A Streetcar Named Desire – Tennessee Williams

“A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams is a dramatic play that explores the themes of desire, mental illness, and social class through the story of Blanche DuBois, a fragile and delusional woman who seeks refuge with her sister, Stella, in New Orleans.

Summary:

Scene 1: Blanche DuBois arrives in New Orleans to visit her sister, Stella Kowalski. She is shocked to find Stella living in a modest apartment with her husband, Stanley Kowalski, a working-class man of Polish descent. Blanche, who has lost the family estate, Belle Reeve, due to financial mismanagement, is clearly unsettled and anxious.

Scene 2: Stanley, suspicious of Blanche’s story about losing Belle Reeve, believes she may have sold the estate and kept the money. His mistrust grows when he sees Blanche’s fine clothes and jewelry. Stanley’s aggressive nature begins to surface as he asserts his dominance over both Stella and Blanche.

Scene 3: During a poker game at the Kowalski apartment, Blanche meets Mitch, one of Stanley’s friends. Mitch is kinder and more sensitive than the other men, and Blanche sees him as a potential suitor. However, the night turns violent when a drunken Stanley hits Stella, who later returns to him despite Blanche’s protests.

Scene 4: Blanche urges Stella to leave Stanley, describing him as brutish and unrefined. However, Stella defends her husband, admitting that she is deeply attracted to his raw physicality. Blanche begins to reveal more about her troubled past, hinting at personal losses and regrets.

Scene 5: Stanley digs deeper into Blanche’s past and discovers scandalous details about her life in Laurel, Mississippi. Blanche, meanwhile, continues her flirtation with Mitch, hoping he will marry her and provide a way out of her precarious situation.

Scene 6: Blanche and Mitch go on a date, during which Blanche opens up about the trauma of her young husband’s suicide, a tragic event that has left her emotionally scarred. Mitch is sympathetic and considers marriage, but Stanley’s discoveries about Blanche threaten this possibility.

Scene 7: On Blanche’s birthday, Stanley confronts her with the truth about her past, including her expulsion from a hotel due to her promiscuity. This revelation devastates Blanche, and Mitch, now aware of her lies, breaks off their relationship.

Scene 8: Stanley’s cruelty continues as he presents Blanche with a bus ticket back to Laurel as a birthday “gift.” Blanche, realizing she has no future in New Orleans, becomes increasingly unstable.

Scene 9: Mitch confronts Blanche, accusing her of deception. Blanche tries to explain, but Mitch rejects her, leaving her completely broken. She retreats further into a world of fantasy to escape her harsh reality.

Scene 10: Blanche, dressed in a faded gown, prepares to leave. Stanley, returning home, finds her alone and in a delusional state. In a final act of brutality, Stanley rapes Blanche, destroying her remaining grip on sanity.

Scene 11: The play concludes with Blanche being taken away to a mental institution. Stella, though deeply conflicted, chooses to stay with Stanley, even after learning the truth about what he did to her sister. Blanche, now completely lost in her delusions, leaves with the doctor, believing she is going on a vacation.

Themes:

• Desire and Destruction: The destructive power of desire is central to the play, particularly in Blanche’s downfall.
• Illusion vs. Reality: Blanche’s reliance on illusion to cope with her harsh reality ultimately leads to her undoing.
• Class Conflict: The tension between Blanche’s aristocratic background and Stanley’s working-class roots highlights the social divisions of the time.
• Gender Roles: The play examines the oppressive gender dynamics in 1940s America, particularly through the relationships between men and women.

“A Streetcar Named Desire” is a tragic exploration of human frailty, the clash between reality and illusion, and the consequences of unbridled desire.

Themes and Quotes

Here are the five main themes of “A Streetcar Named Desire” along with 20 quotes that help explain each theme:

1. Desire and Destruction

Desire is a powerful force in the play, driving characters to actions that ultimately lead to their downfall. The theme examines how unfulfilled desires can result in self-destruction. Here are some quotes from the play. 

• “They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at—Elysian Fields!” – Blanche
• “Stella! My baby doll’s left me!” – Stanley
• “I want to be near you, got to be with somebody, I can’t be alone!” – Blanche
• “I don’t want realism. I want magic!” – Blanche
• “You’re not clean enough to bring in the house with my mother.” – Mitch
• “Stanley Kowalski—survivor of the Stone Age!” – Blanche
• “There are things that happen between a man and a woman in the dark—that sort of make everything else seem—unimportant.” – Stella
• “The opposite is desire.” – Blanche
• “What you are talking about is brutal desire—just—Desire!” – Blanche
• “We’ve had this date with each other from the beginning.” – Stanley
• “He acts like an animal, has an animal’s habits! Eats like one, moves like one, talks like one!” – Blanche
• “I can’t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action.” – Blanche
• “Whoever you are—I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” – Blanche
• “You make my mouth water.” – Blanche
• “I’ve run for protection, Stella, from under one leaky roof to another leaky roof—because it was storm—all storm, and I was—caught in the center.” – Blanche
• “Oh, I guess he’s just not the type that goes for Jasmine perfume, but maybe he’s what we need to mix with our blood now that we’ve lost Belle Reeve.” – Blanche
• “What do you two think you are? A pair of queens? Remember what Huey Long said—‘Every man is a King!’ And I am the King around here, so don’t forget it!” – Stanley
• “I was on the verge of—lunacy, almost!” – Blanche
• “He was a boy, just a boy, when I was a very young girl.” – Blanche
• “You’re married to a madman!” – Blanche.

2. Illusion vs. Reality

Blanche’s inability to face the harsh realities of her life leads her to create illusions to protect herself. The play contrasts her fantasies with the brutal truth represented by Stanley. Here are some quotes from the play.

• “I don’t want realism. I want magic!” – Blanche
• “I’ll tell you what I want. Magic! Yes, yes, magic!” – Blanche
• “I couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley.” – Stella
• “I tell what ought to be the truth.” – Blanche
• “A woman’s charm is fifty percent illusion.” – Blanche
• “I’m not accustomed to having more than one drink. Two is the limit—and three! Tonight I had three.” – Blanche
• “I can’t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action.” – Blanche
• “I don’t tell the truth, I tell what ought to be the truth.” – Blanche
• “The searchlight which had been turned on the world was turned off again and never for one moment since has there been any light that’s stronger than this—kitchen—candle.” – Blanche
• “He acts like an animal, has an animal’s habits! Eats like one, moves like one, talks like one!” – Blanche
• “I don’t want realism.” – Blanche
• “After all, a woman’s charm is fifty percent illusion.” – Blanche
• “Whoever you are—I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” – Blanche
• “I want to deceive him enough to make him—want me.” – Blanche
• “I guess it is just that I have—old-fashioned ideals!” – Blanche
• “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” – Blanche
• “I don’t know how much longer I can turn the trick.” – Blanche
• “But there are things that happen between a man and a woman in the dark—that sort of make everything else seem—unimportant.” – Stella
• “Say it’s only a paper moon, Sailing over a cardboard sea—But it wouldn’t be make-believe If you believed in me!” – Blanche
• “I’m fading now!” – Blanche.

3. Power and Control

The struggle for power is a central theme, particularly in the relationship between Blanche and Stanley. Their battle for control ultimately leads to Blanche’s downfall. Here are some quotes from the play.

• “What do you two think you are? A pair of queens? Remember what Huey Long said—‘Every man is a King!’ And I am the King around here, so don’t forget it!” – Stanley
• “We’ve had this date with each other from the beginning.” – Stanley
• “You take it for granted that I am in something that I want to get out of.” – Stella
• “I’ll tear this off and wave it like a flag!” – Stanley
• “You see, under the Napoleonic code—a man has to take an interest in his wife’s affairs.” – Stanley
• “There’s something downright—bestial—about him!” – Blanche
• “He acts like an animal, has an animal’s habits!” – Blanche
• “You’re not clean enough to bring in the house with my mother.” – Mitch
• “In the state of Louisiana we have the Napoleonic code, according to which what belongs to the wife belongs to the husband and vice versa.” – Stanley
• “He didn’t know what he was doing… He was as good as a lamb when I came back.” – Stella
• “Every man is a king! And I am the king around here, so don’t forget it!” – Stanley
• “You need somebody. And I need somebody, too.” – Mitch
• “I am not a Polack. People from Poland are Poles, not Polacks.” – Stanley
• “I’m the king around here!” – Stanley
• “You come in here and sprinkle the place with powder and spray perfume and cover the lightbulb with a paper lantern, and lo and behold the place has turned into Egypt and you are the queen of the Nile!” – Stanley
• “Pig—Polack—disgusting—vulgar—greasy!” – Stanley
• “I’m not in anything I want to get out of.” – Stella
• “You come in here and sprinkle the place with powder and spray perfume and cover the lightbulb with a paper lantern, and lo and behold the place has turned into Egypt and you are the Queen of the Nile!” – Stanley
• “Tiger—Tiger! Drop the bottle top! Drop it! We’ve had this date with each other from the beginning!” – Stanley
• “I’m one hundred percent American, born and raised in the greatest country on earth and proud as hell of it!” – Stanley.

4. Gender Roles

The play critiques the rigid gender roles of the time, portraying the oppressive dynamics between men and women. Stanley’s dominance over Stella and Blanche highlights the limited power women had. Here are some quotes from the play.

• “There’s something downright—bestial—about him!” – Blanche
• “You’re not clean enough to bring in the house with my mother.” – Mitch
• “I’m not in anything I want to get out of.” – Stella
• “What do you two think you are? A pair of queens?” – Stanley
• “In the state of Louisiana we have the Napoleonic code, according to which what belongs to the wife belongs to the husband and vice versa.” – Stanley
• “Stanley doesn’t give me a regular allowance, he likes to pay bills himself, but—this morning he gave me ten dollars to smooth things over.” – Stella
• “He didn’t know what he was doing… He was as good as a lamb when I came back.” – Stella
• “You need somebody. And I need somebody, too.” – Mitch
• “But there are things that happen between a man and a woman in the dark—that sort of make everything else seem—unimportant.” – Stella
• “Every man is a king! And I am the king around here, so don’t forget it!” – Stanley
• “I want to deceive him enough to make him—want me.” – Blanche
• “It’s a drive that he has.” – Stella
• “Say it’s only a paper moon, Sailing over a cardboard sea—But it wouldn’t be make-believe If you believed in me!” – Blanche
• “Men don’t—don’t even admit your existence unless they are making love to you.” – Blanche
• “I pulled you down off them columns and how you loved it, having them colored lights going!” – Stanley
• “He’s common!” – Blanche
• “I’m not accustomed to having more than one drink. Two is the limit—and three! Tonight I had three.” – Blanche
• “And when he comes back I cry on his lap like a baby.” – Stella
• “I’m fading now!” – Blanche
• “We’ve had this date with each other from the beginning.” – Stanley.

5. Madness and Mental Illness

Blanche’s mental instability is central to the play, representing the impact of trauma, loss, and societal pressures. Her descent into madness is a tragic outcome of her inability to cope with reality. Here are some quotes from the play.

Quotes:

• “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” – Blanche
• “I don’t want realism. I want magic!” – Blanche
• “I don’t tell the truth, I tell what ought to be the truth.” – Blanche
• “I can’t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action.” – Blanche
• “The searchlight which had been turned on the world was turned off again and never for one moment since has there been any light that’s stronger than this—kitchen—candle.” – Blanche
• “I’m fading now!” – Blanche
• “He acts like an animal, has an animal’s habits! Eats like one, moves like one, talks like one!” – Blanche
• “I don’t want realism.” – Blanche
• “You make my mouth water.” – Blanche
• “I’ll tell you what I want. Magic! Yes, yes, magic!” – Blanche
• “They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at—Elysian Fields!” – Blanche
• “Whoever you are—I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” – Blanche
• “I don’t know how much longer I can turn the trick.” – Blanche
• “I’m not accustomed to having more than one drink. Two is the limit—and three! Tonight I had three.” – Blanche
• “We’ve had this date with each other from the beginning.” – Stanley
• “I guess it is just that I have—old-fashioned ideals!” – Blanche
• “The tarantula arms!” – Blanche
• “You’re married to a madman!” – Blanche
• “I’m fading now!” – Blanche
• “He acts like an animal, has an animal’s habits! Eats like one, moves like one, talks like one!” – Blanche.

Comparison

Here are five lines of thought comparing “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams and “The War of the Worlds” by H.G. Wells, along with 10 instances from each work to illustrate each line of thought:

Survival and Adaptation

Line of Thought: Both works explore the theme of survival in the face of overwhelming external forces. In A Streetcar Named Desire, characters struggle to survive within societal constraints, while in The War of the Worlds, humanity faces survival against a powerful alien invasion.

Instances from A Streetcar Named Desire:

• Blanche’s attempts to find security in a male-dominated society.
• Stella’s decision to stay with Stanley despite his abusive behavior.
• Blanche’s use of lies and illusions to protect herself from harsh realities.
• Stanley’s adaptation to the urban, working-class environment of New Orleans.
• Blanche’s inability to adapt leads to her mental breakdown.
• Mitch’s struggle between societal expectations and his feelings for Blanche.
• The Kowalski household’s adaptation to the presence of Blanche, disrupting their routine.
• Blanche’s reliance on alcohol as a coping mechanism for survival.
• Stella’s survival instinct to protect her marriage over her sister.
• The climactic moment when Stanley overpowers Blanche, cementing his survival in his domain.

Instances from The War of the Worlds:

• The narrator’s constant flight from the Martians to survive.
• The survival tactics of the artilleryman who plans a future underground.
• The destruction of London and the resulting human struggle for survival.
• The narrator’s brother’s escape from the Martians by boat.
• The survival of humanity through the eventual failure of the Martians.
• The narrator hiding in the ruined house to avoid detection by the Martians.
• The collapse of societal structures as people scramble for survival.
• The adaptation of humans to the destruction of their environment.
• The narrator’s mental struggle to remain sane amidst the chaos.
• The red weed, an alien plant, adapting and spreading across the Earth.

Power and Control

Line of Thought: Both works depict the struggle for power and control, though in different contexts—personal relationships in A Streetcar Named Desire and global domination in The War of the Worlds.

Instances from A Streetcar Named Desire:

• Stanley’s dominance over Stella and Blanche.
• Blanche’s attempt to control her image and narrative.
• Stanley’s physical and emotional control over his household.
• The poker night as a display of male dominance.
• Mitch’s confrontation with Blanche, attempting to regain control.
• Stanley’s exposure of Blanche’s past as a means to assert power.
• Blanche’s manipulation of truth to control her relationship with Mitch.
• The power struggle between Blanche and Stanley during their final confrontation.
• Stella’s internal conflict between loyalty to Stanley and Blanche.
• Stanley’s assertion of power with the line, “Every man is a king!”

Instances from The War of the Worlds:

• The Martians’ technological superiority and control over Earth.
• The human military’s futile attempts to regain control from the Martians.
• The Martians’ use of heat rays and black smoke to assert dominance.
• The breakdown of human governments and military control.
• The narrator’s helplessness in the face of Martian power.
• The artilleryman’s vision of a human underground resistance to regain control.
• The Martians’ systematic destruction of human society.
• The eventual failure of the Martians due to Earth’s bacteria, a shift in control.
• The narrator’s observation of Martian control over nature with the red weed.
• The psychological control the Martians exert over the human survivors.

Isolation and Alienation

Line of Thought: Both works explore themes of isolation and alienation, whether through personal disconnection in A Streetcar Named Desire or the literal alienation of humanity in The War of the Worlds.

Instances from A Streetcar Named Desire:

1. Blanche’s alienation from her family and society.
2. Stella’s isolation between her loyalty to Blanche and Stanley.
3. Mitch’s feelings of loneliness and his attempt to connect with Blanche.
4. Blanche’s detachment from reality and her growing isolation.
5. Stanley’s sense of alienation from the upper-class values Blanche represents.
6. Blanche’s alienation in the Kowalski household.
7. Blanche’s retreat into fantasies as a form of isolation.
8. Stella’s emotional isolation after Blanche’s departure.
9. Blanche’s isolation during the final scene when she is taken away.
10. The cultural isolation between Blanche’s Southern ideals and the urban New Orleans setting.

Instances from The War of the Worlds:

1. The narrator’s isolation after being separated from his wife.
2. The physical isolation of survivors hiding from the Martians.
3. The alienation of humanity as the Martians systematically destroy society.
4. The artilleryman’s vision of an isolated human resistance.
5. The narrator’s feelings of alienation as he wanders through the desolate landscape.
6. The narrator’s brother’s journey, highlighting isolation from the wider world.
7. The collapse of communication, leaving survivors isolated from each other.
8. The alienation of human characters who cannot comprehend the Martian threat.
9. The isolation felt by the narrator while hiding in the ruined house.
10. The alienation of humanity from their own planet, now controlled by Martians.

Fear and Paranoia

Line of Thought: Fear and paranoia are central to both works, driving characters to irrational actions and highlighting the fragility of human psychology.

Instances from A Streetcar Named Desire:

1. Blanche’s fear of her past being exposed.
2. Stanley’s paranoia about Blanche’s influence over Stella.
3. Blanche’s fear of growing old and losing her attractiveness.
4. Mitch’s fear of being alone and his eventual paranoia about Blanche’s honesty.
5. Blanche’s paranoid behavior during the poker night.
6. Stella’s fear of losing Stanley despite his violent behavior.
7. Blanche’s fear of the dark, symbolic of her fear of reality.
8. Stanley’s paranoia leads him to investigate Blanche’s past.
9. Blanche’s fear of being taken away at the end of the play.
10. The constant fear of judgment that drives Blanche to hide her true self.

Instances from The War of the Worlds:

1. The initial fear and panic as the Martians arrive.
2. The narrator’s growing paranoia as he witnesses the destruction.
3. The widespread fear that leads to the collapse of social order.
4. The fear of the unknown as humans face an incomprehensible enemy.
5. The artilleryman’s paranoid vision of a future underground society.
6. The narrator’s brother’s fear during the chaotic evacuation of London.
7. The fear of the heat ray, leading to mass hysteria.
8. The narrator’s paranoia while hiding in the ruined house with the curate.
9. The fear and uncertainty as humanity realizes the Martians are invulnerable.
10. The lingering paranoia even after the Martians are defeated, as humanity grapples with the trauma.

Class Conflict and Social Hierarchy

Line of Thought: Both works address class conflict and the breakdown of social hierarchies, whether through the clash between Old South gentility and New South pragmatism in A Streetcar Named Desire or the collapse of human social structures in The War of the Worlds.

Instances from A Streetcar Named Desire:

1. The tension between Blanche’s aristocratic background and Stanley’s working-class status.
2. Blanche’s disdain for Stanley’s “common” behavior.
3. Stanley’s resentment of Blanche’s airs and pretensions.
4. The loss of Belle Reeve as a symbol of the decline of the Old South.
5. Stella’s struggle between her upbringing and her new life with Stanley.
6. Stanley’s assertion of the Napoleonic code, highlighting class-based gender dynamics.
7. Blanche’s attempt to maintain her social status through illusion.
8. The poker night as a microcosm of male working-class culture.
9. Mitch’s awkwardness around Blanche’s cultivated manners.
10. The ultimate triumph of Stanley’s pragmatic, brutish force over Blanche’s genteel fragility.

Instances from The War of the Worlds:

1. The collapse of the British class system in the face of the Martian invasion.
2. The narrator’s observation of the chaos as people of all classes flee together.
3. The artilleryman’s vision of a new social order based on survival rather than class.
4. The Martians’ complete disregard for human social hierarchies.
5. The destruction of London, symbolizing the end of British imperial power.
6. The narrator’s brother’s encounter with people of different classes during his escape.
7. The leveling effect of the Martian invasion, where wealth and status become meaningless.
8. The curate’s descent into madness, representing the failure of religious and social institutions.
9. The breakdown of communication, leaving people isolated regardless of their class.
10. The ultimate survival of humanity, not through social structures, but through nature’s intervention (bacteria).