ASND Final Exam Questions

Early in the play Blanche states that she has taken a streetcar named Desire to Elysian Fields, Stella's apartment.  The name of the apartment is ironic because there Blanche will

meet with downfall rather than reward.

Circumstances that place Blanche, who uses deception to keep her past secret, in the household of Stanley, who does not like to be deceived, creates the

situational conflict

That Blanche cannot return to Laurel while she finds it increasingly threatening to remain in New Orleans constitutes two equally undesireable alternatives known as

a dilemma

Blanche's presentation of herself all the while knowing the truth of her past behavior creates a(n)

inner conflict

Behaviors such as drinking alcohol and taking warm baths are

attempts to quiet reminders of past inappropriate behavior

Blanche's rolling of her eyes upon referring to her "old-fashioned ideals" suggests that she

is struggling to deny to herself her true nature

Blanche's promiscuous behavior after the tragic death of her husband Allen can best be described as a form of

acting out to fulfill her need to be found desirable.

Blanche struggles to

accept that she has physical desires, hide her promiscuous past, prove her own attractiveness and desirability

The climax of the inner conflict occurs when

Blanche, confronted by Mitch on her checkered past, stops the deception and admits to the truth

After the climax of the inner conflict, reality becomes too threatening to Blanche so she protects her mind by

expecting Shep Huntleigh to rescue her.

The climax of the situational conflict occurs when

Stanley confronts her on her lies and then rapes her