A Streetcar Named Desire Flashcards
Playwriter
Tennessee Williams
Characters and Traits
Blanche DuBois:
Southerbell Ideals
Dishonest
Drinks a lot
Manipulative
Materialistic
Delusional
“just a girl trying to make it in the big city”
Runs away from her problems (avoid confrontation)
Hides her true identity
Flirts her way out of conflict
Has an affair with a teenage student
Past trauma
Acts/thinks she’s younger than she is
Stella Kowalski:
Submissive
Blanche’s sister
Stable but naive
Aware of her husband’s brute behaviour but adores him and is weak to his desire
Stanley Kowalski:
Brute
Rapist
Sexist
Manipulative
Abusive
Mitch:
Stanley’s friend
kind
gentleman
falls for Blanche
Has a sick mother
Steve & Eunice:
Husband and wife who live upstairs
saves Stella from Stanley’s abuse near the end of the story
They are a mirrored version of Stella and Stanley (But S&S never see it as such)
Themes
Manipulation
Deception
Truth/Illusion
Light/Dark
Classism
The importance of wealth. Status and social status
The appearance of wealth
Symbolism
Light - Truth, Blanche hides from the light to avoid being exposed.
Moths - Represents Blanche doesn’t want to be seen in the light but is still drawn to it, (she calls herself this), wants to be a butterfly but can’t be.
Music/Piano/Colour Blue - Supposed to symbolize the theme of the show. Moody, dark, sad, depressive. Sets the tone.
Changes/set the mood, sad overtones “the blues”
Streetcar (named desire) - Blanche took the streetcar in, took her away
How to write the title
A Streetcar Named Desire
