Streetcar Named Desire Allusions

Elysian Fields

The final resting place of the heroic and virtuous, which aligns the play both with Greek tragedy and romanticises the raffish charm of New Orleans.

‘Mr Edgar Allen Poe’

Writer of Southern Gothic literature, which featured morally ambiguous characters and the decay of tradition. This could be potentially linked to his short story, The Fall of the House of Usher, which explores the fall of a once great family and their home.

‘From the Land of the Sky-Blue Water…’

Although originally an Omaha love song, with ‘Sky-Blue Water’ being a translation of ‘Minnesota’ it was later used as an advertising jingle, suggesting the corruption of Old South traditions.

‘Wien, Wien, nur du allein‘

The song suggests a nostalgia for the empire and tradition represented both by Vienna and the Old South.

‘And if God choose / I shall but love thee better – after death’

Elizabeth Barret Browning quote, which celebrates a sincere and deep love, in contrast to the shallow experiences of the characters.

‘French Huguenots’

Persecuted royals, parallels Blanche’s experiences as a downtrodden member of the upper classes.

‘Hawthorne and Whitman and Poe!’

Nathanial Hawthorne is most well-known for A Scarlette Letter, which, with its punishment of female infidelity acts as a reminder of Blanche’s own past.

‘Paper doll’

Jazz song, lyrics suggest women are fragile possessions, on whom other people inscribe their stories.

‘Astrological sign.’ / ‘Aries’ / ‘Virgo’

Whereas Aries is associated with violence and masculine virality, Virgo is associated with virginity and chastity.

‘My Rosenkavalier! Bow to me first!’

Rosenkavalier is the hero of Strauss’s comic-romantic opera, suggesting of both high culture and Blanche’s desire for fantasy.

‘The Pleiades, the Seven Sisters’

The astronomical constellation represent coping with sorrow and fate, perhaps paralleling Blanche’s experiences.

‘Je suis la Dame aux Camellias’

Since Blanche is referring to novel centred around a high-class Parisian sex worker, she suggests the sexual desire is permissible when hidden behind a class shield.

‘Samson’

While Samson was famed for his strength, that Blanche refers to Mitch as such suggests he may eventually be betrayed by women.

‘Say it’s only a paper moon’

While singing a popular jazz song, originally sung by Ella Fitzgerald, hints at her gradual acceptance of New Orleans life, it also emphasises her need for fantasy.

Remember what Huey Long said – ‘Every Man is King’

Huey Long was an outspoken populist who denounced the rich and banks, advocating for a shared wealth program whose slogan Stanley quotes here. Yet his intimidation tactics and despotism align him also with Stanley.

‘Flores, Flores para low muertos’

Reference to Mexican Day of the Dead, acting as a reminder of death intruding even in moments of life.

‘Della Robbia blue’

Blanche aligns herself with the Madonna figure to suggest her martyrdom, since she becomes a symbol of female suffering.