Orphee Hollis
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Mind Map on A Streetcar Named Desire - Themes, created by Orphee Hollis on 30/04/2016.

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Orphee Hollis
Created by Orphee Hollis over 8 years ago
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A Streetcar Named Desire - ThemesDESIRE AND FATETHE STREETCAR - Blanche's journey, first to Desire then to Cemeteries,sums up her life - driven by a sexual passion and finally ending up in the'living death' of the asylum.LINK TO CONTEXT - Williams was living in New Orleans in 1946 hementioned them in an essay 'Their indiscouragable progress up and downRoyal Street struck me as having some symbolic bearing of a broad natureon the life in the Vieux Carre - and everywhere else or that matter'SYMBOLISM OF THE STREETCAR - A streetcar running unswervingly along the rails to its destination could be seen as a symbol ofthe inescapability of fate. The destination "desire" is symbolic of the destructive power of sexual passion that can bring the endof everything. QUOTE scene 4 Blanche "that rattle-trap streetcar" Stella "haven't you ever ridden on that streetcar" Blanche "itbrought me here" (to death)PROMISCUITY versus SECURITY - Blanche andWilliams equally lived promiscuous lives and bothseemed incapable of committing to a permanentrelationship. Blanche longs for Mitch to marry herbecause of the security he offers 'The poor mansParadise - is a little peace'. Blanches fate ispreordained, as stressed through the streetcarimage, and her sexual nature, which is presented tous through her encounter with the young man,flirting with Stanley, and reckless impersonation of aFrench prostitute, tells us that she will never becomethe contented housewife she hopes to be. Desiredrives Stella too, she has abandoned herself and herintegrity for her passion for Stanley. The finaldestination on the ride of her streetcar is not show,except perhaps through Eunice. She chooses sexualpassion over loyalty to her sister, but her stayingwith Stanley represents the domestic security thatBlanche can never have.KEY QUOTESStella, scene 4 "but there arethings that happen between aman and a woman in thedark - that sort of makeeverything else seem -unimportant"Stanley, scene 10 "Cometo think of it - maybeyou wouldn't be bad to- interfere with"Blanche, scene 5"You make mymouth water"Interconnecting themesDEATHTHE DEATHS AT BELLE REVE - Blanche vividly recalls the deaths of her elderly relations that shewitnessed at Belle Reve. She describes how one body was "burned like rubbish" and the "bloodstained pillow slips". Blanche goes on to describe her own dreams of being buried "at sea sewn upin a clean white sack" - this shows how her romanticising instinct recoils from the reality of death,however her obsession with it remains (the ultimate way to escape?)DEATH OF BLANCHES HUSBAND - the events of this night play in her mindover and over like a film - signalled by the playing of the Varsouviana Polkawhich she danced to with him on the night of his death. This is heard byBlanche and the audience however none of the other characters hear it,highlighting how the tragedy has isolated her. The mexiacn seller of flowersfor the dead is symbolic of how death is constantly shadowing Blanche. Therealism of the earlier scenes is abandoned to give these symbolic figuresmore prominence.STANLEYS ATTITUDE - Stanley is the embodiment of life andvigour. He is described as being "prodigiously elated" whenrecalling the high mortality rates at Salerno "I figured that 4out of % would not come through but I would... and I did"Rather than feeling sadness at the losses, he congratulateshimself for surviving, similar to his triumph over Blanche.Double click this nodeto edit the textClick and drag this buttonto create a new node