Female Entrapment

• What themes does Williams explore in A Streetcar Named Desire?

  Female expression, sexuality, and freedom
• How does Williams portray female characters in the play?

  As socially subordinate and dependent on men
• What does Williams suggest about hegemonic masculinity in the play?

  It contributes to female entrapment and inferiority
• Who are the two main female characters in A Streetcar Named Desire?

  Blanche and Stella
• How does Williams illustrate the confinement of female characters?

  Through their physical and psychological worlds
• What role do male characters play in the lives of female characters?

  They act as catalysts for their disintegration
• What does Williams depict New Orleans as in the opening scene?

  A liberal cultural melting pot
• What musical element is mentioned in the depiction of New Orleans?

  The serene jazz music of the "blue piano"
• What irony is present in the portrayal of New Orleans?

  It is not as inclusive as it seems
• What does the Napoleonic Code authorize regarding women's property?

  It places women's property in men's hands
• How does Stanley's reference to the Napoleonic Code reflect societal attitudes?

  It highlights deep-rooted cultural misogyny
• What does Elysian Fields symbolize in the play?

  The power imbalance between genders
• How does Williams use proleptic irony in Elysian Fields?

  To foreshadow Stanley's victory over Blanche
• What does Stanley's home represent for him?

  A sanctuary for his desires and pleasures
• How does Elysian Fields affect the women in the play?

  It becomes a place of permanent entrapment
• What does Blanche's character symbolize in the play?

  The disintegration of her psyche
• What is Blanche's tragic flaw in the play?

  Believing her status should define her treatment
• How does Blanche's seduction of the Young Man reflect societal views?

  It may disturb a 1940s audience
• What does Blanche's "dark red satin wrapper" signify?

  Her attempt to reclaim her sexuality
• What does Blanche's name suggest about her character?

  It implies purity but hides her past
• How does Blanche's bathing symbolize her character's struggle?

  It represents her desire to expunge impurity
• What does Blanche mean by "I couldn't believe her story and go on living with Stanley"?

  It shows her inability to recognize her entrapment
• How does Stella's relationship with Stanley evolve throughout the play?

  It leads to her eroding self-worth and entrapment
• What are the key scenes for Blanche's entrapment?

  Scenes one, five, and ten
• How does Williams use color symbolism to portray Blanche?

  She is introduced as fragile and innocent
• What does Blanche's "white suit" symbolize?

  Her appearance of purity contrasts her reality
• What does Blanche's fading beauty represent?

  The societal pressure on women's appearance
• How does Stella's view of love differ from Blanche's?

  Stella embraces a more sexual and sensual view
• What does Stanley's final act towards Blanche signify?

  His ultimate power over her
• How does Williams depict the consequences of Blanche's defiance?

  It leads to her tragic victimization
• What does Blanche's character represent in the context of gender roles?

  A challenge to traditional gender expectations
• How is Stella characterized in relation to gender roles?

  As a transitive type of woman
• What does Williams critique through Blanche's character?

  The tyrannical social norms of 1940s America
• How does Blanche's dishonesty reflect her character's struggles?

  It shows her descent into delusion and lies
• What does Blanche's avoidance of direct light symbolize?

  Her desire to escape her troubled past
• What does Blanche's statement about a woman's worth reveal?

  It was defined by her exterior appearance
• How does Williams portray the harsh reality of female entrapment?

  Through Blanche's reflections on her worth
• What does Blanche's defiance of Stanley signify?

  Her challenge to cultural norms
• How does Williams depict the consequences of cultural savagery on women?

  Through Blanche's tragic victimization
• What does the term "Southern Belle" refer to in the play?

  An archetypal sheltered young woman