A Streetcar Named Desire - Intertextual Allusions and References

Scene One

·         Edgar Allen Poe – known for his tales of mystery and horror.

o   Blanche refers to him as a way of conveying her own horror at Stella’s living conditions; she can’t believe that she isn’t living in somewhere such as Belle Reve as she is still desperately clinging onto her past and old world values.

Scene Two

·         “From the land of sky blue water” – popular song from early 20^th Century

o   Final line = “the captive maid is mute” which could be a reference to blanche herself as she has no say in how her sister lives and, at the end of the play, she is effectively silenced.

o   She is trapped by her own mind which is her ultimate downfall when Stanley exploits this weakness.

·         Napoleonic Code – a code of law originating in France & adopted by Louisiana – a woman’s possessions are co-owned with her husband.

o   However this only applies to certain types of properly and therefore Stanley is mistaken when he believes that if it is valuable, he is entitled to a share of Belle Reve.

o   Gives feminist view; shows that women’s rights were limited at best – they could inherit property but she had to share/co-own it with her husband who would probably have more power. They weren’t trusted to have their own money or possessions and this code is a form of female oppression as it limits their rights.

Scene Three

·         Van Gogh’s 1888 painting “The Night Café in the Place Lamartine in Arles”

o   The billiard parlour evokes an atmosphere of sickly depression and claustrophobia; the colours are gaudy and the lighing excessive; the characters seem despondent to the point of despair

o   Symbolises the atmosphere of the kitchen where the poker players are expected to pretend they’re having a good time even though it’s more likely that they aren’t.

o   Colour yellow can signify sickness/lunacy.

·         “Hawthorne, Whitman and Poe” –C19 American Authors whose work often focused on the dark underbelly of American society

o   The world that not many of us would necessarily see but they did; Poe for example was an alcoholic who had a penchant for living on the outskirts of society – he wasn’t one of the elite.

o   Bringing to light what most of us do not want to see or think about it as it is too upsetting/disturbing.

·         Paper Doll – final lines read “I’d rather have a Paper Doll to call my own/Than have a fickle-minded real live girl”

o   Parody of desire that privileges appearance over reality; reflects Blanche’s state of mind and her insistence on trying to live a fantasy life. Everything about her life is make believe to the point that she thinks it’s true – shows how unhinged she is.

o   Stella…