A Streetcar

Named Desire
Study Guide by Course Hero

theme of the play: the many desires that motivate the major
What's Inside characters.

j Book Basics ................................................................................................. 1

d In Context ..................................................................................................... 1
d In Context
a Author Biography ..................................................................................... 2 The production of A Streetcar Named Desire was strongly
influenced by a technique of acting called the Method,
h Characters .................................................................................................. 3 developed by the Russian actor and producer Konstantin
Stanislavsky in the early 1920s. Stanislavsky wanted to create
k Plot Summary ............................................................................................. 6
a realistic style of acting that did not appear artificial, but
c Scene Summaries ................................................................................... 11 instead reflected the way people behaved in everyday life. To
accomplish this goal he stressed that actors rely on their
g Quotes ........................................................................................................ 23 emotional memories, or their own past emotions and
experiences, as they performed a role.
l Symbols ...................................................................................................... 25
The Stanislavsky system, or the Method, had a strong effect
m Themes ...................................................................................................... 26
on many American directors, including Elia Kazan. However, in

b Motifs .......................................................................................................... 28 the early 1940s, the Method remained a controversial acting
style, not used by the vast majority of thespians. This situation
e Suggested Reading .............................................................................. 29 changed with A Streetcar Named Desire and the casting of
Marlon Brando in the role of Stanley Kowalski.

Hired to direct the stage production of Streetcar, Kazan had

j Book Basics problems casting the role of Stanley. Tennessee Williams also
had problems with Stanley, fearing he created a character who
was so antagonistic audiences would not be able to identify
AUTHOR
with him. Ideally Williams did not want the audience to
Tennessee Williams
condemn either Stanley or Blanche DuBois, but instead to
FIRST PERFORMED realize the tragedy of the misunderstanding between these
1947 characters. Then Kazan auditioned Brando and realized he
could use the Method to tap qualities within the actor to create
GENRE a compelling rendition of Stanley Kowalski.
Drama
Soon Brando auditioned for Williams, who was also very
ABOUT THE TITLE impressed. Williams felt Brando had the vulnerability to make
Lead character Blanche DuBois takes an actual New Orleans Stanley a three-dimensional character with whom audiences
streetcar line named Desire to arrive at her sister's home. The could sympathize. Kazan helped Brando tap into aspects of his
title A Streetcar Named Desire also serves to unify a major emotional history, such as anger regarding his alcoholic
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide Author Biography 2

parents, to give a dynamic performance that gave the sister's husband, a brutal man named Stanley Kowalski, are in
character the complexity Williams wanted. constant conflict. A Streetcar Named Desire intertwines
several influences from Williams's life. Blanche DuBois
combines the refined sensibilities of his mother with the mental

a Author Biography illness of his sister. Williams's frustration with the job he hated
is reflected in Blanche's feeling that she is caught in a trap that
stifles her refined, artistic spirit. Domineering and brutal,
Born Thomas Lanier Williams on March 26, 1911, in Columbus,
Stanley Kowalski is drawn from Williams's father.
Mississippi, Tennessee Williams became one of the most
prominent American playwrights of the 20th century. His A Streetcar Named Desire received largely rave reviews upon
father, Cornelius, was a hard-working traveling salesman. its debut. Critics hailed it as being poetically written, insightful,
Williams's mother, Edwina, viewed herself as a Southern belle and honest. The audience at its Broadway debut gave it a 30-
and often fought with her harsh, demanding husband. Williams minute standing ovation. Some critics objected to the play's
also had an older sister, Rose, and a younger brother, Walter. frank depiction of sexuality, drinking, domestic abuse, and
rape, accusing Williams of using this subject matter strictly for
Williams began writing for himself at age five and continued
shock value. Since its debut, literary critics have written
this pursuit throughout his childhood. His mother encouraged
extensively about the play and tend to fall into three camps
Williams's aspirations and, as a token of her support, bought
regarding the play's central focus.
him a typewriter at age 13. However his father failed to
understand his son, who, in addition to being artistic, was Some critics see Blanche's internal conflicts, or the way she
homosexual. struggles with opposing forces within herself, as the heart of
Streetcar. Other critics see the power struggle between
In 1928 his family moved to St. Louis, Missouri. Williams
Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski as the play's focal point,
entered the University of Missouri, but his father soon forced
representing a showdown between different social values. A
him to leave and get a job as a clerk for a shoe company.
third group of critics sees A Streetcar Named Desire as being
Williams detested this work, but he continued to write stories
more ambiguous, claiming that the antagonism between
and poems in his spare time. During this period his older sister,
Blanche and Stanley is not so clear-cut. They point out that
Rose, with whom Williams was very close, began to suffer from
neither character's behavior is dependably sympathetic. They
mental illness and was institutionalized. In 1935 Williams wrote
also point to the play's unsatisfactory ending, which they claim
his first play, Cairo, Shanghai, Bombay! Eventually, after years
confuses the audience who can't clearly identify whether
of working at the job he hated, Williams had a nervous
Stanley or Blanche "wins" in the end. However others assert
breakdown. After recovering he enrolled at Washington
the play's ambiguity is its strength, arguing that Williams
University in 1937 and then transferred to the University of
intentionally depicts the major characters as flawed and
Iowa, where he majored in writing. Local theater groups
contradictory to reveal the paradoxes of life. For these critics
produced some of his plays.
the real tragedy of A Streetcar Named Desire is the failure of
After graduating at age 28, Williams moved to New Orleans in the main characters to truly understand each other.
1939 and took the name "Tennessee" Williams. Williams loved
A Streetcar Named Desire won a Pulitzer Prize and a Drama
the atmosphere of New Orleans, which inspired his writing.
Critics' Circle award. Williams went on to write a series of hit
Soon Williams got an agent, Audrey Wood, who became a
plays, including The Rose Tattoo (1951), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
lifelong adviser. His play Battle of Angels was produced in
(1955, also a Pulitzer Prize winner), and Sweet Bird of Youth
Boston, but flopped. Then Williams wrote a play called The
(1959). His writing began to decline in the early 60s, as did his
Glass Menagerie and spent years revising it. Finally, in 1945
commercial success. He published his autobiography in 1975,
The Glass Menagerie debuted on Broadway to rave reviews.
claiming he needed the large sum of money advanced by the
Williams followed this success with an even bigger one—A publisher.
Streetcar Named Desire, produced in 1947. The play portrays a
Williams's plays often explore human vulnerability through
faded Southern belle named Blanche DuBois, who comes to
controversial subjects such as mental illness, alcoholism, aging,
New Orleans to live with her sister. However, she and her

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A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
and sexual desire, including homosexuality. While often
hesitant to make a direct link between his life and his work,
Williams had personal experience with many of these issues.
He was openly homosexual during a time when homosexuality
was not considered socially acceptable in mainstream
American culture. He struggled with depression throughout his
life, and he experienced another mental breakdown in 1969. By
the 1960s Williams also suffered from drug and alcohol
addiction that continued to haunt him until the end of his life.
On February 25, 1983, he choked to death at age 71 on a bottle
cap that had lodged in his throat. His body was found
surrounded by wine and pill bottles.
h Characters
Blanche DuBois
Blanche DuBois comes from a formerly wealthy Southern
family that owned a plantation called Belle Reve. Raised as a
refined lady, Blanche does not cope well with life's harsh
realities and feels she needs a man to protect her. Blanche is
also a person who uses desire and illusion to suppress the
reality of death and loss. When Blanche was young, she
married a man who committed suicide when Blanche rejected
him for being homosexual. Since then Blanche has had affairs
with several men, including a 17-year-old boy, in an attempt to
escape the trauma caused by the death of her husband. When
Blanche arrives at the apartment of her sister Stella and
husband Stanley Kowalski in New Orleans, she is a desperate
woman about 30 years old. She has lost the family estate,
Belle Reve, and has been kicked out of her hometown because
of her sexual promiscuity. Ashamed of her past, Blanche tries
to hide it. She keeps up the Southern belle act to protect
herself from the harsh world and to get a man to marry her.
However Blanche's ladylike affectations clash with Stanley's
crude manners, and they come to hate each other. Blanche
tries to get Stella to leave her brutish husband. Eventually
Stanley reveals the truth about Blanche to Stella and Mitch, the
man Blanche is dating. Mitch refuses to marry her, crushing her
hopes. Stanley confronts Blanche about being a liar and rapes
her. As a result Blanche becomes mentally unstable.
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Characters 3
Stanley Kowalski
Stanley Kowalski lives with his wife Stella in a small apartment
in New Orleans. He is in his late 20s and works as a traveling
salesman. Stanley is a crude, domineering man who is
physically imposing. He sees himself as the ruler of his family.
As a result he feels he has the right to order his wife around
and expects to be obeyed. When Stanley feels this power
structure is threatened, he can become violent, throwing things
and beating Stella. Even so Stanley has a strong sexual and
emotional bond with his wife. After he strikes her, Stanley feels
remorse and wants Stella to forgive him by sleeping with him.
When Blanche comes to stay with him and Stella, Stanley
immediately clashes with her. She is everything he is not and
vice versa. Blanche has refined manners, loves romantic ideals,
lies about herself, and manipulates through flirtation. Stanley
has crude manners, loves down-to-earth ideas, is bluntly
honest, and manipulates through physical intimidation. Stanley
hates Blanche's superior attitude toward him and sees her as a
threat to his family order. As a result he uncovers the truth
about Blanche's sexual history in Laurel and uses it against her,
then rapes her.
Stella Kowalski
Stella Kowalski is Stanley's wife and Blanche DuBois's younger
sister. Stella is more practical and adaptable than Blanche.
When the DuBois plantation is having financial problems, Stella
leaves and starts a new life in New Orleans. In contrast
Blanche remains at Belle Reve and tries hopelessly to save it.
Like Blanche, Stella was raised to be a refined lady. However
Stella is willing to cast aside her upper-class affectations and
marry Stanley, a crude, working-class man. Stella acts as a
mediator between Blanche and Stanley. She loves them both.
Because of this Stella tries to support her sister while
remaining a good wife to Stanley. However she realizes in the
end that she is unable to satisfy either one of them. As a result
she refuses to believe Blanche's story about being raped by
Stanley. If Stella did believe it, she would not be able to live
with her husband. Instead Stella betrays her sister when she
helps Stanley get rid of Blanche by sending her to a mental
institution.
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide Characters 4

Mitch
Mitch is Stanley Kowalski's good friend. Mitch served in the
army with Stanley and works for the same company. In his late
20s, Mitch is single and lives with his sick mother. He has an
innate kindness and gentleness. He believes Blanche's
Southern belle act and falls in love with her. For her part
Blanche likes Mitch and wants to marry him so he will protect
her. Mitch becomes suspicious of Blanche because she seems
to be trying to hide her age. When Stanley tells Mitch the truth
about Blanche's sexual history in Laurel, Mitch becomes
disillusioned and bitter and refuses to marry Blanche.
Nevertheless, although Mitch probably does not know about
Stanley raping Blanche, he does realize that Stanley mistreats
her when she is mentally fragile, and he tries to prevent Stanley
from forcing Blanche to leave. However Mitch's attempt proves
futile, and he remains a broken man dominated by Stanley.

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A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide Characters 5

Character Map

Poker buddies Stanley Kowalski

Domineering working-
class man

Friends Spouses

Antagonists

Stella Kowalski
Mitch
Passionate but down-
Sensitive man
to-earth woman

Dating Sisters
Blanche DuBois
Fragile, self-deluded
Southern belle

Neighbors

Steve Spouses Eunice

Passionate and abusive man High-strung woman

Main Character

Other Major Character

Minor Character

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A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide Plot Summary 6

Full Character List k Plot Summary

Character Description A Streetcar Named Desire takes place in a racially mixed area
of New Orleans called Elysian Fields. A refined-looking school
Blanche DuBois uses her traditional, teacher named Blanche comes to visit her sister Stella and
Blanche
upper-​class Southern values to hide brother-in-law Stanley. Stella and Stanley live in a first-floor,
DuBois
from reality. two-room apartment. As Blanche waits alone in the apartment
for her sister to arrive, she sneaks a drink of liquor. Soon Stella
Stanley Kowalski is the husband of comes and greets her sister warmly. However, despite
Stanley Stella, who uses his physical strength
Blanche's friendliness, she seems to have an underlying
Kowalski and brutish behavior to preserve his
family's power structure. nervousness. Blanche claims she was given a leave of absence
from her teaching position to rest her nerves.
Stella Kowalski is Blanche's sister and
Stella Kowalski Stanley's wife who tries to act as a Blanche reveals that their family lost their home, a plantation
mediator between them. called Belle Reve (from the French meaning "beautiful dream").
Blanche seems bitter toward Stella for leaving Belle Reve and
Mitch is a good friend of Stanley, who going to New Orleans. Blanche feels she was left with all the
Mitch falls in love with Blanche and then responsibility of holding on to the estate. After a series of
becomes disillusioned with her.
deaths in the family and a foreclosure on the mortgage,
Blanche had to let Belle Reve go.
Allan is Blanche's young husband who
Allan
commits suicide.
Stanley arrives. Blanche's demure manners contrast sharply
with his crude, working-class manners. Stella tells Stanley she
The Doctor works for a state mental
Doctor and Blanche are going out to dinner and a movie. Stanley
hospital.
becomes upset when he learns Blanche lost Belle Reve. He
suspects Blanche sold the estate and kept the money. Stanley
Eunice is Steve's wife and Stella's
Eunice friend and lives in the apartment above believes in the Napoleonic Code, which means he thinks all his
the Kowalskis. wife's property belongs to him and vice versa. So he feels he is
part owner of Belle Reve and wants to find out what happened
The Matron works for the state mental to it. Stanley confronts Blanche about the plantation. Blanche
Matron
hospital. shows Stanley her business papers and says Belle Reve was
lost because its mortgage was foreclosed. Somewhat
Mexican The Mexican woman sells tin flowers appeased, Stanley mentions Stella is pregnant. Happy for
woman to honor the dead.
Stella, Blanche leaves with her sister for the restaurant.

The Negro woman is a neighbor of the
Negro woman
Kowalskis.
Pablo is Stanley's friend and one of
Pablo
the poker players.
Steve is Eunice's husband and
Steve Stanley's friend and lives in the
apartment above the Kowalskis.
The young man collects for a
Young man
newspaper and attracts Blanche.
Early in the morning Stanley and his friends Mitch, Steve, and
Pablo play poker in the Kowalski kitchen. Stanley seems
annoyed because he's losing. Stella and Blanche return from
their night out and go into the bedroom. Blanche turns on the
radio. Stanley orders her to turn it off. When she doesn't,
Stanley turns it off himself. Mitch leaves the game and goes
into the bedroom to talk to Blanche. They have a friendly
conversation, and they learn that neither of them is married.
Blanche turns on the radio again. Furious Stanley storms into
the bedroom and throws the radio out the window. When Stella
objects to his behavior, he hits her. Upset, Stella and Blanche
leave the apartment and go to Eunice's apartment on the

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A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
second floor. Stanley's friends calm him down. Filled with
remorse Stanley goes outside and calls Stella. He keeps
shouting her name until Stella comes down. She and Stanley
embrace. Stanley carries her into the bedroom.
While Stanley is out, Blanche tries to convince Stella to leave
her husband because of the brutish way he treats her.
However Stella seems content after making love with Stanley
the previous night. She thinks Blanche is overreacting and has
seen Stanley at his worst. Blanche is shocked by her sister's
nonchalant attitude about Stanley hitting her. Blanche
considers contacting an old college friend named Shep, who is
a millionaire, and asking him for a loan so she and Stella can
leave and start a business. Stella sees no reason to leave her
husband. Stanley returns to the house and secretly listens to
Blanche and Stella's conversation. Blanche calls Stanley a
subhuman animal and encourages Stella to leave him. Stanley
then goes back out and reenters his house, pretending he has
just arrived.
Stanley tells Blanche that a guy named Shaw says he had met
Blanche at the Hotel Flamingo in Laurel, Blanche's hometown.
This news flusters Blanche, but she denies ever going to a
seedy place like the Flamingo. Stanley leaves. Almost
panicking, Blanche asks Stella if she has heard any gossip
from Laurel. Surprised at Blanche's nervousness, Stella says
she's heard nothing and leaves to join Stanley. Alone in the
apartment, Blanche flirts with a young man who has come to
collect money for a newspaper. She kisses him on the lips.
Dumbfounded, the man leaves.
Mitch and Blanche return from a date at an amusement park,
and she invites him into the apartment. Stella and Stanley have
not yet returned. Blanche pours a drink for Mitch, who seems
to be infatuated with her. Blanche complains about the rude
way Stanley treats her and claims the only reason she stays is
because her sister is going to have a baby. Mitch says he
doesn't think Stanley understands Blanche. Mitch says he told
his mother how much he likes Blanche. Blanche asks if Mitch is
sincere about his feelings for her, and Mitch says he is.
Blanche tells him how years earlier she married a young man
she loved deeply. One day, though, she found her husband in a
sexual situation with another man. That evening, while out
dancing with her husband, Blanche told him that he disgusted
her. Her husband went outside and shot himself dead. Mitch
says it sounds as if both he and Blanche need somebody. They
kiss.
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Plot Summary 7
Months later Stella gets Blanche's birthday dinner ready while
Blanche takes a bath. Stanley tells his wife that Blanche has
been lying to them. Blanche stayed frequently at the Hotel
Flamingo, where she had affairs with several men. Her behavior
became notorious in Laurel. Also Blanche had sex with one of
her high school students. When the school administration
found out, they fired Blanche from her teaching position. Stella
refuses to believe these stories, but Stanley claims he has
verified them. Stanley has also told Mitch the same information,
and he tells Stella not to expect Mitch to come to the birthday
party. Blanche comes out of the bathroom and realizes from
Stella's expression that something has happened.
In the Kowalski kitchen, Blanche, Stella, and Stanley finish
Blanche's birthday dinner. Mitch does not show up. Stanley
gets mad at his wife for calling him a slob and throws his plate
and cup on the floor. Blanche thinks her sister might know why
Mitch did not come, but Stella says she knows nothing.
Blanche calls Mitch on the phone and leaves a message.
Stanley tells Stella that everything will be better once Blanche
leaves. Stanley gives Blanche a "birthday present"—a one-way
ticket back to Laurel. Upset, Blanche runs into the bathroom.
Stella feels birth pains and tells Stanley to take her to the
hospital.
Alone in the apartment, Blanche sits hunched in a chair. Mitch,
who is half-drunk, visits her. He acts coldly toward her and
calls her a liar, then mentions her outrageous behavior in
Laurel. Blanche admits to having affairs with strangers and
says she was driven by panic. Mitch embraces her, asking
Blanche to have sex with him. She begs him to marry her
instead. Mitch says Blanche isn't clean enough to bring home
to his mother. Blanche screams, causing Mitch to leave.
Blanche drinks liquor and packs her bags. Stanley comes back
from the hospital to get some sleep. Stella won't give birth until
the next morning. Blanche pretends to have received an
invitation from Shep to go on a cruise and claims Mitch came
back to apologize. Stanley mocks Blanche and says he's
known from the start that she is a liar. He approaches her
menacingly, and she breaks a bottle to defend herself. When
Stanley lunges at her, Blanche takes a swipe at him with the
bottle's jagged edge. He grabs her wrist, forcing her to drop
the bottle. He then forces her onto the bed.
Weeks later, Stanley, Mitch, Steve, and Pablo play poker in the
kitchen. In the bedroom Stella talks to her friend Eunice. Stella
has made arrangements to take Blanche to a state mental
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide Plot Summary 8

hospital but has told Blanche that Shep is going to take

Blanche away. Stella couldn't believe Blanche's story about
Stanley raping her because Stella wants to preserve her
marriage. When Blanche comes out of the bathroom, Stella
and Eunice pretend they are getting Blanche ready to go on a
vacation.

Blanche seems to have a tentative hold on reality. She talks

about dying from eating an unwashed grape as if she knows
this will happen. The Doctor and Matron from the state mental
hospital arrive. Stella pretends the Doctor is Shep. However,
when Blanche sees the Doctor, she knows he is not Shep and
refuses to leave. Stanley gets up from the poker table and asks
in an intimidating way if Blanche forgot something. Blanche
says she has. The Matron grabs Blanche, who struggles with
her. Stella can't stand to watch and goes outside, where she is
comforted by Eunice. The Doctor pretends to be a gentleman
asking Blanche out for a walk. His approach calms her down,
and he escorts Blanche out of the apartment. Stella sobs
uncontrollably. Eunice hands Stella's baby to her. Stanley tries
to soothe his wife, who will not be consoled.

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A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide Plot Summary 9

Plot Diagram

Climax

7
Falling Action
6
Rising Action
5 8

4
9
3
Resolution
2
1

Introduction

7. Stanley accuses Blanche of lying and rapes her.

Introduction

1. Blanche DuBois arrives at her sister Stella's apartment.

Falling Action

8. Blanche becomes mentally unstable.

Rising Action

2. Stanley Kowalski beats his wife Stella.

Resolution
3. Stanley overhears Blanche tell Stella to leave him.
9. Stella sends Blanche to a state mental hospital.
4. Blanche and Mitch get romantically serious.

5. Stanley tells Stella and Mitch about Blanche's past.

6. Mitch tells Blanche he won't marry her.

Climax

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A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide Plot Summary 10

Timeline of Events

Spring evening

Blanche DuBois lands in New Orleans, planning a visit

with sister Stella and her husband Stanley.

Next night

Stanley gets angry at Blanche and Stella; he hits Stella.

Stella leaves him but quickly returns.

Next morning

Stanley overhears Blanche insult him and encourage

Stella to leave him.

Days later

Mitch and Blanche become romantically serious.

September, late afternoon

Stanley tells Stella her sister has been lying and has a
sordid past; Stanley also tells Mitch.

Hours later

Stanley gives Blanche a one-way bus ticket to leave

town.

Later that evening

Disillusioned with Blanche, Mitch tells her he won't marry

her.

Hours later

Stanley accuses Blanche of lying and rapes her.

Weeks later

Mentally imbalanced, Blanche is taken to a state mental

hospital; Stanley tries to console Stella.

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A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
c Scene Summaries
Scene 1
Summary
A Streetcar Named Desire is set in New Orleans on a street
called Elysian Fields. This area is rundown but still has charm,
with weathered houses decorated with quaint gables. Stanley
Kowalski and his wife Stella live in the downstairs apartment of
a two-story building. As the play opens, a white woman named
Eunice and a black woman talk on the steps of the building.
Piano music is heard from a nearby bar. Stanley Kowalski and
his friend Mitch walk up wearing work clothes. Stanley yells to
Stella, who comes out on the first-floor landing. He tosses her
a package of meat and says he's going bowling. Stella wants to
tag along to watch him. Stanley and Mitch leave together, and
Stella follows soon after.
Blanche Du Bois, dressed daintily in a white suit, enters
carrying a valise. She appears to be looking for the Kowalski
home, but seems stunned to find it in such a borderline
neighborhood. Blanche tells Eunice she is looking for Stella.
Eunice invites Blanche to wait for Stella in the Kowalski
apartment as the black woman goes to inform Stella of her
sister's arrival. The apartment consists of two rooms, a kitchen
and a bedroom, plus a bathroom. Blanche and Eunice enter.
Eunice asks a few general questions, but Blanche wants to be
left alone. Realizing this Eunice leaves to get Stella. Blanche
finds a whiskey bottle, pours a drink, and gulps it down. She
then washes out the glass, so no one will know that she has
been drinking alcohol.
Soon Stella enters. Blanche hugs her with frantic joy. The
sisters each have a drink of whiskey, and Blanche openly
criticizes the lower-class conditions in which her sister is living.
Blanche explains that she got a leave of absence from her
teaching position at a high school because she needs to rest
her nerves. She worries about staying with Stella and her
husband in such a small apartment because it lacks privacy.
Stella isn't concerned about this issue, but does seem
concerned about how Blanche will fit in with Stanley, a
working-class Polish American, and his friends. Stella admits
that Stanley doesn't know about Blanche's visit, which
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Scene Summaries 11
surprises Blanche. Then Stella describes how much she
misses her husband, who often travels for work. Blanche
explains how she struggled to keep their family home, a
Mississippi plantation called Belle Reve, but lost it. Blanche
seems bitter about Stella abandoning Belle Reve for New
Orleans, thereby leaving Blanche with the burden of trying to
hang on to it. A series of family deaths drained the meager
family funds, forcing Blanche to "let the place go."
Stanley, Mitch, and Steve arrive and make arrangements for a
poker game at Stanley's apartment. Stanley is a sturdy,
muscular man, who exudes sexual confidence and asserts his
dominant role in his family. He is surprised to meet Blanche;
however he accepts her staying with his family. Stanley's
crude, blunt manners contrast sharply with Blanche's ladylike
demeanor. Stanley mentions that Stella told him about
Blanche's marriage. Blanche admits she married when young,
but the boy died. She then feels sick.
Analysis
In Scene 1 Tennessee Williams immediately highlights the
play's major themes, beginning with the class differences. He
describes the New Orleans neighborhood of Elysian Fields as
a working-class area with weathered houses near the railroad
tracks. The Kowalski apartment is small and messy. In contrast
to this environment, Blanche DuBois arrives dressed as a
refined, upper-class lady. She is shocked by her sister's
shabby neighborhood and tiny apartment, but when she
expresses her concerns to her sister, Stella becomes
defensive, stating, "It's not that bad at all!" Williams also
introduces a major symbol, Belle Reve, a plantation with a big,
white-columned house where Stella and Blanche were raised.
It contrasts sharply with the working-class neighborhood of
Elysian Fields. For Blanche, Belle Reve symbolizes her family's
longstanding, upper-class traditions, which she values deeply.
Stella also seems concerned about how her sister will fit in
with her working-class husband and his friends. Stella advises
her "not to ... compare him with men we went out with at
home," but Blanche does exactly that, joking condescendingly
about Stanley's lowbrow Polish background. When Stanley
arrives the class differences between him and Blanche are
immediately apparent when he makes a crude joke and
realizes Blanche is not amused.
Williams also introduces the theme of desire, destruction, and
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide Scene Summaries 12

death. Blanche's first line in the play links a streetcar named
Desire, a streetcar named Cemeteries, and the neighborhood
called Elysian Fields. In Greek mythology Elysian Fields is the
final resting place of heroic souls. Therefore, with Blanche's
dialogue, Williams traces her progression in the play from
desire to destruction and death.
and their hot-blooded sexual passion. She admits, "I can hardly
stand it when he is away for a night." Stanley is a person who
blatantly expresses his sexual desire for her and Stella likes it.
Their frank sexuality flusters Blanche with her cultivated
manners and shadowy secrets.

Blanche's first expression of desire in the play is also

immediately paired with destruction and death. She states how
Scene 2
much she wanted to hang on to Belle Reve, but a series of
family deaths sapped her funds. Blanche says, "Death is
expensive, Miss Stella!" Later Blanche admits marrying a young
Summary
man who died. Here desire is coupled with death, her family
In the Kowalski apartment, Stella tells Stanley to treat Blanche
estate, and her marriage.
nicely because she's upset about losing Belle Reve. She asks
Williams also introduces the theme of truth versus illusion, him not to tell Blanche about her pregnancy. Blanche is in the
which are strongly influenced by Blanche's relationship to bathroom, taking a bath, and can be heard singing. Stella says
desire, destruction, and death. In Blanche's speech about Belle she and Blanche are going out for dinner to get out of the way
Reve, she describes how funerals provide a pretty illusion that of Stanley's poker game with his friends.
covers up the harshness of death. Blanche comes the closest
Curious about Belle Reve, Stanley wants to see a bill of sale.
to telling the truth about herself when she tells Stella, "I want to
Stella says Belle Reve was not sold but lost. Stanley then
be near you, got to be with somebody, I can't be alone." Her
explains the Napoleonic code, which states that whatever
dual fears of the harshness of reality and of being alone drive
belongs to the wife belongs to the husband and vice versa, so
Blanche to cling to her illusions. This sometimes leads her to
he has a right to know what really happened. Stanley suspects
be dishonest. For example, she is determined to do whatever
Blanche of swindling him and Stella out of the property. He
she must to create the illusion that she is a respectable
searches Blanche's trunks, finding clothing, furs, and jewelry.
Southern belle with traditional moral values—no sexual
He claims Blanche must have used the money from the
promiscuity or drinking alcohol for her.
property's sale to buy them. Stella says, "You have no idea how
As a result, when she is alone, Blanche sneaks a drink and stupid and horrid you're being!" Upset, Stella goes out on the
hides the evidence by washing out the glass. Later Blanche porch.
pretends that she doesn't even know where the liquor is
Blanche comes in from the bathroom and gets dressed. She
located and claims one drink is her limit. In truth she often has
acts flirtatiously with Stanley, which annoys him. She fishes for
more. Stanley immediately sees through Blanche's façade.
compliments, but he resists, saying only that she looks "all
When she tells Stanley that she rarely touches drink, Stanley
right." He asks how she got all the furs and jewelry. Blanche
pointedly responds, "Some people rarely touch it, but it
continues to be flirtatious, but Stanley tells her to drop it.
touches them often," indicating that he doesn't believe her.
Concerned about Blanche, Stella enters. Blanche asks her to
Thus, from the very beginning of the play, Stanley reveals an
get a lemon soft drink at a drugstore. Stella leaves. Blanche
ability to cut through Blanche's lies to get at the truth of her
then agrees to "answer all questions." She opens a tin box,
situation.
which holds her business documents and some love letters.
Scene 1 also provides the first glimpses of Stella and Stanley's Stanley grabs the letters, which makes Blanche frantic. She
marriage, and the first demonstration in the play of the yells, "The touch of your hands insults them!" and snatches the
important themes of sexuality and of women's dependence on letters from Stanley. Baffled, Stanley wonders what is so
men. Stanley's first gesture in the play is to toss a package of important about the letters. Blanche says they contain poems
meat to Stella, emphasizing his role as a provider. But Stella's from her husband.
dependence on Stanley is also based on their sexual
Flipping through her business papers, Blanche explains how
chemistry. In fact Stella's life seems to revolve around Stanley
her ancestors gradually lost Belle Reve "piece by piece" in

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A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
order to fulfill their "epic" sexual desires. She then lets Stanley
have the papers to do with as he chooses. Stanley says he'll
have a lawyer look them over and explains he's taking a special
interest in his wife's affairs because she's pregnant. Surprised
and happy for her sister, Blanche greets Stella, who has just
come back from the drugstore. Blanche makes light of the way
Stanley treated her about the Belle Reve documents. The
sisters leave for the restaurant.
Analysis
In Scene 2 the power struggle between Stanley and Blanche
reflects several of the play's themes.
For example, Williams further develops the theme of truth
versus illusion. Stanley is shown as a person who can be
brutally honest. He wants to get to the truth about Belle Reve,
even if it means upsetting Blanche. He accuses her of using
the money from the property's sale to buy clothing, furs, and
jewelry. At first Blanche tries to flirt with Stanley to distract him
from his goal. Her flirtation is itself a form of illusion ("After all a
woman's charm is fifty per cent illusion."). She has become
accustomed to using this strategy as a way to control men.
However she realizes this method won't work with Stanley, and
she is forced to show Stanley her business papers telling him
that "when a thing is important, I tell the truth."
The movement from desire to destruction and death is
represented by the loss of Belle Reve. Blanche claims her
forefathers gradually lost the estate through their "epic
fornications"—somehow the fulfillment of her ancestors' sexual
desires led to the destruction of Belle Reve. It disappeared
"piece by piece." All that was left for Blanche and Stella was
"the house itself and about twenty acres of ground, including a
graveyard."
The letters from Blanche's husband also symbolize the link
between desire, destruction, and death. The letters contain
poems that mean a great deal to Blanche—much more than the
Belle Reve documents. They are a reminder of love lost
through death.
In contrast to Blanche's yearning, Stanley's desire in this scene
is about his own power. He wants to discover whether he can
profit financially from the sale of Belle Reve. Appropriately
Scene 2 is riddled with examples of conflicts about social
class, which further highlight the power struggle between
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Scene Summaries 13
Blanche and Stanley. Stanley says, "The Kowalskis and the
DuBois have different notions," suggesting that the refined
Southern upper class and the coarse working class have very
different views of the world. Later Blanche becomes frantic
when Stanley handles her love letters because she views him
as a crude person whose touch will soil them. Blanche
exclaims, "Now that you've touched them I'll burn them!" She
clearly thinks he is lowly, destructive, and worthy of contempt.
Stanley uses the Napoleonic code as an excuse to invade
Blanche's private belongings and interrogate her about Belle
Reve. Like an emperor Stanley sees himself as the ruler of his
house and whoever is visiting there. This viewpoint is
supported by many of Stanley's lines. For example, Stanley
tells his wife, "Since when do you give me orders?" and seems
to resent that she and Blanche are going out for the evening
during his poker game.
Scene 3
Summary
In the kitchen of the Kowalski apartment, Stanley plays poker
with his friends, Mitch, Steve, and Pablo. Because he is losing,
Stanley is ill-tempered. Mitch expresses concern for his sick
mother, with whom he lives. Stanley loses patience with Mitch,
telling him to go home. Stella and Blanche arrive and are
surprised to see the men still playing poker. Stella asks Stanley
to call it quits, but he wants to keep playing.
In the bedroom Blanche meets Mitch coming out of the
bathroom. After he returns to the game, Blanche tells Stella
that Mitch seems "superior" to the other men. Stella agrees
and says Mitch is single. Stanley tells the sisters to stop
talking. Blanche turns on the radio, which plays rumba music,
and Stanley orders her to turn it off. When she doesn't Stanley
angrily goes into the bedroom, turns off the radio, and then
stalks back to the poker table.
Mitch leaves the game and goes into the bedroom. He shows
Blanche his silver cigarette case with a poetry inscription.
Blanche recognizes the verse, which was written by one of her
favorite poets, Elizabeth Barrett Browning. A girl, who is now
dead, gave the case to Mitch. Blanche and Mitch talk about
how sorrow makes people sincere. She asks Mitch to place a
paper lantern over a bare light bulb to soften its glare, which he
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
does.
Blanche turns on the radio, causing Stanley to storm into the
bedroom and throw the radio out the window. Stella yells at
Stanley, calling him an "animal thing." Stella backs out of sight,
and Stanley goes after her. The sound of a blow is heard.
Steve and Pablo grab Stanley, who is in an uncontrolled fury.
Stella says, "I want to go away!" Blanche grabs some of her
sister's clothes and leads Stella out of the apartment and up to
Eunice's second-floor apartment. Steve and Pablo take Stanley
into the bathroom and put him under the shower. Mitch, Steve,
and Pablo leave.
Stanley comes out of the bathroom, dripping wet. He yells for
Stella and breaks into sobs. He heads outside and repeatedly
shouts Stella's name at the second-floor apartment. Eunice
says that Stella isn't coming down, and tells him, "You can't
beat on a woman an' then call 'er back!" Stanley shouts Stella's
name again. Then Stella comes down the stairs and stares at
her husband, her eyes wet with tears. Stanley kneels before
Stella and "presses his face to her belly." She tenderly raises
him up. Stanley lifts up Stella and carries her into their
apartment to make love. Blanche comes down the stairs,
fearfully looking for her sister. Mitch approaches and confirms
that Stella went back to her husband. The violence has upset
Blanche. Mitch offers her a cigarette. Blanche thanks him for
being so kind.
Analysis
In Scene 3 Stanley's expression of his desires is blatant,
forceful, and brutally honest. He wants to keep playing poker
no matter how late it is. He demands that the radio be turned
off and throws it out the window after Blanche turns it back on.
When Stella insults Stanley, he goes into a rage and hits her.
However his desires can turn on a dime. After he has cooled
off, Stanley begs Stella to return to him, shouting her name in
agony and remorse, and takes her to bed. Stanley's intense
sexuality is connected with violence and, in this way, is
destructive. In fact Stanley and Stella can be seen as being
caught in a self-perpetuating cycle of sexual desire and
violence. Mitch infers correctly that this is not the first time
Stanley has beaten Stella and she has returned to him.
Sexually and emotionally, Stanley and Stella are both
dependent on each other, as can be seen when the couple
make up at the end of Scene 3. However one of Stanley's main
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Scene Summaries 14
desires is to be the head of his household, or the king of his
castle. In this respect he and Stella follow traditional gender
roles. Because he is the bread winner and physically stronger,
Stanley has the dominant role in their relationship. But the
power struggle between Stanley and Blanche threatens
Stanley's position in his home. Stella seems to share Blanche's
point of view, at least temporarily, when she calls her husband
an "animal thing." After he hits her, she leaves him with
Blanche's help, escaping to Eunice's apartment.
Blanche and Mitch's dialogue expands the theme of truth
versus illusion. They talk about how people who experience
deep sorrow tend to be sincere or truthful. However their
discussion is an instance of dramatic irony: the audience
knows something that one or more of the characters do not, in
this case, that Blanche is lying to Mitch. She falls back into her
ladylike act, saying she is not used to having more than one
drink. Mitch believes her, but the audience knows Blanche's
statement is untrue. Later Blanche claims Stella is less than a
year older than her, but the audience knows that Stella is quite
a bit younger than her sister. Nevertheless Blanche's demure
flirtatiousness works like a tonic on Mitch, who seems
enraptured by her wiles.
Williams uses light during this exchange as a symbol of the
contrast between truth versus illusion. For example, Blanche
does not like the harsh glare of a naked light bulb, a symbol of
her resistance to exposing ugly truths. She asks Mitch to place
a paper Chinese lantern over a light bulb, saying, "I can't stand
a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark." She
feels comfortable in the soft light cast by the lantern, which
helps to hide her age by making her appear younger. In
contrast Stanley and his friends play poker in the glare of a
bulb in a green glass shade hanging from the kitchen ceiling, a
light so strong it partially illuminates the bedroom. This harsh
light represents Stanley's belief in brutal honesty.
Stella's return to Stanley conveys the intensity of their desire
for each other, but also raises uncomfortable questions about
their marriage. Blanche is right to wonder what drives Stella to
return to Stanley, who has just hit Stella, knowing that she is
pregnant. Is Stella that dependent on Stanley? Is she that
overwhelmed by her sexual passion for him? By her love for
him? Does Stanley scream for Stella because he desires her or
loves her or because he needs to re-establish his dominance
over her? Perhaps all these possibilities are true. The play
provides no easy answers.
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
Scene 4
Summary
The next morning Stella lies contentedly in bed. In contrast
Blanche appears nervous as she stares at her sister. Blanche
can't understand why Stella returned to Stanley the previous
night and wants her sister to explain herself. Stella doesn't
think there is anything to explain and regards her behavior as
understandable. She's sorry Blanche saw Stanley act badly.
Appalled that Stella had sex with her husband after he hit her,
Blanche declares Stanley is a madman. She tells her sister that
they have to get out. But Stella doesn't want to leave, saying
married couples often have to tolerate each other's bad habits.
Blanche frantically makes plans to contact a millionaire she
knows named Shep Huntleigh to ask him for money, so she
and Stella can go into business together. She starts to write a
telegram to Shep, but gives up the idea as futile. Even so
Blanche feels she cannot remain under the same roof with
Stanley. Stella tells Blanche to give things time to settle down,
but Blanche insists they have to leave. Stella still does not want
to leave Stanley.
Blanche then gives Stella her honest opinion about Stanley.
Blanche calls Stanley an animal and then describes him as
being "subhuman—something not quite to the stage of
humanity yet!" Blanche encourages Stella to set her sights on
noble ideals of humanity, such as music and poetry instead.
However, as she does this, Stanley enters the apartment and
overhears what Blanche says. Blanche and Stella have no idea
Stanley is in the next room. After hearing Blanche's speech,
Stanley quietly goes outside and then pretends that he has just
come in. Stella gives Stanley an affectionate embrace. As she
does this, Stanley smiles at Blanche as if he never heard a
thing but knows full well that Stella's embrace means she has
not been influenced by Blanche's view of him.
Analysis
In Scene 4 Williams weaves together all the major themes of
the play. Stella's desire for sexual intimacy has been fulfilled by
Stanley, and she seems content with this. She tells Blanche,
"I'm not in anything I want to get out of." Blanche is appalled by
Stella's matter-of-fact attitude about Stanley's beatings and
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Scene Summaries 15
their lovemaking. Blanche wants to escape the situation with
Stella. In a way Blanche sees the truth of Stella's domestic
situation. Stella has become enmeshed with Stanley in a cycle
of violence and sex. Stella glosses over this because Stanley
satisfies her sexually. She loves him and feels he loves her.
However the play also emphasizes Stella's financial
dependence on Stanley. Stella has no money of her own, but
instead relies on an inconsistent allowance from her husband.
In other words Stanley gives her money whenever he feels like
it. In fact Stella encourages Blanche to depend financially on
Stanley. Stella tells her sister, "You don't have to worry about
anything while you're here. I mean—expenses." Stella has fallen
into a passive role, which could be seen as a trap even though
she doesn't view it as such.
Class differences also spur Blanche's desire to get away from
Stanley. Blanche sees Stanley as being the opposite of the
upper-class, refined gentlemen she has been brought up to
admire. She tells Stella that he is subhuman and ape-like. Stella
correctly accuses Blanche of viewing herself as superior to
Stanley. Herein lies Blanche's self-deception. She believes
Stella has regressed to being content having her sexual
desires satisfied. Blanche likens Stella's desire to the streetcar
named Desire, which she calls a "rattle-trap street-car that
bangs through the Quarter, up one old narrow street and down
another." However Blanche herself took this streetcar to get to
the Kowalski apartment. So if the streetcar is a metaphor for
"brutal desire," then it is this same type of desire that has
brought Blanche to her current situation. Later in the play it is
revealed that Blanche's own sexual appetites caused her to
lose her job. Blanche, though, is ashamed to admit this about
herself. Instead she uses the world of Southern tradition with
its poetic, noble values to hide her basic, animal desires and
sexual history. Blanche's illusion is that she views herself as
being superior to people like Stanley because she denies her
own similarity to them.
Scene 5
Summary
In the bedroom Blanche reads over a letter she just wrote and
laughs. Blanche tells Stella that she's laughing about lying in a
letter she wrote to Shep. In her letter Blanche pretends to be a
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
wealthy, carefree woman. She and Stella hear Eunice and
Steve having an argument upstairs. The sisters then hear a
crashing sound, and Eunice, in disarray, heads down the steps
and around the corner. Stanley enters and wonders what's
wrong with Eunice. Steve comes out of his apartment and runs
after his wife.
As Stanley and Blanche talk, he hints about knowing something
disreputable about her. He mentions that a man named Shaw
says he used to meet Blanche at the Hotel Flamingo in
Blanche's hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. This information
frightens Blanche, who denies having ever entered the Hotel
Flamingo. Stanley leaves for a barroom.
Blanche nervously asks Stella if she has heard any gossip
about her and Stella says no. Stella hands a bottled soft drink
to Blanche, who wants Stella to add a shot of whiskey to it.
Stella obliges, and Blanche gratefully drinks the spiked soft
drink. Blanche talks about dating Mitch and seems insecure
about hiding her age. She wants to "deceive him enough to
make him—want me." Stella asks Blanche if she wants Mitch,
and Blanche replies that she wants him desperately. Stella
encourages Blanche, saying her wishes about Mitch will come
true. Stella leaves to join Stanley.
Alone in the apartment, Blanche is visited by a young, innocent
man who is collecting for a newspaper. She flirts shamelessly
with him, telling him he looks like "a young Prince out of the
Arabian Nights." Blanche kisses him on the mouth and then
tells him to run along because she "has to be good—and keep
my hands off children." Dumbfounded, the man leaves. She
looks dreamily after him. Mitch arrives and gives Blanche a
bouquet of roses. Blanche calls him her "knight of the roses,"
coquettishly presses the flowers to her lips, and asks him to
bow to her.
Analysis
Scene 5 opens with Blanche being amused about the way she
has lied in a letter to Shep. However the subject of deceit soon
becomes serious for Blanche when Stanley implies that
Blanche is not as innocent as she tries to appear. Blanche says
her sign is Virgo and explains "Virgo is the Virgin." Stanley
laughs contemptuously, suggesting he knows Blanche is no
virgin, an accurate assessment. Blanche becomes nervous
when Stanley casually mentions a man named Shaw, who
claims he met Blanche at a sleazy hotel called the Flamingo.
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Scene Summaries 16
Although Blanche denies this story, her frightened reaction
confirms the truth of it. Stanley has begun to peel away
Blanche's lies, making her frantic.
The second part of Scene 5 delves deeper into Blanche's
desires. She has a desperate desire to attract Mitch because
she wants to rely on someone who can relieve her of the
pressures of life. Blanche says, "I want to rest! I want to
breathe quietly again! Yes—I want Mitch." However Blanche
fears she will no longer be able to maintain the illusion of being
younger than she really is. Blanche views this deception as vital
to attracting Mitch, although there is no proof that her
assessment is accurate. Blanche's dependence on men takes
the form of attracting a man who will take care of her. In the
Southern tradition in which Blanche was raised, genteel
women attract gentlemen and, once married, expect to be
taken care of. Blanche tells Stella, "I have to admit I love to be
waited on."
Later in the scene a different side of Blanche's desires comes
to the forefront in the form of her sexuality. The young,
innocent salesman who stops by obviously attracts Blanche.
Blanche says, "I've got to be good—and keep my hands off
children," which implies that she may not have succeeded in
doing so in the past. She is a person who feels sexually drawn
to young men, perhaps even those who are inappropriately
young, foreshadowing, or hinting what is to come later,
information that will come to light in Scene 9.
Williams incorporates the symbol of music in this scene
through the "blue piano." For the author the "blue piano"
represents the spirit of the French Quarter in New Orleans
because it creates a sultry, tragic mood, similar to that of blues
music. Because of this Williams has the "blue piano" start
playing when Blanche acts seductively toward the young man.
The music signals that there is something sensual, but also
something tragic, in their encounter.
Scene 6
Summary
Early in the morning Blanche and Mitch arrive at the Kowalski
apartment, after spending the evening at an amusement park.
Exhausted and sad, Blanche apologizes for not being more
entertaining during their date. Mitch is concerned about
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
Blanche and wonders why she tried to act happy if she actually
felt dejected. Blanche says acting happy to please a man is
expected of women. Mitch asks if he can kiss her. It is not the
first time he has asked, but Blanche puts him off, maintaining
her façade of a prim and proper lady. She mentions her
intention to leave the Kowalskis soon and invites Mitch in for a
drink.
Blanche and Mitch enter the kitchen; the Kowalskis are out
with friends, so Blanche invites Mitch into the bedroom,
claiming it is "more comfortable." Blanche compliments his
physique, and Mitch says he works out often at an athletic
club. He proudly says he weighs 207 pounds stripped and asks
Blanche what she weighs. She tells him to guess. To make an
estimate Mitch lifts Blanche. When he sets her down, Mitch
embraces Blanche awkwardly. She puts him off, saying she has
"old-fashioned ideals." Mitch lets her go.
Blanche asks Mitch if Stanley has talked to him about her. He
says not much and wonders why she asks. Blanche says
Stanley intentionally acts rudely to annoy her, showing how
much he hates her. Mitch can't believe this. Blanche repeats
that Stanley indeed hates her, saying "that man will destroy me,
unless." Mitch then asks Blanche how old she is. Blanche
wonders why. Mitch admits his mother asked him the question
after he told her how much he liked Blanche. Blanche asks if
Mitch is sincere about his feelings for her, and Mitch says he is.
Mitch expresses his concern for his sick mother, who will
probably die soon. Blanche admires his devotion and knows
Mitch will be lonely when his mother is gone. Blanche says she
knows about loneliness because "the person I loved I lost."
Blanche shares with Mitch the story of her marriage. When she
was 16, she married a boy named Allan who was about her age.
Blanche fell deeply in love with him but sensed something
different about him. After they got married, Blanche felt
somehow that she failed Allan but didn't know why. She now
knows her husband was desperately wanting her to help him.
Later Blanche found Allan in an intimate situation with an older
man and realized Allan was homosexual. The three of them
ignored the situation and went out drinking and dancing. When
dancing with Allan, Blanche told him, "I saw! I know! You
disgust me." Her husband broke away, went outside, and shot
himself dead. Blanche was devastated. Mitch comforts
Blanche, saying, "You need somebody. And I need somebody,
too." They embrace, and she begins to cry.
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Scene Summaries 17
Analysis
In Scene 6 Williams's exploration of the theme of truth versus
illusion leads to a deeper understanding of Blanche's
relationship to desire, destruction, and death. At the beginning
of the scene, Blanche is so exhausted she has trouble keeping
up the illusion of being a carefree, happy person. She
compares the expectation of a woman entertaining a man to a
law of nature, thereby showing how engrained this idea is for
her. Even so she continues to have difficulty keeping up the
pretense. For example, Blanche tries to pretend she and Mitch
are having drinks at a Paris café. When Blanche learns that
Mitch does not understand French, she says, "Voulez-vous
couchez avec moi ce soir?" which translates into "Will you sleep
with me tonight?" This again illustrates the theme of truth
versus illusion; Blanche acts modestly to create the illusion of
purity in an effort get Mitch to marry her, but the truth is she is
a sexual being who wishes to act on her desires. She tells
Mitch to get comfortable, and they flirtatiously guess each
other's weights. But her attempt to be lighthearted breaks
down. Instead she tells the truth: she admits that Stanley hates
her and she moved in with her sister and husband because
she's broke.
When Mitch admits how much he likes Blanche, she allows
herself to be completely vulnerable. Blanche candidly
describes her relationship with her deceased husband, Allan.
Blanche deeply loved Allan but discovered he was a closeted
homosexual. Blanche was unable to accept her husband's
sexuality and told him that he disgusted her. Allan, once his
true desires were revealed, was destroyed by Blanche's
disgust, and killed himself. Blanche is traumatized and realizes
how much he needed her help to deal with his situation.
Blanche's story shows a clear path from desire (her love for
Allan, his homosexuality) to destruction and death (destruction
of her marriage, as well as Allan's literal death). The theme of
sexuality is also important here. Blanche's sexual attraction to
young men is an echo of her love for her first husband and may
be a subconscious desire to recapture the lost love of her
youth.
Light is symbolic during Blanche's speech. When Blanche says
she realized her love for Allan, she felt as if a blinding light was
turned on. But Blanche did not know that Allan was secretly a
homosexual. When his true identity came to light, she cruelly
expressed her disgust for him. At that moment Blanche says
that the "searchlight which had been turned on the world was
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
turned off again." She has never experienced that light again.
Allan's death inspires the tension that Blanche experiences
between the light of truth and the shadowy world of illusion.
Blanche wants to remain in the shadows because she doesn't
want to face the truth about herself, which the bright light
would expose. Because of this Blanche prefers the shadowy
light cast by the bulb covered with a paper Chinese lantern.
Music also plays an important symbolic role in this scene. The
Varsouviana polka plays as Blanche tells Mitch about the
destruction of her marriage. Blanche and Allan were dancing to
this music when she told him that he disgusts her. Shortly
afterward Allan killed himself. A polka is cheerful dance music.
However, when contrasted with Allan's suicide, the music's
mood no longer fits the scene. The Varsouviana polka signals
how Blanche's desire for her husband has been forever linked
with his suicide. This combination of desire and death haunts
Blanche throughout her life and sparks her downward spiral of
self-destruction.
Scene 7
Summary
Several months have passed. Stella is decorating for Blanche's
birthday celebration. Stanley enters and wonders what all the
decorations are for. Stella reminds her husband that today is
Blanche's birthday. Blanche can be heard singing the song "It's
Only a Paper Moon" as she takes a bath.
Stanley tells his wife that Blanche has been feeding them a
bunch of lies. Stella denies this, but Stanley goes into more
detail. First of all, Blanche is not the demure lady she pretends
to be. After she lost Belle Reve, Blanche stayed at the Hotel
Flamingo where she used her refined Southern charm to get
men to ask her out. However, after a few dates, the men wised
up about Blanche's act and dropped her. Then she would go on
to the next man and so on. Stanley also suggests that Blanche
was living a lifestyle so wild it got her kicked out of the hotel.
This story appalls Stella, who claims it's a lie. Stanley, though,
says he verified it as a fact. Blanche's seductions made her
infamous in Laurel. Blanche continues to sing lightheartedly as
she takes a bath, oblivious to what Stanley is saying about her
in the next room.
Secondly, Blanche got in trouble at the school where she
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Scene Summaries 18
taught when she had "gotten mixed up" with a 17-year-old male
student. The administration told her to leave. After this Blanche
came to stay with Stella. This second story makes Stella feel
sick. Blanche finishes her bath and asks Stella for a towel to
dry her hair. Stunned Stella hands her a towel. Blanche goes
back in the bathroom. Stella tells Stanley that the stories might
be partly true, but Blanche had a traumatic experience at a
young age when she found out the husband she adored was a
homosexual.
Stella says Mitch has been invited to the party, but Stanley
says not to expect Mitch to attend. Stanley told his friend the
truth about Blanche and justifies this by saying he couldn't
stand by and allow Mitch to be deceived. Upset, Stella wonders
if Mitch is through with Blanche. Stanley says Mitch might not
be through with Blanche, but he definitely will not marry her.
Stella worries what Blanche will do, since she doesn't have a
job. Stanley doesn't care. He has bought Blanche a bus ticket
and expects her to leave shortly. Blanche says her sister won't
leave, but Stanley insists she will. Finally Blanche comes out of
the bathroom. As Stanley passes her by on the way to the
toilet, Blanche looks fearfully at him. Blanche soon senses that
something has happened. Stella says nothing is wrong.
Blanche replies, "You're lying!"
Analysis
In Scene 7 the main development is Stanley's revelation about
the truth concerning Blanche. Angry about Blanche calling him
common, Stanley has been looking secretly into her recent
history. Like a lawyer compiling evidence for the prosecution,
Stanley has verified that the stories about Blanche's
scandalous reputation are accurate.
For Stanley the whole situation is cut and dried. Blanche has
lied and deserves to be punished. So Stanley tells Mitch what
he has heard and decides to kick Blanche out of his apartment.
However, for Stella, the situation about Blanche is not so
simple. Stella loves her sister and knows her background.
Although she admits the stories might be partly true, she
tempers the truth with compassion, mentioning Blanche's
tragic history with Allan. When Stanley declares Blanche will
have to leave in a few days, Stella wonders, "What'll—she—do?
What on earth will she—do!" Stanley doesn't care what
happens to Blanche.
Blanche dearly loved her husband, but could not accept his
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
homosexuality. As a result he killed himself. Blanche then
began to act out a pattern of deception and sexuality similar to
her ancestors, who became increasingly self-destructive, and
like her ancestors, this resulted in the loss of the remaining
portion of Belle Reve. At the Hotel Flamingo, Blanche pursued
her desire to form a relationship with a man by pretending to
be a proper lady. When the men realized Blanche's deception,
they dropped her. However Blanche could not give up her act.
She kept up her impossible pattern of behavior. The hotel
asked her to leave, suggesting the sexual encounters with
various men she admits to later in the play likely played a part.
Finally her relationship with the 17-year-old student forced her
to a breaking point. Unable to move past the suicide of her
young husband, Blanche tried to relive her desire for him by
getting involved with young men like her student. This led her
to be fired from her job.
Stanley's revelations about Blanche's exploits at the Hotel
Flamingo also interweave the themes of class differences and
dependence on men. Blanche tries to maintain the façade of
being a refined, upper-class woman who is superior to other
people. However, because this veneer is a lie, it crumbles.
Blanche is obsessed with the idea of needing to get a man to
take care of her. Indeed she seems to believe that she cannot
survive on her own. In addition Williams uses the symbol of
music through Blanche singing the song "It's Only a Paper
Moon" to highlight the theme of truth versus illusion. The lyrics
of this song represent Blanche's situation: "It's a Barnum and
Bailey world, Just as phony as it can be." Blanche lives in a
phony world and relies on illusion to put on a show for others.
Scene 8
Summary
In the Kowalski kitchen, Stanley, Blanche, and Stella sit around
the table and finish eating Blanche's birthday dinner. Mitch's
chair at the table is conspicuously empty. The mood is tense.
Blanche tries to take Mitch standing her up in a lighthearted
manner but obviously feels shaken. Upset by Mitch's absence,
Stella nags Stanley about eating like a pig. Stanley yells that
he'll eat the way he wants and throws his plate and cup on the
floor to prove his point.
Stanley goes out on the porch and lights a cigarette. In the
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Scene Summaries 19
kitchen Blanche asks Stella why Mitch didn't come. Stella
claims to know nothing. Blanche insists on being given an
explanation and calls Mitch's house. Mitch isn't home, and
Blanche leaves a message for him to call her. Stella joins
Stanley on the porch. He says, "It's gonna be all right again
between you and me the way that it was." Stanley says that he
and Stella will be able to make love again as before without
being inhibited by having Blanche in the next room.
Stella goes back in the kitchen followed by Stanley. As Stella
puts candles on the cake, Blanche seems intimidated by her
birthday celebration. When Stanley complains about the
steamy heat from Blanche's hot baths, Blanche insults him by
calling him a Polack. Angered, Stanley tells Blanche to call him
a Pole not a Polack. He hands Blanche an envelope, which is
her "birthday gift." The envelope contains a one-way bus ticket
for Blanche, which will take her back to Laurel on Tuesday.
Blanche is upset. She runs into the bathroom, where she is
heard coughing and gagging. Stella scolds Stanley for treating
her sister so cruelly. Stanley recalls how Stella viewed him as
common when they first met, but then he brought her down off
her high horse, and they were happy. Stella feels the beginning
of labor and tells Stanley to take her to the hospital.
Analysis
In Scene 8 Williams develops the theme of desire, destruction,
and death by contrasting Stanley's and Blanche's desires.
Stanley's main desire in this scene is to get Blanche out of his
home and thereby restore the balance of power in his family
and his intimacy with his wife. He asks Stella, "You remember
the way that it was?" which suggests that Blanche has
infringed on their sex life. Stanley gives Blanche a one-way bus
ticket back to Laurel. In contrast Blanche wants Mitch to marry
her, thereby giving her some security. However Mitch does not
attend Blanche's birthday party, and her plans are disrupted.
When she receives the bus ticket, Blanche fears her dream of
marrying Mitch will not take place. Instead she faces the
possibility of being thrown back into the terrible situation in
Laurel from which she fled.
Williams again uses transportation routes symbolically. To get
to the Kowalski home, Blanche took the streetcars Desire and
Cemetery to reach Elysian Fields. As has been shown, this
symbolic route represents Blanche's desire to escape her past,
a desire which leads ultimately to her destruction. The gift of
the bus ticket takes Blanche's journey full circle. She will be
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
taking the bus back to Laurel, which means she will be
returning to what she has tried to escape.
Stella tries to plays the role of mediator between Blanche and
Stanley. Stella claims not to know why Mitch didn't come to the
party because she wants to keep Blanche calm. Also Stella
tells Stanley what Blanche was like as a child in an attempt to
elicit some sympathy from him for her sister. However Stella's
attempts at peacekeeping prove futile. Both Stanley and
Blanche seem set on their courses.
As always class conflict is a defining factor. One of the main
reasons why Stanley hates Blanche is because she feels
superior to him. Blanche sees Stanley as a dumb, crude man
from an inferior background. She even uses a derogatory term
("Polack") to his face. Of course this upsets Stanley, who
correctly says, "People from Poland are Poles, not Polacks."
But Stanley can be insulting as well. He accuses Blanche and
Stella of acting like "a pair of queens," then harshly reminds
them that he is the king in his house.
Scene 9
Summary
Blanche sits alone in the Kowalski bedroom with the
Varsouviana polka running through her head. The doorbell
rings. When Blanche realizes the visitor is Mitch, she dabs "her
face with cologne and powder." Blanche lets Mitch in and
scolds him in a teasing way about missing her birthday party.
Half-drunk, Mitch pushes past Blanche and sits on the bed.
Flustered Blanche asks how Mitch's mother is and complains
about the polka tune stuck in her head. Blanche hears an
imaginary gunshot, and the music stops. Blanche's behavior
perplexes Mitch. She looks for something to drink. Mitch says
he doesn't want any of Stanley's liquor and notes that Blanche
has been drinking too much this summer. Nervously Blanche
wonders where he could have heard such a story.
Mitch accuses Blanche of intentionally avoiding bright light. For
instance she will never be seen in public during the afternoon.
Blanche fearfully asks why he wants to see her in the light.
Mitch rips the paper lantern off the bulb. Blanche orders him
not to turn on the light, but he does, and Blanche cries and
covers her face. Mitch turns off the light and says he doesn't
mind Blanche being older than he thought, but doesn't like her
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Scene Summaries 20
lying to him. He states that Stanley told him the nasty details
about Blanche's downfall in Laurel.
Blanche admits to sleeping with strangers after her husband's
suicide in an attempt to "fill my empty heart ... hunting for some
protection." She even admits that she got involved with a 17-
year-old student and was fired from her job for it. When
Blanche met Mitch, she hoped he would offer her protection
from a harsh world through marriage. Mitch accuses Blanche
of lying to him all summer.
Then a blind Mexican woman turns onto the street, selling tin
flowers for the dead. The woman's call of "Flores para los
muertos" reminds Blanche of living at Belle Reve "where dying
old women remembered their dead men." As the polka music
begins to play, she recalls having to take care of dying
relatives. Being in such close contact with the dying disturbed
Blanche who preferred to ignore the reality of death.
Blanche confesses that before she lost Belle Reve, she
sometimes had affairs with soldiers from a nearby camp.
Blanche asks Mitch what he wants. Mitch says, "What I been
missing all summer" and makes a pass at her. Blanche begs
Mitch to marry her, but Mitch doesn't want to marry Blanche
anymore, saying she is no longer "clean enough." Blanche
begins to scream "Fire!" to get Mitch to leave, which he does.
Analysis
In the first part of Scene 9, Mitch turns on a bright light to cut
through Blanche's illusion about her age. This action seems to
break through the façade of lies between Mitch and Blanche.
After turning on the light Mitch accuses Blanche of lying to him.
Blanche then tells the truth, admitting to having affairs with
strangers. After she confesses this, Blanche pours out more
disreputable truths about herself, like water bursting through a
broken dam. She confirms sleeping with young soldiers before
Belle Reve was lost, and confirms that having sex with young
men is a pattern of behavior that started for her soon after her
husband died.
As a young woman, Blanche was surrounded by destruction
and death. First, her marriage was destroyed when her
husband Allan committed suicide. Later, Blanche had to care
for her dying relatives, a gruesome task. However, because of
her traditional Southern values, which value refinement over
reality, Blanche felt the need to deny her proximity to the
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
terrible reality death represents by sleeping with young men.
These fleeting contacts with youth were her desperate
attempt to escape the destruction and death that she had
experienced. Instead her actions lead to the destruction of her
reputation in Laurel.
Now, living with her sister, Blanche still desires to obtain
protection from harsh reality. Blanche tries to trick Mitch into
marrying her by creating an illusion of youth and concealing
her sexual history. However, when the truth is exposed,
Blanche's plans crumble. Before confessing to Mitch, she tells
him, "I'll tell you what I want. Magic! ... Yes, yes, magic! I try to
give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don't tell
the truth, I tell what ought to be truth." The trap Blanche
creates for herself comes about because of telling "what ought
to be truth" and her dependence on men. If Blanche became
more emotionally self-sufficient and confident, she would not
need to rely on men to escape from reality. She could stand on
her own and face life's hardships, including destruction and
death. In a way Blanche needs more of Stanley's stubborn,
arrogant strength. However Blanche's sense of superiority is
based on seeing herself as a softer, more sensitive person
than Stanley. In Scene 5 Blanche says, "I never was hard or
self-sufficient enough ... soft people have got to shimmer and
glow."
Scene 10
Summary
Blanche drinks liquor and packs her trunk. She wears a
crumpled, satin, evening gown and scuffed, silver slipper.
Blanche puts a rhinestone tiara on her head and looks at
herself in the hand mirror, then slams the mirror face down on
a table. Somewhat drunk, Stanley enters. Blanche asks how
Stella is doing, and Stanley says she won't have the baby
before morning, so Stanley has come home to get some sleep.
Blanche wonders if they are to be alone. Stanley says "yep"
and asks why Blanche is dressed in fancy clothes. Blanche
claims to have received a telegram from her millionaire friend,
Shep, inviting her on a Caribbean cruise. Stanley plays along
with Blanche's tale.
Stanley enters the bedroom, which makes Blanche skittish. He
gets some silk pajamas from a dresser drawer, saying he'll
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Scene Summaries 21
wave them around when he hears the good news about having
a son. Blanche talks about Shep being a gentleman who can
appreciate the fine qualities a woman like Blanche can offer,
such as "beauty of the mind and richness of spirit." She then
calls herself stupid for "casting my pearls before swine."
Blanche says Stanley and Mitch are swine for slandering her
good name. She concocts a fake story about Mitch bringing
roses to her and apologizing but that she rejected his plea for
forgiveness, saying that he and she are too different. Stanley
has had enough. He calls Blanche out about her lies, declaring
there was no telegram or roses. Stanley's outburst shocks
Blanche. Stanley says she looks ridiculous in her evening gown
and tiara. He has been on to her from the start. He laughs at
her pretense of being a refined lady like "the Queen of the
Nile." Stanley goes into the bathroom.
Frantic, Blanche places a call to Shep. As she does this
inhuman cries are heard, as if from a jungle, and "shadows and
lurid reflections move sinuously as flames along the wall."
Blanche talks to an operator, asking for Western Union to send
a telegram. Stanley comes out of the bathroom, wearing his
silk pajamas. He walks between Blanche and the outer door.
Frightened, Blanche backs away from the phone. She wants
Stanley to let her out. He tells Blanche she has to walk past
him. She wants him to step aside. The "inhuman, jungle voices"
get louder. Stanley menacingly approaches Blanche, who
backs up into the bedroom. He enters the bedroom and
continues to move toward her. She smashes a bottle and
threatens to "twist the broken end in your face." He lunges at
her. Blanche strikes at him with the broken bottle. Stanley gabs
her wrist and tells her to let the bottle go. The bottle drops to
the floor. Stanley carries Blanche to the bed.
Analysis
This scene hints that Blanche is edging closer to insanity due
to the combined pressure of Stanley kicking her out, the failed
romance with Mitch, and the revelation of her disreputable
past. In a drunken state, Blanche plays at the illusion of being a
refined lady by wearing fancy clothes and putting on a tiara.
However, when she looks at herself in a hand mirror, she can't
maintain the illusion and slams the mirror on the table, cracking
it.
When Stanley arrives Blanche continues her playacting,
claiming to have received an invitation from Shep. For Blanche,
her illusions are her way of coping with the harshness of the
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
world, which Stanley personifies. Stanley plays along with her
fantasy for a while. However he drops his act when Blanche
calls him and Mitch swine, which angers him. Her insistence on
his inferiority has again sparked a class conflict between them,
and it causes Stanley to come out with the truth. Stanley uses
what he knows about Blanche's past as a weapon to unmask
her and expose her raw vulnerabilities. He laughs at her
conceited affectations, describing her as "sitting on your
throne swilling down my liquor."
Blanche, with her refined manners and sharp tongue, threatens
Stanley's dominance. She has disrupted his family life, in which
he believes he should be the king, and she has labeled him as
inferior, even subhuman. Therefore Stanley wants to assert his
dominance over Blanche. This desire to overpower her leads
him to rape her. Williams emphasizes the brutality of Stanley's
confrontation with Blanche by using inhuman voices and
shadows on the wall that resemble the jungle.
Blanche is trapped by her use of desire to escape harsh reality
and death, which, in turn, causes her to become trapped by
them. At one point Blanche yells, "Help me! Caught in a trap."
Blanche hopes her ladylike act will manipulate men into
protecting her. Instead her act has been ripped apart by
Stanley, the school administration where she taught, and the
residents of Laurel. In other words, the harsh light of modern
life with its practical, uncompromising values has destroyed
Blanche's dimly lit world of illusions. By clinging to the outdated
values of Southern tradition, Blanche has unwittingly set
herself up to be destroyed by modern values.
Scene 11
Summary
Stanley, Mitch, Steve, and Pablo play poker in the kitchen.
Eunice enters. Stanley brags about his exploits in the army
during the war. Mitch seems upset as he tries to accuse
Stanley of bragging but can't get the words out. Eunice meets
Stella in the bedroom. Blanche is taking a bath. Stella has told
Blanche that she made arrangements for Blanche "to rest in
the country" and Blanche has "got it mixed in her mind with
Shep Huntleigh." However, in reality, Stella has made
arrangements for Blanche to be taken to a state mental
institution. Blanche opens the bathroom door slightly and tells
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Scene Summaries 22
Stella to prepare her wardrobe for the day. After Blanche
closes the door, Stella says she couldn't believe Blanche's
story and continue to live with her husband. Eunice replies that
life has to go on. Blanche comes out of the bathroom, wearing
a satin robe. At the poker table Mitch seems depressed. In the
bedroom the sound of Stanley's voice startles Blanche, and
she wonders what is going on. Eunice and Stella try to calm
Blanche, which makes Blanche more suspicious. Stella says
that Blanche is going on a vacation. Anxious, Blanche wants
Stella to help her dress and get out of the Kowalski apartment.
Blanche rambles on about dying from eating an unwashed
grape and being buried at sea.
A Doctor and Matron approach the door to the apartment; the
Doctor rings the doorbell. Eunice answers the door, returns to
the bedroom, and says that Blanche has a caller. Blanche
wonders if it is Shep. Eunice pretends it is. Blanche walks
fearfully by the men playing poker. Stella and Eunice follow her.
However, when Blanche goes on the porch, she tells the
Doctor that he is not the gentleman she expected. Blanche
goes back in the kitchen and stops by the door. On the porch
Stella closes her eyes in torment as Eunice comforts her. As
Blanche moves toward the bedroom, Stanley gets up to block
her way and asks if she forgot something. Blanche says she
has and moves past Stanley into the bedroom.
Stella enters the kitchen. The Matron walks into the bedroom,
and Stanley tells her that Blanche forgot something. Blanche
says she wants to be left alone. Stanley asks if Blanche wants
the paper lantern and tears it off the light bulb. Blanche
screams and tries to get past the Matron. Stella runs out to the
porch and into Eunice's embrace. Distraught, Stella wonders
what she has done to her sister. Eunice says, "You done the
right thing, the only thing you could do."
Meanwhile Mitch heads toward the bedroom but is blocked by
Stanley. Mitch takes a punch at Stanley but misses and
"collapses at the table, sobbing." The Matron grabs Blanche,
who wildly tries to scratch her. Blanche cries out and drops to
her knees. The Matron asks the Doctor if they should put a
straightjacket on Blanche. He says, "Not unless necessary."
The Doctor then approaches Blanche and politely addresses
her as Miss DuBois. Blanche looks up at him in a pleading way.
The Doctor gently draws up Blanche, and she takes his arm. As
he leads her into the kitchen, Blanche says, "Whoever you
are—I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."
The Doctor leads Blanche past the men at the poker table, as if
he is guiding a blind woman. When the Doctor and Blanche go
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
out on the porch, Stella cries her sister's name. Blanche
continues on without turning followed by the Doctor and the
Matron. Crying, Stella takes her baby from Eunice. Stanley
goes on the porch, kneels by his wife, and soothes her as she
keeps sobbing.
Analysis
In Scene 11 Williams brings the theme of truth versus illusion to
its completion for Blanche. Her rape by Stanley has pushed her
over the edge. She now has difficulty distinguishing between
what is real and what isn't. For example, she believes the
person coming to take her away is Shep. In reality the person is
a doctor from a state mental hospital. Blanche bizarrely
imagines dying at sea from eating an unwashed grape and
believes this will really happen to her. Stella and Eunice
pretend that Blanche is going on a vacation, and Blanche
believes them. However Blanche has not totally lost her grasp
on reality. Because of this she realizes the Doctor is not really
Shep and becomes frightened, not knowing what is happening
to her. In the end Blanche slips into her illusions, believing the
Doctor is a gentleman escorting her to some pleasant place.
The desires of all four major characters in the play have led to
destruction in various ways. Mitch's desire to marry Blanche
has been destroyed by Stanley. As a result Mitch is a bitter,
defeated man who is angry with Stanley but is unable to take
effective action against him. When Mitch goes to help Blanche,
Stanley stops him. Mitch can't even punch Stanley. When he
tries, Mitch misses and collapses in tears.
Stella becomes a tormented woman, torn between her desire
to be with her husband and to take care of her sister. Stella
succumbs to Stanley's will and arranges for Blanche to be
taken to a state mental hospital. However Stella fears Blanche
will be mistreated there. Stella probably also suspects Blanche
told the truth about being raped by Stanley. However she can't
allow herself to believe this and live with her husband. Stella's
life is now based on the illusion that her husband couldn't have
raped her sister.
Blanche's desire to escape the harshness of life and death has
led her further away from reality and into insanity. Blanche still
wants to get out of the Kowalski apartment, viewing her
situation there as a trap. Indeed Blanche has become trapped,
but it is a trap of her own making. Stanley has provided the
final impetus to spring the trap. However, holding on to old
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Quotes 23
Southern traditions as a coping mechanism, Blanche has been
on a journey toward entrapment since the death of her
husband. Her sexual experiences with soldiers at the camp,
men at the Hotel Flamingo, and a student are all attempts to
use desire to flee death. Finally Blanche's flight takes her on a
streetcar named Desire to her sister's house, where the trap
with Stanley's help ensnares her.
For Stanley his desire has been achieved, but only through his
reliance on destruction to assert his dominance. Stanley wants
to maintain his family structure with him as a type of king ruling
his subject, namely his wife. For a time Blanche seems to
threaten this structure. But his rape of Blanche has pushed her
into insanity. As a result Stanley can have Stella arrange to
take Blanche away and resume his regular lifestyle, but only by
proving he is a brute, just as Blanche said.
The theme of dependence on men also permeates Scene 11. At
the beginning of this scene, Stanley and his friends play poker.
The male-dominated order has been restored and continues
on. Because of this Stella has become completely submissive
to her husband's desires. She places Blanche in a state mental
hospital, even though she fears Blanche might be mistreated
there. For her part Blanche continues to rely on men to rescue
her. She even imagines the Doctor to be a kindly gentleman
who will help her. As the Doctor leads her away, Williams
describes Blanche as a blind woman, suggesting how she has
fallen deeper into the world of illusions by becoming insane.
After Blanche leaves, Stanley comes to soothe Stella, who is
cradling her baby. Stella has also become trapped even
further, a woman with the responsibility of a child who feels
compelled to depend on her husband, even though she
suspects he is a rapist. Stella's sobbing at the end perhaps is
not only for Blanche but also for herself, as she heeds her
husband's soothing physicality and falls back into her
relationship with him.
g Quotes
"I want to be near you, got to be
with somebody, I can't be alone!"
— Blanche DuBois, Scene 1
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide Quotes 24

Blanche shows her dependency on people. She has no self-

"STELL-LAHHHHH!"
sufficiency, but instead seeks people to protect her from
reality.
— Stanley Kowalski, Scene 3

"We have the Napoleonic code ... Filled with remorse for hitting Stella, Stanley calls loudly and
desperately for her to come to him. By doing this Stanley
what belongs to the wife belongs reveals his strong emotional and sexual bond with her. He and
to the husband." his wife are enmeshed in a volatile cycle of violence and sex.

— Stanley Kowalski, Scene 2

Stanley reveals how he views life. He sees his life as following
set laws that should not be transgressed. These laws place
him in a dominant role over his wife and women in general.
Although the Napoleonic code also says a husband's property
belongs to his wife, Stella would never dare use this code on
her husband.
"Our improvident grandfathers and
father ... and brothers exchanged
the land for their epic
fornications."
— Blanche DuBois, Scene 2
Blanche describes how the wanton desires of her ancestors
led to the destruction of Belle Reve, thereby showing that the
cycle of desire, destruction, and death has been passed on to
Blanche from her forbearers.
"It isn't on his forehead and it isn't
genius."
"In this dark march toward
whatever it is we're approaching ...
don't hang back with the brutes!"
— Blanche DuBois, Scene 4
Blanche views life as based on class differences. She sees
refined people like herself as beacons of light that guide
humankind to a better world. As a result she sees herself as
being superior to common people, whom she considers
"brutes."
"Come here. I want to kiss you, just
once, softly and sweetly on your
mouth!"
— Blanche DuBois, Scene 5
Blanche is attracted to very young men. Her desire for such
men is an addiction. She kisses the young man like an alcoholic
taking a sip of whiskey to prevent herself from drinking the
bottle.

— Stella Kowalski, Scene 3 "The searchlight which had been

turned on the world was turned off
Stella emphasizes that Stanley's strength does not come from
again."
his intelligence, but instead from his sexual drive, which is what
attracted her to him.
— Blanche DuBois, Scene 6

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A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide Symbols 25

Blanche reveals how she views the world. When she was in
"The night is filled with inhuman
love with her husband, the world was full of light, and for her,
truth. However, after Allan's suicide, Blanche has trouble voices like cries in a jungle."
reconciling her husband's homosexuality and her role in his
suicide. Since then she has lived among shadowy illusions, — Narrator, Scene 10
hiding herself from the world.

Tennessee Williams emphasizes that Stanley's rape of Blanche

reduces him to a subhuman, bestial level. Williams might also
"Yep, it was practically a town be suggesting that Stanley's and Blanche's hatred of each
ordinance passed against her!" other has led to a showdown to discover who really dominates
this "jungle." Stanley uses his physicality abusively, dominating
Blanche by raping her.
— Stanley Kowalski, Scene 7

Stanley sees himself as a prosecutor exposing the truth about

"Whoever you are—I have always
Blanche's past for the benefit of his family. This explains his
use of legal terminology. Stanley wouldn't be surprised if a law depended on the kindness of
was passed against Blanche and people like her.
strangers."

— Blanche DuBois, Scene 11

"I pulled you down off them
columns ... how you loved it ... them Blanche is fixed on the idea of having a man to rely on and
colored lights going." protect her. Because of this she had affairs with men she did
not know well. As the play ends Blanche remains caught in this
mind-set and looks to the doctor from the state mental hospital
— Stanley Kowalski, Scene 8
to protect her. Blanche is now trapped in this point of view.
Because of this, the author refers to her as looking like a blind
Stanley uses his sexuality to seduce Stella away from her woman.
upper-class background and gain control over her. Note that
Stanley does not ask Stella to come down off the columns, but
instead pulls her off them, bringing her down to his level.
l Symbols
"I don't tell truth, I tell what ought
to be truth." Light
— Blanche DuBois, Scene 9
Williams contrasts dim light and harsh light to underscore the

Blanche reveals her rationale for living a life of lies. She feels theme of truth versus illusion. Dim light symbolizes Blanche's

her ideas of what reality should be trump reality itself. This world of illusion because it helps to disguise the truth about

attitude comes from her unsuccessful desire to escape from herself. For example, she asks Mitch to place a paper lantern

the reality of pain, vulnerability, and loss. over a bulb to dim the glaring light in order to hide her true age
from him. Later Mitch mentions to Blanche that she refuses to
be seen in the harsh glare of the sun. He finds this suspicious

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A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
because "I've never had a real good look at you." Blanche fears
if Mitch knows her real age, or the facts of her life in Laurel, he
won't marry her.
In contrast harsh light represents the naked truth, especially as
seen by Stanley and Mitch. When Mitch wants to find out
Blanche's age, he removes the paper lantern, exposing
Blanche to the harsh light of a naked light bulb. Blanche finds
this action insulting, but Mitch sees it as truthful. Blanche
believes a woman should be allowed some deceit to protect
her vanity. A gentleman should understand this need. However,
for Mitch and Stanley, the main goal is to expose the facts
without any shadings. To show this Williams has the Kowalski
apartment lit with glaring light. In fact, soon after Blanche
arrives at the apartment, she tells Stella to turn off the
overhead light because "I won't be looked at in this merciless
glare." Blanche also has many unpleasant truths about herself
she would prefer not to see.
Flowers
The title of the play establishes a connection between desire
and death or loss or destruction. The streetcar named Desire
brings Blanche to another streetcar called Cemeteries and
then to Elysian Fields, a Greek reference to the afterlife.
Blanche blames the sexual escapades of her ancestors for the
loss of Belle Reve. Blanche's own sexual escapades lead to the
loss of a job and her reputation. Blanche's husband kills himself
after his affair with another man is discovered. Finally Blanche
loses her sanity after she is raped by Stanley.
The flowers in the play become the perfect symbol for this
connection between desire and death. In Scene 3, Stella
compliments Blanche's desirability, "You are fresh as a daisy."
Yet Blanche references death in her reply, "One that's been
picked a few days." In Scene 5 Mitch brings Blanche roses as
an expression of his desire for her just as Blanche's
inappropriate flirtation with the young man collecting
newspaper payments ends. By Scene 9, as Mitch and Blanche
have a falling out, a Mexican woman appears selling flowers for
the dead.
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Themes 26
m Themes
Desire, Destruction, and Death
Desire and destruction form a toxic cocktail that influences the
motivations and actions of the play's four major characters.
Blanche, Stanley, Stella, and Mitch are driven by a variety of
desires, including the need for romance, sex, power, or self-
protection. The word desire is in the play's title for a reason:
the desires of these characters almost always lead to their
destruction and to the destruction of those around them.
Death as well as desire and destruction are tangled together
for Blanche because of two major tragedies in her life. She is
haunted by the death of her young husband, whom she loved,
and by the loss of her beloved family estate, Belle Reve.
Blanche was shocked to discover her husband's true sexual
desires (he was a homosexual), and her inability to accept him
leads to his suicide. The loss of her family home Belle Reve
after the death of several relatives causes her further pain.
As a result Blanche is pulled between conflicting desires. On
the one hand, she longs to find romantic love and to marry a
man who will protect her from life's harsh realities. On the
other, her husband's death has driven her into a world of
sexual promiscuity (particularly with younger men) and drinking
that prevents her from a respectable marriage. But for Blanche
sex is the opposite of death, and sex helps her avoid facing the
loss of her husband and her home. Blanche fights to keep the
two conflicting desires apart, often resorting to lies to prevent
other people, and possibly herself, from seeing the truth. In the
end the inability to do so leads to her destruction.
Stanley's greatest desire is to maintain his dominant position
as the head of his family. He insists that his wife Stella play a
submissive role, and he beats her if she resists. Their marriage
is an ongoing cycle of sexual desire and violence. When
Blanche threatens his domination of his family, Stanley decides
to destroy her. He achieves his goal, exposing Blanche's past
and dominating Blanche by raping her. Stella loves both
Blanche and Stanley. She desires to keep the peace, but in the
end Stella is forced to choose between her sister and her
husband. With a new baby to care for, she sides with her
husband. Stella's desire to maintain both relationships,
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
therefore, ends in frustration and torment for her.
Mitch desires a nice wife. He falls for Blanche's Southern belle
affectations and becomes infatuated with her. However, when
Mitch finds out the truth about Blanche's past, he becomes
disillusioned and bitter and their relationship is destroyed. He
ends up a broken man, whose desires have been shattered.
Truth versus Illusion
Williams explores the theme of truth versus illusion mainly by
contrasting Blanche and Stanley. Blanche has trouble looking
at the unvarnished truth, finding the harsh realities of life too
difficult to take. Because of this she lives in the dimly lit world
of half-truths and illusion, hiding behind her refined Southern
values and manners and using them to manipulate other
people. Her appreciation of poetry and art further helps her
block out reality rather than engage with it. However, when
Stanley reveals the truth about her disreputable past and then
brutally rapes her, Blanche's illusions collapse. As a result she
becomes insane, barely able to discern the difference between
truth versus illusion.
On the other hand, Stanley is a person who looks reality
squarely in the face. He is a bluntly honest and crude man who
despises lying. However Stanley has no ability to express
compassion for others. Instead he uses the truth as a weapon
to control and destroy Blanche.
Stella balances truth versus illusion. She sees her relationship
with Stanley for what it is and accepts it. However she has
trouble accepting what he reveals about Blanche's past
because she loves her sister. For Stella compassion overrides
truth, and she believes her sister's behavior is understandable
considering the tragic outcome of Blanche's marriage. In the
end, however, Stella chooses illusion over truth in order to
preserve her marriage, refusing to believe that Stanley raped
Blanche.
Repression and Dependence
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Themes 27
Stella and Blanche live in a time when women were expected
to be dependent on men, both financially and emotionally, and
both women suffer as a result. In fact this dependence dictates
the course of their lives. The death of her young husband and
the loss of her family home have made Blanche especially
vulnerable. Blanche is fixated on finding a man to protect her.
Indeed Blanche sees this goal as necessary for her survival.
When her last hope of marrying Mitch is destroyed, Blanche
becomes hysterical, consumed by the panic of facing life
without a man.
Stella's financial, emotional, and sexual dependence on her
husband Stanley traps her in a life with a man whom she
suspects has raped her sister. Her need to preserve her
marriage is so powerful that Stella sends Blanche to a state
mental hospital rather than face the truth that her husband
raped her sister.
Class Differences
Characters in the play are defined by their social class and
what they believe social class represents. Blanche bases her
identity on being a refined Southern belle who appreciates the
finer things in life, such as art and poetry. But Blanche's upper-
class sensibilities clash with the Kowalskis' working-class life in
Elysian Fields.
Blanche's sister Stella has chosen to leave her upper-class
background behind to join Stanley. Blanche sees her sister's
choice as a big step down in social status, although Stella
seems content with her decision. In fact Blanche may look the
part of a refined lady, but she hides the fact that her
scandalous behavior in her hometown has damaged her social
standing. Her assertion that she represents a superior social
class is a defensive mask Blanche wears to hide her own loss
of social status.
Blanche's insistence that she is superior to Stanley because he
is low-class motivates him to destroy her. He overhears
Blanche describe him to Stella as "sub-human—something not
quite to the stage of humanity yet!" Soon after this Stanley
begins to dig up dirt about Blanche to use against her. He sees
himself as a type of public avenger out to expose her
hypocrisy and save men like Mitch from her snares. Stanley
also feels Blanche is encouraging Stella to look down on him.
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide
Stanley succeeds in ripping away Blanche's mask of
superiority. However, in the process, he confirms Blanche's
view of him as no better than an animal, which Williams
emphasizes by using "inhuman jungle voices" and "lurid
reflections" when Stanley rapes her.
Passion and Sexuality
The sexuality of characters in the play reflects the way they
view the world. Blanche's sexual exploits, particularly with very
young men, are a way for her to escape the reality of her
husband's suicide and the role she played in it and to find
comfort from the trauma she has experienced as a result. Her
sexual history, which includes many encounters "with
strangers," is also something she feels she must conceal in
order to find a husband.
Stanley exudes a confident animal sexuality that binds him to
his wife, Stella. But he also uses sexuality as a weapon, raping
Blanche in order to dominate her. Stella's deep sexual bond
with Stanley is double-edged. It is an expression of her passion
for him. But the need to fulfill that sexual passion for Stanley is
one of the factors that causes her to overlook Stanley's rape
of her sister.
The play also explores the dangers of hiding one's true sexual
nature in a sexually repressive culture. The way Blanche's
young husband Allan dies is significant. During the time the
play was written, homosexuality was often viewed as immoral,
forcing many homosexuals to hide their true sexual identity for
fear of social rejection and physical violence. Blanche's disgust
at her husband's homosexual behavior, for example, causes his
suicide. Later Blanche herself, like many women, faces a
double standard regarding her sexuality. Women could either
be "decent," meaning they didn't sleep around, or they could be
condemned as "loose" if they did. Blanche in particular feels
torn between these two categories, trying to present herself as
"decent" to find a new husband, while hiding her sexually
promiscuous behavior. When Mitch finds out the truth about
Blanche's sex life, he rejects her primarily because she has lied
to him but also as "not being clean enough" to marry and take
home to his mother.
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Motifs 28
b Motifs
Williams uses music, such as the "blue piano," the song "It's
Only a Paper Moon," and the Varsouviana polka, to represent
his characters' inner lives, set the mood, and further define the
themes of the play.
Blue Piano
The term "blue piano" suggests the blues, mournful music
often written in response to life's hardships and tragedies. The
music of the "blue piano," which opens and closes the play, is
often heard during particularly sad or tragic moments. For
example, the "blue piano" grows louder as Blanche admits to
Stella that Belle Reve is "lost," and again as Blanche flirts
desperately with a young man. Later in the play, the "blue
piano's" music grows louder until it turns into the "roar" of a
train as Stanley prepares to rape Blanche.
"It's Only a Paper Moon"
The song "It's Only a Paper Moon" appears only once in the
play, when Blanche sings it while taking a bath in Scene 7,
while Stanley reveals Blanche's sexual exploits to Stella. Its
lyrics focus on one of Blanche's struggles to deal with truth
versus illusion: "But it wouldn't be make-believe If you believe in
me!" The song reveals Blanche's reliance on illusion to help her
find true love. She believes that manipulative flirtation and
hiding the truth about her sexual escapades is the only way to
secure romantic love.
Varsouviana Polka
The Varsouviana polka symbolizes the combination of desire,
destruction, and death that haunts Blanche, and which began
with her husband's suicide. The author cues this polka when
Blanche describes the death of her husband, when Stanley
gives Blanche a ticket back to Laurel, where her life has fallen
apart after she is caught having sex with one of her teenage
students, and when the Doctor and Matron arrive to take
Blanche away in Scene 11.
A Streetcar Named Desire Study Guide Suggested Reading 29

Belle Reve
Williams uses the Belle Reve plantation to represent the
traditional lifestyle of upper-class Southern landowners.
However characters in the play react to this setting in different
ways. For Blanche, Belle Reve relates to her agonizing attempt
to hang on to a refined way of life. The plantation's name is
French for "beautiful dream." Even after Belle Reve has been
lost, Blanche clings to traditional Southern values as if she still
lived there. Stella feels some guilt about leaving Belle Reve.
She cries when Blanche accuses her of not helping to keep the
plantation. Blanche is angry not only about the loss of the
estate, but also about having had to abandon the way of life
the estate represents. She objects, "I let the place go? Where
were you! In bed with your—Polack!" Stanley does not care
about Belle Reve representing Southern tradition. For him Belle
Reve means money. He and Stella did not get any money from
the sale of Belle Reve, which upsets him until he realizes the
property was lost due to a foreclosed mortgage.

e Suggested Reading
Bloom, Harold. Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named
Desire. New York: Bloom's Literary Criticism, 2009. Print.

Miller, Jordan Yale. Twentieth Century Interpretations of A

Streetcar Named Desire; a Collection of Critical Essays.
Englewood Cliffs: Prentice, 1971. Print.

Murphy, Brenda. Critical Insights: A Streetcar Named Desire: By

Tennessee Williams. Pasadena: Salem, 2010. Print.

Plienow, Henriette. Art and Censorship: Elia Kazan's Film "A

Streetcar Named Desire" Compared to Tennessee Williams's
Play. Munich: GRIN, 2009. Print.

Sontag, Ilona. Reality and Illusion in Tennessee Williams' "A

Streetcar Named Desire": An Analysis of Frequent Symbols.
Munich: GRIN, 2010. Print.

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