A Streetcar Named Desire presents
a sharp critique of the way the institutions and attitudes of postwar America placed restrictions on women’s lives
. Williams uses Blanche’s and Stella’s dependence on men to expose and critique the treatment of women during the transition from the old to the new South.
What are the themes of A Streetcar Named Desire?
A Streetcar Named Desire deals with themes commonly found in Tennessee Williams’ work:
madness, homosexuality, and the contrast between the Old and the New South
.
What is the most important theme in A Streetcar Named Desire?
The power of sexual desire
is the engine propelling A Streetcar Named Desire: all of the characters are driven by “that rattle-trap street-car” in various ways. Much of Blanche’s conception of how she operates in the world relies on her perception of herself as an object of male sexual desire.
What does the streetcar named desire symbolize?
The Streetcar Symbol Analysis
Williams called the streetcar the “ideal metaphor for the human condition.” The play’s title refers not only to a real streetcar line in New Orleans but also symbolically to
the power of desire
as the driving force behind the characters’ actions.
What mental illness does Blanche DuBois have?
Signs of
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
are shown in her character and are significantly shown throughout the play as her character suffers many hardships. Blanche obviously wasn’t well and there were many reasons why she wasn’t.
WHAT IS A Streetcar Named Desire a metaphor for?
Williams called the streetcar the “ideal metaphor
for the human condition
.” The play’s title refers not only to a real streetcar line in New Orleans but also symbolically to the power of desire as the driving force behind the characters’ actions.
What is Blanche’s tragic flaw?
Throughout Tennessee William’s play “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Blanche Dubois exemplified several tragic flaws. She suffered from
her haunting past
; her inability to overcome; her desire to be someone else; and from the cruel, animalistic treatment she received from Stanley.
Why is it called Streetcar Named Desire?
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE WAS
NAMED AFTER A REAL STREETCAR LINE
. Named for its endpoint on Desire Street in the Ninth Ward, the Desire line ran down Canal Street onto Bourbon and beyond.
Why does Stanley drink?
Drunkenness. Both Stanley and Blanche drink excessively at various points during the play. Stanley’s drinking is social: he
drinks with his friends at the bar
, during their poker games, and to celebrate the birth of his child.
Why is death the opposite of desire?
Throughout the play, the theme of death is the opposite of desire is
developed through the main character’s need to be desired or desirable
. Blanch wants to be desired. … Stanley desires a normal life without Blanche so bad, that he completely broke her to get it. Stanley also wants to be desired.
What is the symbolism of the streetcar that Blanche mentions in her conversation with Stella?
Stella defends her relationship with Stanley through their sexual chemistry. Blanche uses the streetcar named Desire symbolically, saying that
carnal desire is not a way to run a life
. But Blanche herself has ridden Desire to arrive in New Orleans; in other words, her own lust has taken her to the end of the line.
What is the main conflict in A Streetcar Named Desire?
Major conflict
Blanche DuBois, an aging Southern debutante, arrives at her sister’s home in New Orleans hoping to start a new life after losing her ancestral mansion, her job, and her reputation in her hometown of Laurel, Mississippi
.
What is wrong with Blanche Streetcar Named Desire?
She also has a bad drinking problem, which she covers up poorly. Behind her veneer of social snobbery and sexual propriety, Blanche is
an insecure, dislocated individual
. She is an aging Southern belle who lives in a state of perpetual panic about her fading beauty.
How does Stanley destroy Blanche?
As the play progresses, Blanche’s instability grows along with her misfortune. Stanley sees through Blanche and finds out the details of her past, destroying her relationship with his friend Mitch. Stanley also destroys
what’s left of Blanche by raping her and then having her committed to an insane asylum
.
Does Blanche Dubois have PTSD?
Specifically, that the characters Blanche and Brick have undergone such significant trauma that
they both develop post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD). While Blanche uses limited resources available to her to find reprieve from PTSD, her community thwarts these attempts.
What does meat symbolize in A Streetcar Named Desire?
The meat is symbolic of
Stanley and Stella’s physical relationship
. At first she is reluctant at first to catch the raw meat but gives in and laughs about it. Stella catching the meat represents how she yearns to be with Stanley in a physical way.
