Big Money Baller$

Presents:

A Streetcar Named
Desire, by
Tennessee Williams

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 Introduction:
Set in post-World War II New Orleans, a Streetcar Named Desire by
Tennessee Williams tells a story of lies, guilt, and hope. It is about a
woman named Blanche that tries to start a new life in New Orleans
but cannot do so because her past ends up following her. Her sins and
lies are all revealed by the end of the play.
Tennessee Williams Biography
Born in 1911 in Columbus, Mississippi (small town, USA).
His father, Cornelius Williams, was a mans man, an alcoholic
and a traveling salesman. They moved many times since he was
a traveler. He picked on and beat Tennessee and called him
Sissy and Ms. Nancy.
His mother was a fallen southern belle because she married
down to Cornelius and she always stayed at home.
At eight years, he caught a fever that lasted for two years.
His sister, Rose, was his best friend and got schizophrenia. She
was kept in a mental asylum and had a prefrontal lobotomy.
Tennessee won second place in an essay contest in high school.
He failed gym in college and had to work as a clerk for his
fathers company for two years, over there he worked with
people like the characters in Streetcar.
After college, he went around the country doing odd jobs and
conducted emotional research on people.
He moved to New Orleans, the big easy.
He falls into a depression for ten years doing too many drugs
and alcohol

His Philosophy

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 Characters are passionate about life
He focused on the essential ambiguity and essential dignity of
character
Humans are covered with a thin veil of civilization, underneath,
they are savages
Guilt is universal
People are fragiles and brutes simultaneously, based on their
relationship with other people

Plot:
Exposition
The play starts off with Eunice and a black woman sitting down at
Elysian Fields, the building where they live. Stanley and Stella live on
the first floor, and Steve and Eunice live on the second floor. Stanley
and his friend Mitch decide to go bowling, and Stella decides to come
and watch. Meanwhile, Blanche comes to Elysian Fields and meets
Eunice. Eunice tells Blanche that Stella went to the bowling alley and
sends the black woman to the bowling alley to notify Stella of
Blanches arrival. Eunice lets Blanche inside the apartment, and Stella
arrives home. Blanche notifies Stella about losing Belle Reave and
makes Stella feel guilty about leaving her home and coming to New
Orleans. Stella goes into the bathroom and starts crying. Blanche then
meets Stanley, and they both engage in small talk.
Rising Action
After Stanley finds out that Blanche sold Belle Reave, he asks her to
see a bill of sale. Stanley thinks that he may have lost some property
that is rightfully his. An angry Stanley pulls out all of Blanches
belongings from her trunk while she is taking a bath, and after
Blanche comes out of the bath, she gives the papers to Stanley.
Stanley then accidentally tells Blanche that Stella is pregnant.
Rising Action

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Blanche and Mitch meet each other. Although Mitch acts awkwardly
during the first encounter, he is able to attract Blanche. One night,
Mitch and Blanche spend the night talking to each other at the
Kowalski apartment and express their mutual attraction to each other.
Blanche reveals her past relationship with her husband. When she told
her husband that she knows that he is gay, he committed suicide.
Rising Action
Stanley discovers the reason Blanche leaves Laurel. She involves
herself in an intimate relationship with a seventeen-year-old boy, and
the people of the town ask her to leave when they find out. Stanley
tells Mitch, and Mitch breaks off their relationship. Stanley also buys a
ticket for Blanche to return to Laurel and gives it to her.
Climax
Blanche claims that a rich man with the name Shep Huntleigh wants
to take Blanche on a cruise. Stanley does not believe her and starts
tearing apart her story. He then steps in front of Blanche, and Blanche
breaks a bottle to protect herself. However, Stanley grabs her, carries
her to the bed, and rapes her.
Falling Action
A few weeks later, a doctor and matron show up to Elysian Fields.
Everyone thinks that Blanche is crazy and is creating a fake story
about Stanley raping her.
Resolution
Blanche tries to run away from the matron, but she cannot. The
matron grabs a hold of Blanche and takes her away to a mental
asylum.

Symbols and Motifs:

The Motif of Light:
The main character, Blanche, spends a lot of time avoiding light, as
evident by the fact that she only meets Mitch during the night, when
the sun has set. Also, the first thing Blanche does after going to

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Stellas house is cover the light bulb in her room. This is important
because it shows how Blanche is living in a false world, and she wants
to hide the reality of her fading beauty from others, as symbolized by
the light.
Symbol of Music:
In the play, music symbolizes the penetrable boundary between
appearance and reality. For example, the Varsouviana Polka is played
originally when Blanches husband died, but it is continuously played
when Blanche is feeling down. However, it also symbolizes her path to
insanity, as when the play goes on, the song is played more
frequently.
The symbol of Animal Meat:
When Stanley takes a piece of meat and throws it at Stella, this is a
symbol for sexual desire. When Stella catches his meat, she is
symbolically catching his sexuality and strive for sex. In fact, when
the other characters on stage at the time laugh after the throw, they
know the sexual reference the meat held.
The symbol of Blue:
Many objects are blue throughout the play, such as the blue piano and
blue jacket. Blue is a tranquil color, and it provides an atmosphere of
the blues. Blues music conveys that we should keep moving on and
never lose hope. We should look over the past and try to have a
better future.

Conflict
Man v. Society
Blanche v. City of Laurel
Quote: Stanley (to Stella): They told her she better move on to some
fresh territory. Yep, it was practickly a town ordinance passed against
her(Scene 7).
Stellas relationship with a seventeen-year-old boy causes the entire
town of Laurel to go against her. She goes against the town of Laurels
norms, so the people of the town ask her to leave.

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Blanche v. Elysian Fields
Quote: Blanche [retreating in panic]: I don't know you--I don't know
you. I want to be--left alone--please!(Scene 11).
The doctor and matron come to Elysian Fields to take Blanche to a
mental asylum, and Blanche is scared of being taken away from
Elysian Fields. No one believes her rape story except, so it is an
example of dramatic irony.

Man v. Man
Blanche v. Stella
Quote: Blanche: Oh, Stella, Stella, youre crying!
Stella: Does that surprise you?(Scene 1).
Blanche makes Stella feel guilty about leaving Belle Reave, causing
Stella to cry. However, Stella thinks it is not surprising that she is
crying, which indicates that Stella left Belle Reave due to her sisters
abuse.

Blanche v. Stanley
The conflict between Blanche and Stanley is the central conflict of the
play. Throughout the play, they quarrel with each other and the
conflict climaxes when Stanley rapes Blanche. Stanley's raping of
Blanche is an example of dramatic irony because the audience knows
about the rape but not the other characters in the play.
Stanley asks Blanche if she touched his whiskey and Blanche denies
drinking it.
Quote: Stanley: Some people rarely touch it, but it touches them
often.
Despite his lack of education, Stanley is smart enough to know that
Blanche drank his whiskey. This interaction conveys that Stanley is
street smart and Blanche is book smart, so there is a conflict between
these two types of acumens.

Quote: Blanche (to Mitch): He [Stanley] hates me. Or why would he

insult me? The first time I laid eyes on him I thought to myself, that

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man is my executioner! That man will destroy me, unless-(Scene 6).
Blanche knows that Stanley does not like her and is out to get her.
The conflict between them is a conflict between two brutes. This
quote also foreshadows Blanches fate because later on, Stanley ends
up destroying Blanche by discovering her past, raping her, and
sending her to a mental asylum.

Stanley v. Stella
Quote: Stanley: Dont ever talk that way to me! Pig-Polack-
disgusting-vulgar-greasy!-them kind of words have been on your
tongue and your sisters too much around here!(Scene 8).
Stanley fights with Stella after Stella calls him a pig. He is exerting his
male dominance by yelling at Stella, conveying the gender roles in
the play.

Mitch vs. Blanche

Quote: Mitch: You lied to me, Blanche(Scene 9).
Mitch eventually learns about Blanches conflict with society from
Stanley and is mad at her. Blanche did not necessarily lie to Mitch, but
Mitch thinks that hiding the truth is the same as lying.
Quote: Mitch: Youre not clean enough to bring in the house with my
mother(Scene 9).
Mitch does not marry Blanche because of her past. This quote
conveys how the past can follow someone no matter how far the
person travels.

Man v. Self
Blanche v. Self
The author conveys to the audience that Blanche is on the verge of
breakdown throughout the play.
Quote: Stella (to Stanley): Shes [referring to Blanch] soaking in a hot
tub to quiet her nerves. Shes terribly upset (Scene 2).
Blanche is conflicted with herself due to the various sins she has
committed throughout her life, so Blanches bath represents her
attempt to clean off her sins. The misdeeds that Blanche has

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committed are not revealed, which goes along with the motif of
essential ambiguity.
Quote: Stella: Blanche, do you want him [referring to Mitch]?
Blanche: I want to rest! I want to breathe quietly again! Yes--I want
Mitch... very badly! Just think! If it happens, I can leave here and not
be anyone's problem.... (Scene 5).
Blanche wants to rest from her lies and disguises. She wants to
escape from her history and just start all over again. Blanche also
wants to escape from her desires, so she says she wants to rest
before discussing her desire about Mitch.

Character:
Stanley- An honest brute and a manly man who is driven by
animalistic instincts.
Blanche says behind Stanleys back to Stella, Stanley Kowalski-
survivor of the stone age! (Scene 4). Blanche perfectly describes
Stanley because he acts in a primitive manner and does not think his
actions through.
Stanley says to Blanche, moments before raping her, What queen do
you think you are? (Scene 10). This shows Stanleys brutal honesty
and reflects on Blanches misconception of reality as well.
Blanche- A fallen Southern belle who lives a fantasy and wants to
avoid the truth, even if she has to lie about it. Her and Stella wholly
depend on men.
Blanche tells Stella, But dont you look at me, Stella, not till Ive
bathed and rested! (Scene 1). Blanche wants to make herself look
clean and perfect before being seen, part of her ordeal with avoiding
reality.
Blanche tells Mitch, I cant stand a naked bulb, any more than I can a
rude remark or vulgar action (Scene 3). Blanche wants to avoid the
light (or truth) because it reveals the truth about her, which is not
pretty but sometimes necessary, like a rude remark or vulgar action
does.

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Blanche to Mitch when he tells her that she must be realistic, I dont
want realism. I want magic! (Scene 9). This proves that Blanche is
going crazy and foreshadows her sending to the mental asylum.

Stella- Blanches more realistic sister, she is married down to Stanley

in her teens, is a fallen Southern belle just like Blanche and sticks to
her sisters side until the end of the play.
Stella is struggling with believing Blanches story about being raped
by Stanley. Eunice advises Stella, Dont ever believe it. Life has got
to go on (Scene 11). Stella has no choice but to continue living with
Stanley or else her life would fall apart, and she knows that Blanche
does not have the best credibility, as seen throughout the play.

Mitch- Stanleys best friend. He falls in love with Blanche until he finds
out about her past.
Blanche attempts to seduce Mitch while speaking in French but Mitch
does not understand. He replies to her when she asks if he knows
French, Naw. Naw, I (Scene 6) but she cuts him off. This shows
Blanches high education status and deceitfulness, and at the same
time it reveals Mitchs lack of education, which he shares with the
other guys.
Eunice- Stellas friend, upstairs neighbor, and landlady. Eunice accepts
her husband Steves affections despite his physical abuse of her,
furthering the motif of womans dependence on men.
When Steve beats Eunice she yells, Call the police, Im going to call
the police! (Scene 5). She pretends to run to the police station but is
really just getting a drink at the bar, highlighting her dependence on
Steve.

Steve- An alpha-male like Stanley and Mitch. He is Eunices husband

and he abuses Eunice.
Pablo- Stanleys friend who is also a macho man, represents cultural
diversity in the city.

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Allan Grey- Married Blanche as a teenager but was gay and got
caught cheating, Blanche was disgusted and he killed himself.
Shep Huntleigh- A man from Dallas who Blanche met on vacation in
Miami. She believes that he will come to her and help her and Stella
get away from Stanley even though Shep is married

Technical:
Tennessee Williams's style in A Streetcar Named Desire relies heavily
upon the manipulation of the audience's sense of sight and sound in
order to effect a desired ambience or connection. Therefore, the use
of lights and sound effects are essential in this play as they are an
integral part of developing characters such as Blanche and well as to
set the tone of certain scenes. The key dramatic elements are stated
in extensive stage directions with a high degree of specificity

Lighting Effects/ Colour: In the first act, the lighting has a dim, blue
tone to it which works together with the blues feel of New Orleans in
order to achieve a melancholy tone. In addition, lighting interacts with
the characters in different ways. Blanche, for example, hides from the
light and in fact states, "I like it dark. The dark is comforting to me,"
(Scene 9) which contrasts with the ostensibly pure white with which
she is associated. Rather than emphasise her purity, the colour white
highlights the facade that she has created around herself with her
"...feathers and furs..." (Scene 2). In the third scene, the poker game
is lit with an "...electric light bulb with a vivid green glass shade,"
(Scene 3) as the men wear "...the raw colours of childhood's
spectrum," (Scene 3). In this case lighting and colour signify a change
in the atmosphere; it emphasises masculinity and the direct nature
with which the male characters address their problems.

Sound Effects: There is a heavy use of sound effects throughout the

play in order to shape the mood of each scene and moment and to
emphasise contrasts in the "feel" of the play. For example, the

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opening scene features a "'blue piano' [that] expresses the spirit of
the life which goes on here," (Scene 1). Tennessee Williams in fact
uses not only sounds and music to capture the essence of mid-20th
century New Orleans as a dynamic, metropolitan city but also to
signify a sforzando of emotion. A prime example of this usage is the
recurring polka in the mind of Blanche. Each time the polka is played,
she is in the midst an episode of grief and guilt as she feels
responsible for the suicide of her former husband, Allan Grey. The
polka, specifically the Varsouviana, is described as being in "...a minor
key faint with distance," (Scene 6).

Themes:
Instinct trumps logic.
In A Streetcar Named Desire, one of the prevalent themes is the fact
that raw instinct has a greater influence upon people's actions than
logic. This idea is referenced in the first scene wherein the play's
namesake is mentioned by Blanche when she mentions. "...a street-
car named Desire... [to] Elysian Fields," (Scene 1). The fact that
Blanche's transit is led by desire hints to the notion that all of
humanity's actions are dictated by their desires whether for better or
for worse. The interactions between Blanche and Stanley in the
second act are wrought with sexual tension especially since Stella has
stepped outside leaving the two alone. Stanley displays an attraction
to Blanche when he says, "If I didn't know that you was my wife's
sister I'd get ideas about you!" (Scene 2). This statement seemingly
refers to his assumptions that Blanche sold the Belle Reve property
but, as is demonstrated in the tenth scene, Stanley refers to the lust
he harbours for Blanche. His desire takes hold of him in the tenth
scene wherein he springs towards Blanche proclaiming, "...We've had
this date with each other from the beginning!" (Scene 10) ending the
scene with the unquestionable suggestion that Stanley sexually
assaults Blanche. In all, A Streetcar Named Desire asserts the force
with which desire steers human action.

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Guilt is pervasive and irrational:
The subject of guilt is one that resonates vibrantly in the character of
Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire. Although she merely states that
"...the boy [her husband] died..." (Scene 1), the polka music rising
faintly in the ambience of the scene manifests every time her
husband's death is mentioned. Later, in the sixth scene, the
circumstances of his death are revealed. Blanche's husband is caught
in the midst of an affair with "...an older man who had been his friend
for years..." (Scene 6); the three of them leave for the Moon Lake
Casino on the same night at which Blanche confronts her husband
telling him, "I saw!... You disgust me..." (Scene 6). Her husband
subsequently shoots himself outside the casino. His suicide evokes a
sense of self-blame in Blanche although she is not directly
responsible. She did not directly effect his suicide, but she
nonetheless feels guilty of it. This guilt manifests itself in the
reiterations of the polka tune of the Varsouviana in her head. In all,
the guilt displayed in A Streetcar Named Desire is one that eventually
drives Blanche insane, a statement of the detriment that guilt enacts
upon one's mind whether it is logical or not.

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