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Mind Map
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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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5293589
mind_map
2018-04-06T16:42:24Z
A Streetcar Named Desire - Themes
DESIRE AND FATE
THE 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 he
mentioned them in an essay 'Their indiscouragable progress up and down
Royal Street struck me as having some symbolic bearing of a broad nature
on 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 of
the inescapability of fate. The destination "desire" is symbolic of the destructive power of sexual passion that can bring the end
of everything. QUOTE scene 4 Blanche "that rattle-trap streetcar" Stella "haven't you ever ridden on that streetcar" Blanche "it
brought me here" (to death)
PROMISCUITY versus SECURITY - Blanche and
Williams equally lived promiscuous lives and both
seemed incapable of committing to a permanent
relationship. Blanche longs for Mitch to marry her
because of the security he offers 'The poor mans
Paradise - is a little peace'. Blanches fate is
preordained, as stressed through the streetcar
image, and her sexual nature, which is presented to
us through her encounter with the young man,
flirting with Stanley, and reckless impersonation of a
French prostitute, tells us that she will never become
the contented housewife she hopes to be. Desire
drives Stella too, she has abandoned herself and her
integrity for her passion for Stanley. The final
destination on the ride of her streetcar is not show,
except perhaps through Eunice. She chooses sexual
passion over loyalty to her sister, but her staying
with Stanley represents the domestic security that
Blanche can never have.
KEY QUOTES
Stella, scene 4 "but there are
things that happen between a
man and a woman in the
dark - that sort of make
everything else seem -
unimportant"
Stanley, scene 10 "Come
to think of it - maybe
you wouldn't be bad to
- interfere with"
Blanche, scene 5
"You make my
mouth water"
Interconnecting themes
DEATH
THE DEATHS AT BELLE REVE - Blanche vividly recalls the deaths of her elderly relations that she
witnessed at Belle Reve. She describes how one body was "burned like rubbish" and the "blood
stained pillow slips". Blanche goes on to describe her own dreams of being buried "at sea sewn up
in 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 mind
over and over like a film - signalled by the playing of the Varsouviana Polka
which she danced to with him on the night of his death. This is heard by
Blanche and the audience however none of the other characters hear it,
highlighting how the tragedy has isolated her. The mexiacn seller of flowers
for the dead is symbolic of how death is constantly shadowing Blanche. The
realism of the earlier scenes is abandoned to give these symbolic figures
more prominence.
STANLEYS ATTITUDE - Stanley is the embodiment of life and
vigour. He is described as being "prodigiously elated" when
recalling the high mortality rates at Salerno "I figured that 4
out of % would not come through but I would... and I did"
Rather than feeling sadness at the losses, he congratulates
himself for surviving, similar to his triumph over Blanche.
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5293589
mind_map
2018-04-06T16:42:24Z
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