filthy tub’ is significant because it shows how much
dirt has to be cleansed from them/they can never be cleansed

● Hotel Tarantula - Blanche is seen as a spider in a web of lies, trying to capture
someone who will provide her with security
...

● Blanche doesn’t actually believe it is true that she is ‘morally unfit’ for the position
because she wasn’t trying to exploit the boy, if anything he was trying to exploit
her
...
Evidenced previously when
she portrays herself as a prude to Mitch and won’t let him have sex with her
but when noone is around she kisses that newspaper boy
...
The
but she was forced to shows her the low opinion of herself, as at the time she was
being treated as the maid
● From a very young age Blanche has been mistreated by men, for example with the
camp of soldiers next to her house
● ‘MITCH rises and follows her purposefully
...
She’s basically gone q mad whilst
packing up her trunk and she’s standing in front of the mirror wearing a tiara talking to a
group of imaginary people
...
As Stanley comes
into the house the honky-tonk music begins to play
...

Apparently Stella is ok but the baby won’t be coming till the morning so they sent Stanley home
...
Stanley takes off his shirt
which make Blanche a bit uncomfortable
...
Stanley tells Blanche that he knows she’s lying about
Mitch and the telegram
...
Then
he comes back out in his silk pyjamas (sexy) after a whole hoot of commotion outside (!)
...
She
backs into the bedroom as he comes towards her
...
As he grabs her he says ‘Tiger - tiger!’ which i feel is probably
significant, and forces her to drop the glass
...

Scene Ten Analysis
● Further into the night, showing that now all hope has been lost
● Wearing a ​
‘somewhat soiled and crumpled white satin evening gown’ ​
which shows how
the white colour often connected with her which portrays her innocence has been
lost
● “scuffed silver heels” ​
trying to maintain the facade of sophistication but the flaws and
faults are coming through
● “slams the mirror
...
Her
appearance in the mirror is distorted, could link to her depersonalisation/double
personality
● Blanche talks to herself as if she is surrounded by a crowd of admirers - slipped
into insanity but still trying to hold on to the image of wealth and beauty that she
has created inside her own mind
● As Stanley enters the honky-tonk music plays
...
Stanley’s life is
being uprooted by Blanche
● Blanche is able to display compassion towards her sister even when in the depths of
insanity, while Stanley seems unphased by Stella’s pregnancy
● “It’s only rhinestones” ​
Seems as if Blanche is confessing to her inaccurate self
portrayal she tried to keep up as she realises she can’t keep it up anymore
● Intertextual reference to The Scarlet Letter when Stanley says ​ a red-letter night
“it’s
for us both” ​
implying adultery, foreshadowing when Stanley rapes her
...
Making a family is a sign
of affection rather than physicality
...

○ All of Blanche’s past behaviour and actions contradict her statement that
“Physical beauty is passing
...
But beauty of the mind and
richness of the spirit and tenderness of the heart - and I have all of those things!”
Could signify revelation and her character development
● Blanche continually manipulates the truth to put herself on top - ​ then [Mitch]
‘But
came back
...
Extremely unlikely

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●

●
●
●

●
●

●

●

considering the nature of the previous scene - the fact that Blanche practically
begged Mitch to marry her
Blanche pretends that she rejected Mitch because of breeding or social differences
Stanley finally calls out Blanche’s lies (​ a matter of fact there wasn’t no wire at all!’​
‘As
)
It is made obvious by proxemics that he has dominance here, as he dominates the
scene, interrupting Blanche until she can only punctuate his accusations with ​
‘Oh!’
From the beginning Stanley has seen through Blanche’s lies
...
Cleopatra ended up
committing suicide, while Blanche - tortured by the death of her husband descends into ‘social’ suicide when she loses her respectability, as well as the loss of
Belle Reve
...
shadows are of a grotesque and menacing form” ​
Sinister and menacing
imagery, likening the people in Blanche’s lives to animals or monsters
The uses of dashes and ellipses when Blanche calls the operator shows how she is
losing her grip on reality, as well as the desperation of her situation
Crucial that Stanley is wearing his ​
‘brilliant silk pyjamas’ ​ he wore them on his
as
wedding night, foreshadowing Blanche’s fate
The blue piano starts again at this crucial moment, heightening tension as it
indicates a moment of distress for Blanche
“I’ve got to get out somehow!” ​ just meaning the room, but the life she’s in
Not
‘Blanche moves backward through the door into the bedroom’ ​significant as Blanche
is
feels it's her only route of escape when actually it is the last place she should want
to go to
...

‘Tiger - tiger!’ ​
Tiger tiger is a poem about how a benevolent God could ever create a
creature such as the tiger
...

‘The hot trumpet and drums from the Four Deuces sound loudly’ ​ is a form of
this
honky-tonk music, and would have been connected with Stanley throughout the
play
...


Scene Eleven Summary
Some weeks later and Stella is packing Blanche’s things while crying
...
The boys are playing poker again and once more it’s just a really
shitty tense atmosphere
...
Mitch
makes a dig
...
Stella asks after the baby and then says that Blanche is bathing and that they haven’t
told her where she’s going
...
As Blanche leaves the
bathroom in a red robe the Varsouviana plays
...
Stella and Eunice try and calm her down by
telling her how beautiful she looks, and asking her about her ‘vacation’
...
The women try to keep Blanche
there until the men arrive to take her away, and she tells them about how she will spend the rest
of her life at sea (she thinks she’s going on the cruise with Shep)
...

Blanche passes the poker player (all stand up apart from Mitch) and goes outside, but realises
the doctor is not Shep
...
The matron and Stanley
approach her and although she says she doesn’t want to the matron tries to grab her so she
screams
...

Mitch gets really fucked off because obviously he did kind of love her and then he’s like
STANLEY I’LL KILL YER but then he collapses at the table sobbing
...
They lead Blanche away and she does not turn back when Stella calls after her
...
Stanley tries to comfort sobbing Stella (what a nickname!!!!) and the blue
piano/swanky af trumpet swells
...
’
Scene Eleven Analysis
● Atmosphere has returned to normal, evidenced by the men playing poker - cyclical
plot
...

● Mitch’s broken and stilted speech sounds like he’s emotionally unhinged,
“​
You
...
you
...
brag
...
bull
...
to pin
with the seahorse on the lapel of the jacket”
...
Shows her
obsession with appearance
...

● “artificial violets” ​
violets represent dignity, so Blanche wants to remain dignified
but it’s all artificial and just a facade
...

Therefore it starts playing every time to show how she still carries the inescapable
guilt of feeling like she causes him to kill himself
...
Also this is the song that plays when she is most

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●

●

●

●

●

●

●
●

mentally distressed, therefore significant that it plays as she enters the bedroom
where the rape occurred
...
Can no longer be
connected with white following her violation
...
Further connection with ‘scarlet women’ and ‘scarlet letter’
‘At the sound of Blanche’s voice Mitch’s arm supporting his cards has sagged and his
gaze is dissolved into space’ ​ many ways, Mitch and Blanche mirror each other as
In
they have very similar pasts
...
Here her emotional trauma is clear to see
and cannot be hidden, thus suggesting it has overwhelmed her and she cannot fight
it anymore
...
They want to save Blanche
from knowing where she is going
...
When Eunice and Stella discuss the colour
of the jacket, she informs them ​ Della Robbia blue
...
Are these grapes washed?’ ​ fact that it’s the colour of Virgin
The
Mary’s clothes shows how she’s still holding on to the innocent view of herself
...
​
‘Those cathedral bells - they’re the only clean thing
in the Quarter’ ​
shows the corruption of the area and the fact that she cannot escape
the dirt
...

Blanche talks about how she shall spend the rest of her life on the sea
...
​shall die of eating an unwashed grape one day out on the ocean’ ​
‘I
shows
the confused state of mind
...
​
‘That unwashed
grape has transported her soul to heaven
...
This is emphasised by the idyllic, romanticised way that she describes her
death - ​ I’ll be buried at sea sewn up in a clean white sack … at noon - in the blaze
‘And
of summer - and into an ocean as blue as [chimes again] my first lover’s eyes!’
The appearance of the doctor and the matron is significant as a turning point
...
They seem almost inhuman
...


● The drums ​
‘sound very softly’ ​ Eunice goes out to see the matron and the doctor,
as
showing the beginning of a build up to a climax
...
​cannot imagine who this “lady”
‘I
could be! How is she dressed? … Possibly she’s - [Her voice dies out nervously]’
● Blanche returns to her previous mannerisms as she tries to hold onto herself ‘How do I look?’ ‘Please don’t get up
...
’
● This time all of the men do ​
‘awkwardly stand’ ​
apart from Mitch
...
The only person who doesn’t is Mitch, who himself is a victim
of the situation and atmosphere
...

● When Blanche is getting ready to leave all Stanley’s friends are sat in silence, as
they’re feeling guilty or awkward however he’s going on as normal, “​
shuffling the
cards”​
which shows he has no shame in his actions
● the “​ reflections” ​ ​
lurid
that “appear on the walls in odd sinuous shape” ​
create a sinister
atmosphere, possibly acting as a visual metaphor for Blanche’s mental state as
everything is distorted and unnatural
...
Could be linked to the animalistic depictions to Stanley,
‘survival of the fittest’ attitude and the Blanche’s desperate fight for survival
● The matron is a ​
‘peculiarly sinister figure in her severe dress’
...

● ‘You left nothing here but spilt talcum and old empty perfume bottles’ ​
Reflects both the
mess that Blanche leaves behind but also Blanche herself - she is an item previously
displaying or enabling beauty but now empty and devoid of purpose
...

Recurring light symbolism - Blanche doesn’t like to be in the light as she feels it
exposes her emotional vulnerability and her physical flaws
...
Also, Blanche has previously referred to herself ​ ​ paper
as the
lantern, so this enhances his cruelty when he rips it off, as he is damaging her once
again
● Stella cries out​
“What have I done to my sister?” ​ fact that she doesn’t say
The
Blanche’s name shows how she’s not doing it because she loves Blanche, rather
she’s doing it purely out of familial obligation
...

● Blanche states she’s always ​
“depended on the kindness of strangers” ​ reflecting
thus
how women in that society always had to resign themselves to help from others, as

●

●

●

●

they could not be self sufficient
...
It also depicts her as a pathetic figure
as the ​
“kindness” ​ strangers such as the newspaper boy and the mexican flower
from
woman stem from pity towards Blanche
...
Strangers were only kind to
her for sex
...

○ This final remark by Blanche indicates her total detachment from reality and
her decision to see life only as she wishes to perceive it
...

The play ends with Steve announcing ​
“seven card stud” ​
a particularly wild poker
game
...

The casual last line provides an anticlimactic ending to the dramatic events that
have occurred previously
...
Link to Lion and the Jewel which also ends
inconsequentially, further highlighting that no matter what events occur or
someone tries to change, some things are so deeply ingrained within us and the
society we live in that they will always remain the same
None of the characters in the play are entirely good or bad
...
Stella looks out for Blanche
and stands up for her, but is perfectly content in an abusive relationship
...


Character Descriptions
Stella
● ‘Stella comes out on the first floor landing, a gentle young woman, about twenty-five,
and of a background obviously quite different from her husband's
...
She looks at a slip of paper, then at
the building, then again at the slip and again at the building
...
Her appearance is incongruous to this setting
...

She is about five years older than Stella
...


There is something about her uncertain manner, as well as her white clothes, that
suggests a moth
...
He is of medium
height, about five feet eight or nine, and strongly, compactly built
...
Since earliest manhood the center of
his life has been pleasure with women, the giving and taking of it, not with weak
indulgence, dependency, but with the power and pride of a richly feathered male bird
among hens
...
He sizes women up at a glance, with sexual
classifications, crude images flashing into his mind and determining the way he smiles at
them’



---