Scene 1 Flashcards
“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.” = Blanche
Cemetries – connotations of death.
Death follows Blanche – words that are associated with death are common in her vocabulary, death and / or death as a symbol frequently comes up in the scene.
Elysian Fields – links to Roman mythology.
Elysian Fields was a temporary place of the soul’s journey back to life.
Elysian Fields – links to Greek mythology.
It was the land of death and a resting place for “heroes”.
Suggests that desire leads to cemeteries, that leads to Elysian Fields.
Blanche is therefore consumed by an endless cycle of destruction.
“Death is expensive Miss Stella! Why the Grim Reaper had put up his tent on our doorstep! . . . Stella. Belle Reve was his headquarters! Honey—that’s how it slipped through my fingers!” - Blanche
Metaphor.
Symbolises the death and destruction that surrounds Blanche.
Belle Reve – beautiful dream.
Miss Stella – indicative of the antebellum manner of the South rather than to do with rank / authority.
Antebellum – existing before a war, specifically the American Civil War.
Blanche speaks about death emotionlessly.
“Death is expensive.”
Gothic imagery.
Connotations of death, darkness, destruction, trauma.
Contrasts with the symbolism of the light that’s in the scene.
“Turn that light off! I won’t be looked at in this merciless glare.” - Blanche
Motif of light.
Shows Blanche’s insecurities.
Emphasises how Blanche is unwilling to confront reality and accept that she’s getting older.
Light symbolises the truth, Blanche wants to hide from the truth.
Links to her moth-like appearance that’s described in the stage directions.
Foreshadows later behaviour.
Moths are attracted to the light even though it’s fatal for them – shows that Blanche is self-destructive.
“She is daintily dressed in a white suite with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white gloves and a hat.” - stage directions
Dramatic irony.
White most commonly has connotations of purity, innocence and elegance.
This becomes ironic when the truth about her character is revealed.
White can also represent virginity and perfection.
It becomes apparent that although Blanche dresses in this way, she isn’t associated with either two traits.
Her name, Blanche, means white / fair.
The stage directions from Blanche’s first appearance suggests that she’s out of place.
This reflects her status as a “Southern Belle.”
Southern Belle – wealthy background, symbolises the Old South, fashionable, young woman.
“You’re as plump as a little partridge.”
Simile.
Blanche is so focused on her appearance and picking it apart, that as a result, she projects her insecurities on to her sister.
Reflects the sibling stereotype.
Blanche is direct and honest, but it’s clear that she still cares for her sister.
Siblings are typically depicted as mean to each other but with positive intentions.
Blanche is contradicting herself.
She demands compliments, reassurance and validation, yet she criticises others.
“Her appearance is incongruous to this setting.” - stage directions
Williams juxtaposes Blanche with her new surroundings.
The mundane area of New Orleans makes her stand out as a social outcast, to reinforce her victim-like status.
She is unable to fit into her new surroundings – this further reveals her inability to make a successful transition into the Kowalski household.
“Incongruous” immediately detaches her – makes her seem otherworldly.
Suggests that she is already dead, metaphorically, before the play starts.
Suggests her views and personality contrasts with Stella and Stanley.
Foreshadows the Stanley-Blanche conflict.
“The blue piano expresses the spirit of the life which goes on here” - stage directions
Suggests that music is very significant in understanding the intermingling of cultures and classes in the vast, urban setting.
The simplistic adjective “blue” has typical connotations of sadness, poverty and the origin of blues music in the southern states.
“The power and pride of a richly feathered male bird among hens.” - stage directions
Animalistic language.
Shows Stanley is primitive, predatory and uncivilised.
Shows that Stanley believes in the dominance of men.
Plosives highlight dominance.
Sexual.
“Richly feathered male bird” suggests strong self-confidence.
This could foreshadow the way Stanley will behave later in the play.
“He sizes women up with a glance, with sexual clarifications, crude images flashing into his mind and determining the way he smiles at them.” - stage directions
Sexually objectifies women.
He sees women as objects of sex and determines their worth on this basis.
Possessive.
Shows that Stanley is masculine and dominating.
The reference to the “taking” of women’s pleasure foreshadows the rape of Blanche.
