A Streetcar Named Desire Study Set

The Blue Piano is

A general term for the music that expresses the life of New Orleans

Name the speaker and the person being spoken to:"Now run along, now, quickly! It would be nice to keep you, but I've got to be good - and keep my hands off children."

Blanch to the newspaper boy

An indication of the light and dark motif is that

Blanche is fearful of a bright light that will shed light on her aging beauty as well as her secrets

As Stanley discloses the truth about Blanche to Stella, what irony can be found in this scene?

Blanche is happily bathing and singing, "Say it's only a paper moon...but it wouldn't be make-believe, If you believed in me!"

What is ironic about Blanche's telling Mitch that her name means "white woods" and comparing herself to "an orchard in the spring"?

Blanche is not pure as the color white suggests, nor is she young as her allusion to springtime would suggest

To establish the motif of dark and light,

Blanche orders Stella to turn off the overhead light, saying she cannot be seen until she has bathed and cleaned up.

Name the speaker and the person being spoken to:"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 to Eunice and the Colored Woman

Name the speaker and the person being spoken to: "I can't stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action."

Blanche to Mitch

Name the speaker and the person being spoken to: "Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."

Blanche to the doctor

Which is NOT a reason the paper lantern introduced in this scene is so significant?

Both stage directions and Blanche's dialogue have established that she does not like the dark.

When describing the loss of Belle Reve, Blanche's tone with Stella can best be described as

Defensive

When the playwright describes Blanche's outfit upon her arrival as "incongruous to this setting," he means that she is

Fragile and delicate

In A Streetcar Named Desire, the name of the street on which Stella and Stanley live, Elysian Fields Avenue, is ironic because

In Greek mythology Elysian Fields alludes to death and destruction.

What is significant and/or symbolic about Blanche's frequent bathing?

It is an escape for Blanche and is the only place in the small apartment for any privacy. Furthermore, It is a symbolic cleansing. It is a futile attempt to wash away the secrets and sins of her past.

What does the Varsouviana polka music signify?

It is the song to which Blanche and her husband were dancing right before he killed himself.

What details help establish Mitch's personality and nature?

Mitch is worried about his sick mother and says that he must leave the game early. He also greets Blanche and Stella courteously, unlike the other men. He then thanks Stella for sending his mother a custard when she wasn't well. Blanche even comments that Mitch seems "superior to the others."

What is accomplished with the exchange between Blanche and Stanley concerning the letters?

Reveals how destitute Blanche really is; he feels somewhat guilty for accusing Blanche of stealing from Stella and him

The introduction of Stanley immediately suggests that he is

Rough and masculine; animal-like

How does Williams establish a dynamic between Stella and Stanley when they first appear on stage together?

Stanley bellows out Stella's name and tosses her a package of raw meat

At the end of the dinner scene, in terms of narrative and dynamic structure, what suggests Blanche's final crisis?

Stanley gives Blanche a bus ticket back to Laurel.

When Stanley discloses to Stella what he has learned about Blanche and her past in Laurel

Stanley is blunt and forceful. He tells Stella that her sister has "been feeding us a pack of lies!" He proclaims, "Sister Blanche is no lily! Ha-ha!" He is cruel and gloating, despite the fact that he hurts his wife.

The very first conversation between Blanche and Stanley (when they first meet) most clearly suggests that

Stanley knows Blanche to be a liar because she lied about drinking his whiskey

Name the speaker and the person being spoken to:"We've had this date with each other from the beginning!"

Stanley to Blanche

Name the speaker and the person being spoken to:"You showed me the snapshot of the place with the columns. I pulled you down off them and how you loved it, having them colored lights going."

Stanley to Stella

Stella's name means

Star

Name the speaker and the person being spoken to:"I couldn't believe her story and go on living with Stanley."

Stella to Eunice

In Scene Two, when Stanley learns that Belle Reeve has been lost, the conversation between Blanche and Stanley is antagonistic because Stanley

Suspects Blanche is lying to Stella and financially swindling them both. He also resents Blache's air of gentility as it makes him remember that his wife is from a Southern aristocratic background and that he is outclassed

The first encounter between Mitch and Blanche, when he shows her the cigarette case, foreshadows and suggests which of the following?

That Blanche is flirtatious and will continue to embellish her lies. It also shows that Mitch is sentimental and prone to falling in love with no regard for the consequences.

Blanche's opening lines about the directions she was given to arrive at Stella's suggest that she feels lost and confused. What is the other double significance of her lines about the streetcar and street name?

The names suggest the the theme of the play: Desire leads to Death

What is most significant about Stanley's reaction to Stella's departure after he hits her?

The stage direction suggests that he call for Stella, "like a baying hound," which suggests Stanley's raw, animalistic nature.

What does the first exchange between Stanley and Stella establish about their relationship?

There is a strong animal attraction between them

Which is true about Williams description and opening of "Poker Night," scene three?

Williams uses Van Gogh's Night Cafe to help suggest the tone and mood he wants to establish. Williams uses terms like "lurid" and "raw" to suggest the tone and mood of the night time scene, the colors suggest the game and men are course, unsophisticated, but powerful.

The opening scene suggests that Blanche is

a liar, an alcoholic, Intimidated by Stanley, and that she is trying to escape her past