A Street Car Named Desire- Tenessee Williams

Question 1

“Elysian Fields”

Answer 1

Greek mythology, a haven where noble people go when they die (army), ironic as it is actually a slum which has ben neglected overtime

Question 2

“Between L and N tracks and the river”

Answer 2

Two restricting boundaries, both trains move and rivers flow, but Elysian Fields is stationary (trains is a constructed process, where rivers are natural processes

Question 3

“New Orleans is a cosmopolitan city”

Answer 3

Mix raced, ironic as the coloured woman does not have a name, yet the white woman does (Eunice)

Question 4

“Meat!” - Stanley

Answer 4

Throws raw meat at Stella, which resembles his masculinity and sexual acts, may be trying to abuse her

Question 5

“Moth”

Answer 5

Describes Blanche, moths are attracted to light, and get burnt, Stanley represents light

Question 6

“Are you lost?” - Eunice

Answer 6

Blanche is out of place physically, she is costumed in typical Southern elegance, pearls, jewelry, Blanche is physically and mentally lost

Question 7

“They told me to take a streetcar named desire and then transfer to one called the Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at Elysian Fields”

Answer 7

Desire (fulfillment of needs) leads to cemeteries (desire leads to death, foreshadowing that someone may die), Elysian Fields (death leads to Elysian Fields, where Blanche is tormented emotionally and physically)

Question 8

“Mr. Stanley Kowalski”

Answer 8

Stella has abandoned and rejected her history and background, including her identity, she has married a WC man

Question 9

“A great big house with white columns” - Belle Reve

Answer 9

Belle Reve was rich, fancy, had lots of slaves which represents the Old South (civil war)

Question 10

“Tosses it down” - Blanche drinking whiskey

Answer 10

Emphasises how Blanche is trying to numb and dull her life experiences, past and present

Question 11

“I won’t be looked at in this merciless glare”

Answer 11

Blanche is afraid to be looked at and judged, wants to obscure reality through use of light

Question 12

“One is my limit” -Blanche about whiskey

Answer 12

Hypocritical as she has had more than one, she has been drinking a lot

Question 13

“I, I, I “ - Blanche about Belle Reve

Answer 13

Repetitive of I emphasises that she was left alone to struggle, she is a victim of past experiences

Question 14

“Funerals are pretty compared to deaths” - Blanche about Belle Reve

Answer 14

Funerals are a facade for death, Blanche is a facade as she is pretty and elegant externally, but is a victim on the inside, traumatised)

Question 15

“Where were you? In bed with your- Polack” -Blanche about Stella

Answer 15

Blanche is critical of Stella for leaving Belle Reve and not supporting her through deaths, she is sexually jealous that Stella is married and she isn’t

Question 16

“Bathing” -Blanche

Answer 16

Repeated motif- Blanche frequently bathing exemplifies her need for cleanliness and desire to be clean, she is trying to wash away her guilt

Question 17

“Where are your pearls and gold bracelets” -Stanley

Answer 17

Stanley believes Blanche has sold Belle Reve and spent the money on luxuries

Question 18

“Put it over the light bulb! […] I can’t stand a naked light bulb” - Blanche

Answer 18

Blanche wants to obscure reality by creating illusions and shadows with the lantern

Question 19

How do Stanley showering and Blanche bathing juxtapose eachother?

Answer 19

Stanley showering is to bring him back to reality, but Blanche bathing is an escape from reality

Question 20

“Smashing light bulbs with it” - Stella about Stanley

Answer 20

This is a symbol that Stanley controls the light as his destructive force of power

Question 21

“Get hold of myself and make myself a new life” - Blanche

Answer 21

Blanche is certain to move on from Elysian Fields, this is only a pit stop for her, she sees herself having a future

Question 22

“Shed Huntleigh”

Answer 22

Symbolic representation of how Blanche is going to live her future, surrounded by money by aligning herself with the Bourgeoisie (Upper Class)

Question 23

“With just those curtains between us?” -Blanche

Answer 23

Suggestion of sexual activity between Stanley and Blanche

Question 24

“Desire”- Blanche

Answer 24

Blanche characterises the partnership between MC and WC (Stella and Stanley), Blanche criticises Stella for operating on desire, not the intelligence of her MC background

Question 25

“Haven’t you ever ridden on that Streetcar” - Stella to Blanche

Answer 25

Stella knows Blanche has ridden a street car named desire, sparring between the sisters as Stella digs at Blanche for being hypocritical (Blanche has also ridden “desire”)