A Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams

Summary Blanche DuBois: A former beauty and member of an elite social set. She has not, and cannot, adjust to her loss of standing and wealth Stanley Kowalski: former soldier and current salesman. He is masculine, forceful and has a bestial sense of life Stella Kowalski: caught in the middle. Chooses husband over sister. Mitch: yearns for love and has gentle nature. MAJOR THEMES: perception and reality, loyalty, honesty and choice SETTING: New Orleans after WW11 (1948)

Blanche DuBois Frightened Unable to adjust to her changing situation Guilt ridden Uses her sexuality to gain protection/love Faded Southern beauty Symbol of the old South Pretends to be what she is not Moth-like Borders on madness/driven to it Yearning

Stanley Kowalski Brutal Energetic Brash/loud Modern Sexist Uses sexuality as symbol of power Resentful of anyone who thinks they are better than he is Overbearing Crass Physical

Stella Kowalski Symbol of transition between old and new worlds Gentle Excited by Stanley’s physicality Torn between loyalty to her husband and her sister Sensitive Weak Pacifist Understanding Practical

Mitch Lonely Loyal Weak Sensitive Gentle Patient Good-natured

Fantasy and Reality Blanche creates a façade of illusion in order to cope with her past (shattered and harsh). She tells what ‘ought to be the truth’ When she finally retreats into her fantasy, she is hauled off as insane but is in fact, happier there than in her reality

Fantasy and Reality Stanley refuses Blanche’s description of him as a ‘brute’ and ‘ape’ when they are in fact, accurate. His illusion is that he is in control, yet he is merely a bully, using physical force There is no superiority in him despite his claims that he is ‘King around here’ He is cruel and cunning and deludes others into seeing that cruelty as honourable

Fantasy and Reality Stella makes a clear choice between reality and fantasy because she ‘couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley’ This echoes her willingness to overlook Stanley’s physical abuse

Desire and Death The play suggests that the blind pursuit of desire leads to death itself – the Streetcar named Desire leads to the Cemeteries which lands you in Elysian Fields where residents are doomed to repeat the same errors in life Blanche uses sexual desire to fill the emotional void – the kindness of strangers Her desire to reconnect with her sister leads to her mental devastation Sexual desire between Stella and Stanley pulls her from her columns and ends her gentility The sexual act is used to connect the characters but in using it this way, they lose something of themselves.

Power and Vulnerability All of the characters are vulnerable in the play and they each use all the power at their disposal to avoid exposing this. Stanley – physical and verbal power prevents criticism Stella – sexuality and submission to keep Stanley from using his power Blanche – sexuality and powers of illusion to protect her from damage

Whose Reality? How do the various elements of the play explore the issue of whose reality?

The SAC – Creating and Presenting Prompt: there is no such thing as an absolute reality Expository Persuasive Imaginative