A Street Car Named Desire

?
  • Created by: edog420
  • Created on: 12-06-19 18:52

Key Events

  • scene 1 - Blanche arrives and meets Stanley
  • scene 2 - Stella tells Stanley about losing Belle Reve, he accuses Blanche of holding back money. Stellas pregnant
  • scene 3 - poker night - Stanley hits Stella and she goes back to him, Blanche meets Mitch
  • scene 4 - Blanche tries to convince Stella to leave Stanley
  • scene 5 - Stanley reveals Blanches past in Laurel Blanche kisses the young man
  • scene 6 - Blanche goes on a date with Mitch - Allens birthday
  • scene 7 - Blanches birthday- Mitch doesnt turn up
  • scene 8 - Stella goes into labour
  • scene 9 - Mitch confronts Blanche
  • scene 10 - Stanley rapes Blanche
  • scene 11 - Blanche is taken to an insane asylum
1 of 9

AO2

  • polka music to symbolise Blanches mental deterioration 
  • cinematic elements- lights and dark music 
  • combination of realism and lyricism 
  • tableaux ending of scene 4
  • elysian fields- greek paradise for heroes
  • fast paced 11 scene 1 act play
  • tragedy
  • blanche is in all 11 scenes - unity of actions
  • unity of space, domestic setting creates claustrophobia - pushes blanche and stanley to climax
  • stanley is described using a semantic field of animalistic imagery
  • foreshadowing
  • climax of scene 10 (change from reality to high tragedy)
  • as characters and settings change theyre less predictable and their unexpected ambiguity heightens the drama
  • imagery of dark and light
  • stage directions are connected with the emotions of the characters
2 of 9

AO3

  • lack of understanding of mental health
  • audience of 1947 cheered when blanche was *****
  • audience is influenced by the movie tableaux in scene four
  • american cinema was at its height of popularity
  • williams himself struggled with alcholism, depression and homosexuality
  • williams sister had schizophrenia and a lobotomy
  • blanche is old america and is isolated in new america
  • 'melting pot' of new orleans, vibrant and multi cultural
  • post war text 1947
  • patriachal society
  • stanley is new america and believes everyone can succeed equally
3 of 9

AO4

  • passion 
  • hope vs hopeless
  • postmodern
  • vehicle for authors views
  • geographically close
  • boiling pot vs melting pot
  • negative dreams in a stret car named desire
  • female protagonist
  • new vs old america
  • drew on the romantic myth of the south- blanche is the romantic southern belle- similar to 'The Glass Menagerie'
  • unconventional techniques also similar to the glass menagerie
  • domestic setting pushes them apart
  • clash of cultures
  • isolation pushes them further away from one another
4 of 9

Critics

  • 'virtually unique as a stage piece that is born personal and social' - clurman
  • 'a squalid anecdote of a nymphomanics decay in a new orleans slum' - trewin
  • 'strictly and even puritanically' - hobson
  • 'destructive' and 'dangerous' (blanche) - kazan
  • ' her refusal to accept blanches story of the **** is a commitment to self preservation' - mcgilinn
5 of 9

Stanley

  • abusive
  • animalistic
  • stereotype of a man
  • just like leroy
  • typical of period
  • new america
  • passionate
  • ruins blanche for self pleasure
6 of 9

Mitch

  • old america
  • cares about his mothers opinion just like skeeter
  • sentimental
  • scared of stanley
  • atypical of time period - emotional
  • dying mother 
  • caring nature just like celia
7 of 9

Stella

  • stereotype
  • wants to make her husband proud like celia
  • typical of time period - cooking cleaning children
  • controlled by stanley
  • abusive husband just like minny
  • husband over sister
  • wants to conform to expectations like aibileen
  • wants to please loved ones like skeeter
8 of 9

Blanche

  • unity of actions
  • scared similar to minny
  • alcholic
  • goes against expectations like skeeter
  • wants change
  • isolated in new america
  • divides readers similar to hilly?
  • not a stereotype even though we initially thought she was just like celia
  • sexual nature
  • mental health struggle- dead husband
9 of 9

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar English Literature resources:

See all English Literature resources »See all A Streetcare Named Desire resources »