What does the Varsouviana polka symbolize?
The polka and the moment it evokes represent Blanche’s loss of innocence. The suicide of the young husband Blanche loved dearly was the event that triggered her mental decline. Since then, Blanche hears the Varsouviana whenever she panics and loses her grip on reality.
What does Blanche’s trunk Symbolise?
The trunk represents not only Blanche’s complex relationship to artifice and performativity but also her lost home. It is Belle Reve on stage, in debased form, and to Stanley, the papers it contains promise an explanation of what happened to that ideal place.
Why does Stanley call Blanche a tiger?
In Stanley ‘s last line of the scene, he describes Blanche as a “Tiger”. The connotations of this word reflect Stanley ‘s view of Blanche. Primarily, it instils in the minds of the audience the impression that Blanche is a predator who seizes any opportunity available in order to get what she wants.
What does the blue piano mean in Streetcar?
The blue piano thus stands for depression, loneliness and her longing for love, which the adjective blue already suggests.
What is Stella’s symbolic streetcar?
Stella represents Blanche’s ideal concerning the fact that she is leading a contented life. The deeper significance of her name reveals her role in the play. The symbol of a star suggests light, hope and stability.
What does Elysian Fields Mean in A Streetcar Named Desire?
the land of the dead
The Elysian Fields are the land of the dead in Greek mythology. Blanche’s lifelong pursuit of her sexual desires has led to her eviction from Belle Reve, her ostracism from Laurel, and, at the end of the play, her expulsion from society at large. Sex leads to death for others Blanche knows as well.
What does the bath symbolize in A Streetcar Named Desire?
In light of her efforts to forget and shed her illicit past in the new community of New Orleans, these baths represent her efforts to cleanse herself of her odious history. Yet, just as she cannot erase the past, her bathing is never done.
Why does Stanley put on his silk pajamas?
Stanley continues to humor Blanche. He knows her delusions are false, and he continues to hold her in suspense. The special silk pyjamas symbolize Stanley’s sexual prowess, but they also symbolize the purity of his wedding night with Stella.
What is the setting of A Streetcar Named Desire?
A Streetcar Named Desire Objects/Places. Belle Reve: Belle Reve is an old plantation house and the family home where Stella and Blanche grew up. Blanche lost the house because of its high mortgage after Stella left for New Orleans. The loss of Belle Reve is the catalyst for Stanley to suspect Blanche is telling lies.
What is the nature of performance in A Streetcar Named Desire?
Thesis Statement /Essay Topic #1: The Nature of Performance in A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams One thing that appears constant in the character Blanche Dubois is her struggle to keep up a certain appearance, that being a character of pure and delicate femininity.
What is the significance of Belle Reve in A Streetcar Named Desire?
Belle Reve: Belle Reve is an old plantation house and the family home where Stella and Blanche grew up. Blanche lost the house because of its high mortgage after Stella left for New Orleans. The loss of Belle Reve is the catalyst for Stanley to suspect Blanche is telling lies.
What does Stanley say to Blanche at the Four Deuces?
Stanley leaves for the Four Deuces, saying that he will wait for Stella there. Stanley asserts his power over Blanche through veiled threats rather than direct confrontation: by showing his power without physically wielding it, Blanche knows that it is there, a smoking gun, but has no control over when, or if, he will pull the trigger.