Scene 4 Flashcards
the ‘unseen eavesdropper’
a time-honoured dramatic convention used by Williams in this scene. Appears as a tragic element in plays such as Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’
‘a book of coloured comics’
Stella reading this is a silent reminder of the fact that she has accepted Stanley’s values and joined a world in which comics, not books, are read. The New replacing the Old/traditional.
“It brought me here”
Blanche’s response to Stella’s question, asking if she has ever ridden on the “rattle-trap streetcar” that is desire. This response may be interpreted in a couple of ways: literally, or as a metaphor for the sexual desire that ruined her life in Laurel and brought her to New Orleans.
like the streetcar, getting swept up by ‘desire’ is a one way trip with a singular destination - doom, as signified by ‘Cemeteries’.
