Fantasy and Delusion

• Who is the conflicted protagonist in A Streetcar Named Desire?

  Blanche
• What does Blanche's downfall in A Streetcar Named Desire symbolize?

  • The impact of fantasy and delusion
  • The struggle against societal norms
  • The consequences of female vulnerability

  
• What is a key component of the American social landscape in the New South?

  Masculinity
• Who embodies machismo and capitalist greed in the play?

  Stanley
• What does Stanley symbolize in A Streetcar Named Desire?

  The New America and the American Dream
• What transformation did women undergo after the War in the context of the play?

  Return to domesticity
• What term does Maria Cristina Santana use to describe the transformation of women's roles?

  Gender reconversion
• How does Williams explore female expression and sexuality in the play?

  Through Blanche's delusions and agency dismantling
• What does Stella's denial of her marriage's toxicity represent?

  Women's dependence on men for survival
• What characterizes the 'Southern Belle' in the Antebellum South?

  Privileged upbringing from upper socioeconomic class
• What societal issues were controversial regarding women during the Antebellum South?

  Education, sexuality, and traditional values
• How does Blanche's Southern Belle status affect her character?

  It drives her to cling to a fantasy world
• What does Belle Reve symbolize in the play?

  Blanche's illusory existence
• How does Blanche's upper-class status create a class distinction with Stanley?

  It symbolizes Old South privilege
• What does Blanche's use of derogatory terms for Stanley signify?

  Her attempt to regain a sense of superiority
• What do the Elysian Fields symbolize in the play?

  The link between fantasy and harsh realities
• What does Blanche exclaim about taking a streetcar named Desire?

  It leads to Elysian Fields
• How does death manifest in the play?

  Through Blanche's late husband's demise
• What does Blanche's desire for femininity and sexuality lead to?

  Her figurative death
• What is 'plastic theatre' as developed by Williams?

  • A non-realist style
  • Exploits Expressionist devices
  • Symbolically represents character psyche
• What is an example of an Expressionist device in the play?

  Contrast in costumes
• How does the contrast in costumes illustrate character differences?

  It highlights Blanche's fragility versus Stanley's masculinity
• What does the Varsouviana Polka symbolize in the play?

  Blanche's inability to escape her past
• What does the Blue Piano represent in A Streetcar Named Desire?

  The masculine power of the New South
• What does Blanche's bathing symbolize?

  Her attempts to wash away her past
• How does Stanley's presence affect Blanche during her baths?

  It signifies the disintegration of her fantasy
• What does the bathroom symbolize for Blanche?

  Her only space of freedom and possibility
• How does Williams use music in the play?

  To blur boundaries of Blanche's psyche
• What does the light symbolize in the play?

  The triumph of raw, unfiltered truth
• How does Blanche's name relate to her character?

  It connotes fragile and innocent femininity
• What does proleptic irony reveal about Blanche's appearance?

  Her purity is far from her reality
• What does the light symbolize in the play?

  It symbolizes the triumph of raw truth
• How do Blanche’s denial and Stanley’s embrace of light reflect their fates?

  They symbolize their inescapable fate together
• What does Blanche wear in Scene 1 that symbolizes her femininity?

  • White suit
  • Pearl earrings
  • White gloves
• What does Blanche's name signify in relation to her character?

  It connotes purity but hints at falsehood
• How does Williams use proleptic irony regarding Blanche's appearance?

  It foreshadows her hidden past with men
• What does the verb 'blanche' imply about Blanche's character?

  It suggests her aversion to light and reality
• What does Blanche say about light in Scene 10?

  “Turn that over-light off!”
• What does Blanche's avoidance of light symbolize?

  Her desire to escape her troubled past
• What does Blanche mean by saying “the dark is comforting to me”?

  It reflects her preference for illusion over reality