A Streetcar Names Desire: Symbols and Imagery

Symbolism
1. Shadows/Cries
  1. Dramatises Blanche's final breakdown/departure from reality in face of Stanley physical threat
2. Music
  1. Varsouviana Polka
    1. Tragedy of Blanches past (Allan)
      1. Moment it evokes represents Blanche's loss of innocence
    2. Only Blanche can hear
      1. Drives her to distraction
      2. Heard whenever she panics/loses grip on reality
  2. Blue Piano
    1. Callous vitality of Vieux Carré of New Orleans
      1. "expresses spirit of the live that goes on there"
    2. Stands for depression, loneliness and B longing for love
3. "Paper Moon" song
  1. Lyrics about lovers losing their imagined reality similar to Blanche fibbing herself into imaginary world
4. Meat
  1. Stanley: Scene 1 throws meat to Stella-stating sexual propriortership her has over her
5. Chinese Lantern
  1. Blanche's longing for 'magic'/ dressing up of ugly reality p72
    1. Magic represents life as it ought to be
  2. Made of paper-like Blanche's illusions it can easily be destroyed
Motifs
1. Light
  1. Reality of Blanche's past/fading beauty
  2. Scene 6: "lets leave the lights off" (to Mitch) doesn't want future husband to see her ageing features
  3. Love
    1. "it was like you suddenly turned a blinding light on something that had always been half in shadow" Description of love for Allan
      1. Light used to represent love for B but now it's destructive-Allan's suicide erased light of love
  4. Escape of reality
    1. "electric bulbs go on and you see too plainly"
  5. Stanley: light shows things for what they are/affection for reality
2. Drunkeness
  1. Blanche: anti-social/ secretive, attempt to withdraw from harsh reality
  2. Stanley: Social drinker-poker game, birth of child, Blanche birthday
  3. Blanche and Stanley: leads to destructive behaviour
    1. Stanley: commits domestic violence yet able to rebound from drunken escapades
    2. Blanche: deludes herself, alcohol augments gradual departure from sanity
3. Bathing
  1. Cleansing ritual
Imagery
1. Moth
  1. Blanche's fragility
    1. Represents attempt to recreate herself/ spring forth a new person from cocoon of lies
  2. Lives during the night-creature of darkness
2. Colours
  1. Stanley/Males dress in bright colour: "gaudy"
    1. Scene 1: wearing blue denim work clothes-blue represents truth/strength/masculinity
    2. Williams refers to primary colours worn in context of masculinity/represents their behaviour
    3. Variety of colour reflects diversity of New World
3. Streetcar and Traintracks
  1. Blanche headlong descent into disaster
    1. Scene 4,6,10 rush of locomotive symbol of relentless fate
  2. Euphemism for sex in Scene 4
4. Stanley the Ape

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A Streetcar Names Desire: Symbols and Imagery

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	Created by Maria Oliver1405 about 9 years ago