symbols/themes of streetcar

sexual desire- theme

critics believe that Williams invented idea of desire in 20th century as it propels the entire plot/

blanche’s conception of how she operates relies on how men perceive her, wanting them to view her as attractive resulting in flirting starting convosations. e.g. things smoothed over in scene 2 after she started flirting and in the poker game she recognises mitch’s suitability as a suitor.     

blanche basically attacks Mitch with her aggressivesexuality e.g. red satin robe with her clinginess to her sexuality increasing as time goes on- probs as fact that Alan was gay means that losing her desirability is akin to losing reason to live and her idendity.

Stella’s desire for stanley pulls her away from past, finding his animal sexuality hot; for stanley her domestic sexuality- reinforced though the pregancey as despite the violence the sexual dynamic bonds them. e.g. blanche horrifiedat dv revelation but Stella explains that the things that occur between a man and woman in the dark maintains their relatioship.

Stanley’s sexuality and masc interconnected as his sexuality violentlyasserts itself over both sisters. e.g. rapes blanche while Stella giving birth so the culmination of his sexual act with Stella coincides with the tragic culmination of his destined date with Blanche.

sexual desire linked with destruction as stanley hits Stella, and Steve beats Eunice. The “epic fornications” of the DuBois ancestors created a chain reaction that has culminated in the loss of the family estate. blanche’s sexuality led to her los of belle reve and laurel removal. Stanley’s voracious carnal desire culminates in his rape of Blanche. Blanche’s husband’s “unacceptable” homosexual desire leads to his suicide.

fantasy and desluison- theme

blanche’s journey in scene 1 allegorically follows her mental descent  as she’s reaching the end of the line with her stay at Stella’s.  desire to escape causes her to lose touch with irl so delusional.

tension between fantasy and delusion centers on blanche’s relationship with the world and other characters; her attempts to continue being the southern belle fall apart- indicated by the stagecraft as she is always in semi-darkness and shadows  so clinging to delusions that can’t stand in light of day- e.g. paper lanterns. By maintaining an illusory exterior appearance, Blanche hopes to hide her troubled interior from both herself and the world at large.

when Stella finds out why blanche is really there, blanche is bathing and singing “paper moon” a song about a make believe world where love makes it become the reality- only hers crumbles and ends in a trip to the asylum permanently removed from reality to her own mind.

Interior and Exterior Appearance- theme

audience sees both inside of the kowalskis flat and street- emphasising tense relationship bewteen outside deception and reality. The physical attention to inside versus outside also symbolically demonstrates the complicated relationship between what goes on in the mind versus what occurs in real life. as play progresses split bewteen blanche’s fantasy and reality becomes clear to everyone but blanche.

social+ class distinctions also point to tension as while she try to keep up appearances via products of past life she’s a “fallen women”. the use of “polack” and snide remarks about Stella’s flat show how she’s attempting to maintain social superiority.

music is the boundary between interior and exterior as the “blue piano” evokes tension and emotions inside flat. exists in outside world but expresses feelings of the characters e.g. blanche’s rendition of paper moon. plus allows audience to enter blanche’s head as although the vasouviana polka is only in her head the audience still hears it- so like how blanche’s fantasy blurs into reality so foes the pov of the whole play.

Masculinity and Physicality- theme

masculnirt linked to ideas of a brute, aggressive animal + canal lust (esp with Stanley) as emphasisedby dominate and loud presence- bright colours and defined by his sex life.

emphasis based on his body, being frequtley shown to be taking shirt off, or being angry at blanche for always occuping bathroom. also psychologically as he investigates blanche’s sorid past to affirm position in household, plus physically for raping her. also asserts itself in response to the feminine as a tender response to news of pregancy, labour and emontial manupulation after hitting stella.

hes a prime specimen of manhood, but not a gentlemen as he reps the powerful threat of masculinity (alpha male) whereas Mitch is the comforting and refuge masculinity (beta male). but even beta male uses body to asset more subtle power e.g ininsicting on precise measurements of body to blanche (six foot one, two hundred seven pounds). so hes still physically dominant but not dangerous like stanley.

Femininity and Dependence- theme

both sisters have different types of feminity that dependent on men as defined by relationship to men, for both security and fulfilment.

blanche is a fading southern belle who clings to coquettish trappings, who wants Stella to leave stanley but solution still depends on the Dallas millionaire Shep Huntleigh for money. Blanche views Mitch as a refuge and a way to rejuvenate her shattered life via marriage; tho Blanche’s sexual exploits means other view her a fallen woman double standards are exposed as stanley does the exact same.

stella’s feminity based on reality, with the pregancey asserting the physcial nature of her feminirty as being contemporary choosing love over schemes, as she’s more pragmatic. hence why she stays with stanley as eunice does with Steve with the practial reliance on men.

the streetcar- symbol 

Williams called the streetcar the “ideal metaphor for the human condition” with the title referencing both the actual streetcar but symbolically how the power of desire is the driving force for character’s actions. E.g. blanche’s journey on desire through cemeteries to elysian fields is both literal and allegorical as desire is a controlling force which forces the characters to submit. 

Varsouviana Polka- symbol

Blanche associates the polka with Alan’s death as they were dancing to it when she lashed out (because of the gayness) preceding his suicde by gun. music plays when she’s reminded of him or disturbed by the past; continues until a gun goes off in her memory or irl distracts her. audience also hears it when blanche does.

bathing- symbol

she takes frequent baths to soothe herself as it’s a escape from the sweaty flat and the water is a attempt to cleanse herself and forget reality.  reminiscent of lady Macbeth, only he guilt now has youth. contrasting with her use of baths is how the men dunk Stanley in shower to sober him up to face the world, and get Stella back.  

paper lantern and paper moon- symbol

the paper lantern over the light bulb reps her attempts to mask her past and present aged appearance with it being a short term solution to difussing the stark light. him putting the light up means that blanche can maintain the facade but its also Mitch who tears it off after the past is revealed. at the end of the play stanley gives it to blanche as proof her delusion is over. she sings the ‘paper moon’ song while past is being revealed revealing her desire for a reality made by her love. Blanche feigns modesty and a coquettish nature, but behind the veneer, she hides a much darker past.

alcohol and drunkenress- symbol

both Stanley and blanche drink but do it differently. his mascunlity gets exacbated growing violent and brutal, making a clear show of his drinking, swaggering and shot pouring. blanche meanwhile hides it claiming she does’t do it but uses the secret frequent shots as a escape.

shadows- symbol

they rep the dream-world and escape from light of day as blanche initially seeks refuge in them to hide, asking Stella to turn off the overhead lights in their reunion- “I don’t want to be looked at in this merciless glare!”.  corrupted by end of play as when Stanley approaches her to rape blanche his shadows overtakes hers on the wall to foreshadow the physcial domination. then in final scene the shadows contribute to the made atmosphere, being a menacing element.