Themes
Who said it?
What does that mean?
Why...?
Mixed bag
100
Which theme is represented by Stanley and his brutish ways in juxtaposition with Stella and her pretty dresses?
What is masculine vs. feminine?
100
"...I've got to be good...and keep my hands off children."
Who is Blanche?
100
"...I've got to be good...and keep my hands off children."
Shows Blanche's hypocrisy; she condemns Stella & Stanley's desires, but her desires are much more inappropriate.
100
Why does Blanche fear the Mexican Woman?
Because the Mexican Woman represents Death. "flores para de los Muertos."
100
He could never be satisfied by Blanche or her love.
Who is Allan Gray, Blanche's husband?
200
The juxtaposition of "Paper Moon," and Blanche's lies "I want magic," opposed to Stanley's "tell it like it is" attitude
What represents Illusion vs. Reality?
200
"I'm afraid I'll strike you as the unrefined type."
Who is Stanley?
200
“I am not a Polack. People from Poland are Poles, not Polacks. But what I am is a one hundred percent American, born and raised in the greatest country on earth and proud as hell of it, so don’t ever call me a Polack.”
Stanley is exposing Blanche’s ignorance and bigotry about the immigrants who are willing to work hard to earn a place in American society. His type, hard working and working class, is rapidly replacing the relics of the Old South, like Blanche, who are no longer superior either socially or financially
200
Why is Blanche's bathing scene different at the end of the play than in the beginning?
Earlier her bathing represented trying to wash away her sins; now it represents trying to wash away Stanley's violation of her.
200
Stellas's need for Mitch to believe the fantasy and illusion she's creating.
What does the song "Paper Moon" represent?
300
The loss of Belle Reve, the faded love letters, and the Varsouviana.
What represents the theme of Death/Dying?
300
"You need somebody, and I need sombody, too. Could it be - you and me. . .?"
Who is Mitch?
300
"Flores para los muertos..." ("Flowers for the dead...")
Blanche's desires have led to her symbolic death.
300
Although the censors wouldn't allow him to portray it on stage, why does Williams choose to merely 'suggest' that a rape occured?
How did Williams suggest that the rape was so brutally cruel that it could only be left to the imagination?
300
Stella admits that she may have entered a world of make-believe when she says that she cannot believe Blanche’s story about the rape and continue to live with Stanley.
Why does Stella now represent the theme of Illusion vs. Reality?
400
Blanche's inappropriate advances toward the paper boy; Stanley and Stella's strong sexual chemistry
What represents the theme of Desire?
400
"I am not a Polack. People from Poland are Poles, not Polacks. But what I am is a one hundred percent American, born and raised in the greatest country on earth and proud as hell of it, so don’t ever call me a Polack.”
Who is Stanley?
400
Blanche speaking French to Mitch, even when he says he doesn't understand the language.
It represents their failure to communicate; Blanche can't be honest about her desires and uses the language to keep Mitch 'in the dark' and keep a feeling of superiority over Mitch.
400
Stella & Eunice accept that Blanche was raped by Stanley.
How would acknowledging the truth about Blanche and Stanley require them to acknowledge their husbands’ brutality and interfere with their survival?
400
Blanche wears 'soiled and wrinkled' clothing at the end of the play.
What represents the decline of Blanche and how her image becomes tarnished and dirty?
500
Blanche's beauty juxtaposed to her emotional state; or Stanley's handsomeness juxtaposed with his cruelty.
What is Exterior vs. Interior Appearance?
500
“He came to me for help. I didn’t know that. I didn’t find out anything until after our marriage when we’d run away and come back and all I knew was I’d failed him in some mysterious way and wasn’t able to give the help he needed but couldn’t speak of!”
Who is Blanche?
500
"Haven't you ever ridden on that streetcar?" "It brought me here - Where I'm not wanted, and where I'm ashamed to be."
What is a Dual meaning? Blanche realizes that her need to be desired, or loved, has led her to a shameful existence, where she must rely on people she believes are beneath her, as well as the method of transportation to Stella's home.
500
Stella cries for her sister but also because she realizes the illusion of her own life. Stella cannot believe Blanche’s story, but she cannot completely deny it either. She accepts Stanley’s comfort because it conforms to the script Stella needs for life to go on.
Why does Stella cry at the end of the play?
500
Provide at least 2 examples of how Stanley is Blanche's "executioner".
1) He rapes her 2) He turns Stella away from Blanche 3) He tells Mitch the truth about her
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