A Streetcar Named Desires Themes/Quotes

What are the main themes?

- Gender

- Sexuality

- Class

- Madness

What is the thesis statement for GENDER

Femininity is performative and submissive, while masculinity is superiority and power. They are both two sides of the same society, with its rigid social roles.

What is the thesis statement for SEXUALITY

The stifling repression of society, and the detrimental effects this had on people at a time when fitting in was crucial. This is especially true for women, who were punished for sexuality.

What is the thesis statement for CLASS

Williams portrays the upper class as essentially incapable of any practical work. Weak, meek, incapable- in stark contrast to the lower class.

What is the thesis statement for MADNESS

Madness was caused by the society at the time. Yet this society, culpable for such madness, only further ostracised those suffering by its hand.

Literary techniques for GENDER?

- Symbolism

- Juxtaposition (Stanley vs Blanche)

- Characterisation

Literary techniques for SEXULITY

- Symbolism

- Characterisation

- Stage directions

Literary techniques for CLASS

= Characterisation

- Symbolism

- Stage directions

Literary techniques for MADNESS

- Symbolism

- Stage directions

- Motif

Quotes for GENDER symbolism?

Symbolism:

"I can't stand a naked bulb, any more than I can a rude remark"

"[He tears the paper lantern off the bulb]"

Quotes for GENDER juxtaposition?

Juxtaposition:

"I don't want realism. I want magic!"

"Every man is a King! And I am the King around here!"

Quotes for GENDER characterisation

Characterisation:

"Her beauty is like a moth"

"Stanley stalks fiercely through the portièrs into the room"

Quotes for SEXUALITY symbolism

Symbolism:

"They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, then transfer to one called Cemeteries."

"Blanche is bathing" (repeated motif)

Quotes for SEXUALITY characterisation

Characterisation:

"You're not clean enough to bring into a house with my mother"

"A cultivated woman... can enrich a man's life."

Quotes for SEXUALITY stage directions

Stage directions:

"[Stanley's the gaudy seed bearer]"

"[He springs toward her. Over her head he grins into the curtain call]"

Quots for CLASS characterisation

Characterisation:

"Belle Rêve was lost!"

"[The atmosphere of decay is evoked by the raffish charm of the neighborhood]"

Quotes for CLASS symbolism

Symbolism:

"[She wears a white suit with a fluffy bodice]"

"[Stanley in denim work clothes]"

Quotes for CLASS stage directions

Stage directions:

"[A poker night- men at the peak of their physical manhood]"

"[The men laugh; Stanley gives a loud whack of his hand on her thigh]"

Quotes for MADNESS symbolism

Symbolism:

"I can't stand a naked light bulb"

"I don't tell the truth. I tell what ought to be the truth."

Quotes for MADNESS stage directions/stagecraft

Stagecraft:

"The atmosphere of decay is evoked by the dim lighting of the building" (pathetic fallacy)

"The lurid reflections appear on the walls around Blanche"

Quotes for MADNESS motif

Motif:

"[The Varsouviana is heard, only she can hear it]."

"[The rapid, feverish polka tune continues]."