Setting Flashcards
Where is the majority of the play set?
Stella and Stanley’s apartment.
Where do Stella and Stanley live?
Elysian Fields, New Orleans.
To Blanche, what does New Orleans represent?
The ugliness of reality
What does the ‘Blue Piano’ represent?
Blanche’s depression, loneliness, depression and desperation for love, but also her future in New Orleans.
Why does Blanche keep the lighting low in Stella’s apartment?
To make herself look younger - this keeps her indulged in her delusions/fantasies.
What is Elysian Fields like to live in?
Poor, Industrial, and if not highly dangerous, a shady area. E.g prostitutes robbing drunks after dark.
Complete contrast of what Blanche is used to.
What type of places is Blanche used to?
The quiet countryside, with respectful people that are of a higher class. Also used to having lots of space and privacy.
Is Elysian Fields ‘Malevolent’ to Blanche? Yes/No?
Yes - it is such a contrast that Blanche views the people as ‘crude’ and hates the area.
This is instrumental to her downfall.
Name 3 themes in ASND surrounding Elysian Fields.
- The clash between the rural Old South & industrial New South
- Decline of illusion & magic in the face of reality
- Inability of the weak and well-bred to survive in the rough & modern world of vulgar commoners.
What do the “crude” people in Elysian Fields represent?
The decline of civilised culture.
Why is the tightly squeezed setting of Stanley and Stella’s apartment important?
Provides immediate conflict - they are in such a cramped space.
Why did Stella leave her life in Belle Reve?
For the exciting, passionate (yet sometimes violent) world her husband, Stanley, has to offer.
