A Streetcar Named Desire- Blanche quote bank

Quote

Scene

Analysis

Themes/Motif/Devices

‘Her appearance is incongruous to the setting’

1

Blanche is seen as other to the setting of New Orleans, immediately established as an outsider

-Old South vs New South

‘Her delicate beauty must avoid a strong light…suggests a moth’

1

Beginning of the motif of light associated with Blanche. Seen as fragile and delicate, moth courts with danger but is burnt by the light. Foreshadows the truth being Blanches downfall.

-Truth/illusion

-Light motif

‘They told me to take a streetcar named desire and then transfer to once called Cemeteries’

1

Desire for Blanche is the opposite to death, it is survival, helped her escape thoughts of her husband and home. Fighting to keep conflicting desires of romantic love and marriage and sexual promiscuity arising after her husband’s death.

-Desire/Destruction/Death

‘She’s soaking in a hot tub to quiet her nerves’

2

Start of Blanche’s ritualistic bathing in order to cleanse herself of her past sins.

-Truth/illusion

-Bathing motif

‘Maybe he’s what we need to mix our blood with now’

2

In order to survive it seems to culture of the New South must be adopted by people like Blanche and Stella.

-Old South vs New South

‘Please don’t get up’

3

Shows her old-fashioned Old South ideals of chivalry that seem to have died in New Orleans for all men apart from Mitch.

-Old South vs New South

-Class

‘I can’t stand a naked light bulb anymore than I cans stand a rude remark or vulgar action’

3

Light for Blanche seems to suggest the harsh truth and reality of her husband’s death and her own promiscuous past. By avoiding the light Blanche is able to maintain a temporary world of illusions.

-Truth/illusion

‘Thank you for being so kind, I need kindness now’

3

Blanche’s desire to depend on a man and sustain her old-fashioned dream. Mitch is the only character to initially supply her with kindness not because of any sexual action.

-Repression/ Dependence

-Truth/illusion

‘Brutal desire-just- Desire!’

4

Blanche condemns Stella’s sexual desire hypocritically attempting to continue her masquerade as a pure Southern Belle.

-Desire/ Destruction/ Death

-Passion/ Sexuality

‘When men are drinking and playing poker anything can happen’

4

Men’s actions are not punished for drinking and enacting violent desires whereas women such as Blanche must conceal their drinking and mask their desires in order to be accepted by…