Summary Identification and thorough analysis of the key quotes in Tennessee William's play 'A Streetcar Named Desire.'
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Course
Unit 1 - Drama
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
This is a chronological document which identifies the key, high utility quotes in each scene of the play. These quotes are analysed in high detail and context also considered. This revision resource has been made by a student who achieved an A* in English Literature at A level, and is the perfect d...
‘Incongruous… a moth’- Blanche is an outsider who does not fit in- she represents different values
and believes herself to be above her surroundings. A moth is delicate and fragile, and also drawn to
danger and light, sometimes getting burned in the process- this therefore suggests Blanche might
also come to harm, as just as a moth is scorched by contact with a bulb, her illusions are destroyed in
the bright light of truth that Stanley and Mitch force her into.
‘They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries’- this
foreshadows Blanche’s fate at the end of the play: how sexual desire can lead to the death of her
personality and spirit. The juxtaposition highlights the danger of living a reckless life, as its very easy
to cross the line to death and misery. This is therefore both a literal and allegorical journey- she has
ridden desire to the end of the line and has now hit rock bottom before arriving here. Also, as a
streetcar is on rails, it cannot veer away from its destination, implying a sense of fate, as is Blanche
were doomed from the beginning.
‘He heaves the package at her… Meat!’- this is symbolic of Stanley asserting his power and throwing
his sexuality at Stella- the entrance with the meat also showing his primitive nature, like a provider
returning from a hunt. His monosyllabic exclamation further illuminates his simplistic nature, and the
red symbol connotes to ideas of sex, desire and power. His masculinity and sexuality is perhaps
metaphorical for his sexually dominant nature, yet Stella seems to accept this: ‘she laughs
breathlessly’.
‘I,I,I took the blows in my face and body… the Grim reaper had put up his tent on our doorstep…
Where were you! In bed with your- Polack!’ This whole speech acts as an outpouring of Blanche’s
feelings, showing how she lacks self-control and is haunted by her past. The repetition of the
personal pronoun ‘I’ not only portrays Blanche as a victim as she was left to cope with the traumatic
loss alone, but also indicates her mental instability. Repetition and punctuation therefore
accentuates her hysteria and desperation, and imagery is also use here to personify death, making it
seem as though Blanche was entrapped in hell itself. This is a monologue of self-pity, giving the first
insight into how Blanche’s past experiences affect and haunt her present self.
Scene 2:
Blanche is bathing to ‘quiet her nerves’ and console herself. This could also be seen as symbolic of
her attempt to cleanse her conscience and the guilt she feels about her husbands suicide. As the play
progresses, bathing becomes a ritual for Blanche to act out her fantasies, like a form of escapism
from reality. Bathing allows an oasis for Blanche, away from the claustrophobic flat.
Stanley’s discussion of the Napoleonic code in scene 2 shows how it was normal for men to have and
expect control over women- ‘what belongs to the wife belongs to the husband and vice versa.’ This
was a code of law recognized in New Orleans from the days of French rule, that placed women’s
property in the hands of their husbands. Calling upon this code enables Stanley to justify his feelings
of entitlement towards Stella’s inheritance. In doing so, he shows that he is ignorant of legal
technicalities, because Belle Reve, located in Mississippi, wouldn’t fall under New Orleans
jurisdiction
, Stanley’s animalistic movements in scene 2- ‘stalks’ ‘ominously’ ‘hurls’ ‘jerks out an armful of
dresses’- illuminates how he is capable of harm, creating a sense of foreboding as the audience
expect an attack almost. There is a swift change between active and passive verbs, highlighting his
erratic nature.
‘If I didn’t know that you was my wife’s sister I’d get ideas about you!’- foreshadows when he later
takes advantage of her.
Scene 3:
‘Men are at the peak of their physical manhood, as course and direct and powerful as the primary
colours.’ The contrasting colours reflects the contrasting personalities of the men, and perhaps how
they are also in competition with each other- both literally as they play poker, but also
metaphorically as they fight for position as the boldest, alpha male. The primary colours are also the
most fundamental- does this symbolize how men are not only powerful, but are the foundation of
society by which women are reliant on? OR- simplistic in comparison to their female counterparts?
Kitchen is lit up in ‘lurid nocturnal brilliance’ under a ‘vivid green glass shade’- artificially lurid, vivid
kitchen in the middle of the night is somewhat sinister and hell like. Sets the appropriate
atmosphere for the tensions in this scene.
Mitch: ‘I gotta sick mother.’ ‘moves in awkward imitation like a dancing bear’- soft and clumsy
character. But though soft on the outside, a bear is still a predator, implying that like Stanley Mitch
also has the ability to cause harm.
Stanley: ‘stalks fiercely’ ‘gives a loud whack of his hand on her thigh.’
At the end of the scene, after the abuse of Stella, Stanley returns and calls for her- ‘they come
together with low, animal moans’. This shows how their relationship exists on a deep primal level,
based on sexual attraction and desire. Love has blinded Stella- perhaps it is the baby that ties her
down to Stanley, which means she has to endure abuse to protect herself and her child, as she likely
could not survive as a divorced woman.
Scene 4:
‘Her face is serene in the early morning sunlight… her eyes and lips have the almost narcotized
tranquility that is in the face of eastern idols’. Stella’s face glows after a night with Stanley, just like
an Eastern idol, and it is almost as if there is a mystical aspect to Stella and Stanley’s violent
attraction. It is almost as if she has just taken part in something holy. Narcotized also implies that she
has been drugged- almost an addiction to Stanley’s sexual nature.
‘I have a plan for us, to get us both- out!’ ‘Darling Shep. Sister and I are in a desperate situation’.
Shep Huntleigh develops as a symbol of Blanche’s potential escape from this world, illuminating her
descent into a world of illusion, as there is no evidence that Blanche is truly in contact with Shep.
Blanche’s brute speech: ‘something sub human- something not quite to the stage of humanity
yet!... Don’t hang back with the brutes!’ Blanche casts her judgement on Stanley, and this speech
illuminates the conflict between their two ways of life. Blanche is unable to adapt and she maintains
a sense of superiority over Stanley, likening him to a degenerate- this is likely also partially motivated
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