A Streetcar Named Desire Quotations Flashcards
What music is used as a motif to highlight Blanche’s mental distress?
“Blue piano,”
What quote demonstrate the racial diversity within New Orleans?
“easy intermingling of races,”
What adjectives in scene 1 demonstrate the contrasts between Stanley and Stella?
“bellowing,” and, “mildly,”
What adjectives is used to demonstrate the Blanche doesn’t fit into her setting?
“incongruous,”
What quote demonstrates that the Du Bois’ liveliness and wealth was built on slavery?
“A great big place with white columns,”
What quote shows Blanche’s use of alcohol as a coping mechanism?
“I look around for some liquor,”
What quote illustrates Blanche’s inability to accept progression?
“What are you doing in a place like this?”
What quote shows the central dominance of Blanche’s mind?
“You never did give me a chance to say much,”
What quote illustrates Blanche’s vanity because of her fear of growing old?
“You haven’t said a word about my appearance,”
How does Stella describe Stanley?
“A different species,”
What quote illustrates that Stanley is a form of protection for her?
“I cry on his lap like a baby,”
How is imagery used to show her desperation to hold onto Belle reve?
“I stayed and fought for it, bled for it, almost died for it,”
What quote highlights the horror of deaths for Blanche?
“And funerals are pretty compared to deaths,”
How does Blanche reduce Stella and Stanley’s relationship to sex?
“In bed with your Polack,”
What animalistic lexicon characterises him as predatory?
“animal joy in his being implicit in all his movements and attitudes,”
What costumes characterise Blanche as frail?
“feathers and furs,”
What quote demonstrates Stanley’s realism towards Blanche’s facade?
“Some men are took in by all this Hollywood glamour stuff and some are not,”
What reminds her of her youth?
“love - letters,”
What symbolises a new beginning?
Stella and Stanley’s baby
What simile illustrates the power of the men?
“powerful as the primary colours,”
What does Blanche attempt to use to hide reality?
“A paper lantern,”
What quote highlights Blanche’s fears to be visually and emotionally exposed?
“I can’t stand a naked light bulb,”
How does Stanley’s animalistic nature reflect onto his relationship with Stella?
“They come together with low, animal moans,”
How can Stella be viewed as childish as well as adapting to the new south in scene 4?
“comics,”
What is used as a symbol of Stanley’s sexual dominance?
“gaudy pyjamas,”
What quote highlights the toxicity of Stella and Stanley’s relationship?
“I was - sort of- thrilled by,”
What quote illustrates that there are expectations for women?
“Then who’s going to do it? Are you?”
How does Blanch describe her dependence for wealth and social status?
“how indifferent I am to money. I think of money in terms of what it does for you.”
How is desire described?
“brutal,”
What quote implies that desire is a trap?
“rattle-trap,”
What quote symbolises that the streetcar is used as Blanche’s metaphoric journey?
“It brought me here,”
What allegory is used to highlight Stanley’s thrusting masculinity?
“a train approaches,”
What simile implies her classist views to Stanley?
“ape-like about him,”
What quote helps to draw parallels between Stanley and Blanche’s desire for sex?
“bearing the raw meat home from the kill in the jungle,”
How do the stage directions illustrate that Eunice is challenging Steve?
“A clatter of aluminium,”
What does Stella say that illustrates that alcohol is a coping mechanism?
“That’s much more practical,”
What quote illustrates the connection between gender and sensitivity as well as Blanche’s desire for company?
” I never was hard or self - sufficient enough. When people are soft - soft people have got to court the favour if hard ones […] And I - I’m fading now,”
What adverb illustrates Blanche’s physical exhaustion?
“lifelessly,”
What quote links to, “social laws,”?
“The one that says the lady must entertain the gentleman - or no dice,”
How does Blanche portray herself as a virgin?
” a girl alone in the world, has got to keep a firm hold on her emotions or she’ll be lost!”
What comical moment is used in scene 6?
“puts his hand on her waist and raises her lightly off the ground,”
How is light used as a symbol to reveal Blanche’s past?
“blinding light,”
What plastic theatre is used to demonstrate the impact of the shot?
“The polka stops abruptly,”
How does Blanche’s language illustrate the impact of the shot on her character?
“turned on the world was turned off,”
What is Blanche doing in scene 7?
“Blanche is singing in the bathroom,”
What song does she sing that reflects the delusion within Blanche?
“Paper moon,”
How does Stella want to believe the truth?
“What - contemptible - lies,”
How can Blanche’s relationship with Allan be defined as?
“worshipped,”
What does Blanche have at the end of scene 7?
“A heretic breakdown,”
How is lighting used to symbolise the time of day?
“fading gradually into a still - golden dusk,”
How does Stanley laugh?
“Feebly,”
How does Stella insult Stanley?
“Mr Kowalski is too busy making a pig of himself,”
How does Stanley establish patriarchy?
“Every man is a king,”
What is Stanley’s response to the insult?
“People from Poland are poles […] what I am is one hundred percent American,”
What does Stanley get Blanche for her birthday making her feel dejected?
“Ticket! Back to Laurel!”
How does Blanche not recognise that she can only hear the polka due to her fear of loneliness?
“You’ve stopped that polka tune that I caught in my head,”
What happens after a revolver shot is heard in scene 9?
“The polka music dies out again,”
What does Blanche like?
“I like it dark. The dark is comforting to me,”
How does Mitch reveal Blanche’s facade?
“He tears the paper lantern,”
What hotel does Blanche stay at?
“Tarantula,”
How does Blanche believe in her own fantasy?
“Never inside, I didn’t lie in my heart,”
How is Blanche’s tragedy manifested into the diegetic of the play?
“A blind Mexican woman,”
How does Mitch believe he is entitled to be sex because Blanche isn’t a virgin?
“You’re not clean enough to bring in the house with my mother.”
How have her lies been exposed?
“It hangs open,”
How is costume used to illustrate Blanche’s mental decline?
“Crumpled white satin evening gown,”
What happens to symbolise Blanche’s fading?
“Slams the mirror face down,”
How does Blanche become more absorbed in her own fantasy?
“An oil - millionaire,”
How does Stanley create an expectation for Blanche?
“The silk pyjamas I wore on my wedding night,”
What quote links to Blanche’s cruelty?
“Deliberate cruelty is not forgivable,”
What does Stanley call her?
“The queen of the Nile,”
How is Blanche surrounded by horrors?
“The shadows are of a grotesque and menacing form,”
How is a dangerous situation foreshadowed?
“Caught in a trap,”
How does Stanley play with Blanche?
“He stares at her for a count of 10,”
What animalistic imagery does Stanley use to be sexually playful with Blanche?”
“Tiger - tiger,”
How does Stanley break Blanche’s power of sexuality?
“Inert figure,”
How has timed moved on by scene 11?
“Some weeks later,”
How does Blanche still want to move on with her life?
“Bathing,”
Why does Stella stay with Stanley?
” I couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley,”
How is life a cycle for the female characters?
“Life has got to go on,”
How is Mitch depressed about Blanche’s mental decline?
“His gaze is dissolved into space,”
How does Stanley destroy Blanche’s facade to illustrate his ultimate victory?
“seizes the paper lantern,”
What quote contrasts hegemonic behavior in Mitch?
“Mitch collapses at the table, sobbing,”
What quote demonstrates how Blanche isn’t self- reliant?
“I have always depended on the kindness of stranger,”
What does Stanley do after Blanche has left?
“Find the opening of her blouse,”
How is life symbolised to continue?
“seven - card stud,”
