visual and sound effects

• visual


  possibly influenced by the rise in cinema

  detailed stage directions heighten the impact of the action, e.g. scene 9: stage directions of the Mexican flower seller could be seen as a portent of death
• sound effects


  polka= symbol of blanche's inescapable guilt and her detachment from reality after allan's suicide

  different from other sounds= only blanche can hear it= expressionistic technique= adds to the exaggerated and grotesque imagery to make blanches mental turmoil appear worse

  roar of the locomotive= plastic theatre= phallic imagery= symbolic of stanley creeping up on blanche= increases dramatic tension
• blanche's emotional turmoil


  inhuman noises= confusion and terror in blanche's mind

  menacing shadows= society and stanley creeping up on blanche/ antebellum

  increases dramatic tension= blanche's awareness/ subconscious of her impending doom??