Streetcar Named Desire Study Questions

Why is Mitch so interested in Blanche?

He sees himself possibly marrying her

Stanley gets angry at Stella for telling him his face and fingers are disgustingly greasy. What does he do in response?

He slams his plate down.

What does Stanley question Stella about with regards to Belle Reve?

He thinks Blanche sold it and has all the money

Mitch tears the lantern off the light bulb. Why?

He wants to be "realistic"

Stanley lets Stella know that he has learned some things about Blanche. What things?

Her background: not a virgin, lived at Flamingo Hotel but was kicked out of town (Laurel) for fornicating, fired from school job because she fooled around with a 17 year old boy

What clues, in scene 1, do we get with regards as to why Blanche has come to New Orleans?

Loss of Belle Reve and in hopes that she can find a life with her sister.

Of the men at the game, which one does Blanche take an interest in?

Mitch

In Scene 9, who stops by unexpectedly to see Blanche? Why?

Mitch because he wanted to get what he was missing the whole time

Who is supposed to be coming over for dinner for Blanche's birthday? Why does Stanley say this person won't be coming?

Mitch but he doesn't come because Stanley told him about her secret life

Where does the action of the play take place?

New Orleans.

What game are Stanley and the other men playing?

Poker

What is the reason for the small talk at the beginning of scene 11?

Pretend everything is ok although they are sending Blanche to a mental place

What difficult decision has Stella made? What were her choices?

She admits to Eunice that she doesn't know if she has done the right thing. If she believes that Stanley raped Blanche, then she would have to leave Stanley. If she believes that Blanche is crazy, then she has to send Blanche away.

What does Blanche admit happened after her husband's death? Why did she say this?

She began to have many intimacies with strangers to fill her empty heart. She told Mitch this because he had finally caught her lying and tried to make it sound as if Mitch should feel bad for her.

Blanche makes a very telling statement about reality. What does she say?

She doesn't like realism and wants magic. She said that what she likes is to say what she wants to believe, not the harsh truth.

Based on what she says in scene 1, how does Blanche feel about Stella leaving Belle Reve?

She feels abandoned

What is important about Blanche's eyeroll in this scene?

She is bored and we realize that Blanche is not at all serious about Mitch.

In what way has Stella embraced the same type of escape from reality that Blanche chose?

She is torn between her husband and her sister, and she is very aware of the decision she has to make. If she believes that Stanley raped Blanche, then she would have to leave Stanley. If she believes that Blanche is crazy, then she has to send Blanche away. Stella seems to know, deep down, that Blanche was telling the truth. But it is finally Stella who is forced to choose magic over realism; she chooses to escape reality and just pretend that Stanley did not rape Blanche.

Why does Mitch say he won't marry Blanche now?

She isn't clean enough to bring into his house with his sick mother.

Describe the meaning of Blanche's famous "kindness of strangers" line.

She liked that the doctor was acting like a gentleman

Blanche admits to lying to Mitch, but states that she never lied in her heart. To whom was she lying? To whom does she lie now?

She never meant to hurt anyone lying to herself and Mitch

During their talk, Blanche is in the tub singing. What does she sing about? What is the significance of the song she sings in the tub?

Sings about the future. She wants the man that will be in love with her to believe in her acts rather than the reality. Blanche may seem like she has little value like the paper moon she is singing about but if one believes that it might have value then it could, like if Mitch would believe Blanche has value.

Why do Stella and Blanche go out to dinner at the beginning of the scene?

Stanley and his friends are having poker night that night and Stella doesn't want Blanche to see the way they carry themselves.

What character is experiencing the most drama in Scene 11?

Stella

What does Stanley tell Blanche about Stella as they are going through her business papers?

Stella being pregnant

What happens at the end of Scene 8?

Stella goes into labor and Stanley takes her to the hospital

To whom or what does Stella credit the change in Blanche's personality since girlhood?

Stella is upset at Stanley for being unnecessarily cruel. Everyone has been cruel to Blanche since she was a girl, and that's what changed her.

Some character's worlds have been changed forever by Blanche's visit. Which characters are these? Which characters will go right back to normal?

Stella live will change but Stanley's will go back to normal

In this scene we hear the Varsouviana. What is it and why is it important?

The song that plays in Blanche's head. Auditory hallucination represents her guilt and obsession, and her inability to escape the past. Implicates us in the disintegration of Blanche's reality.

How does Stanley react to Stella's leaving?

The way Stanley reacts to Stella leaving can be described as the world ending, for the reason she came back down to him was because he showed so much compassion and guilt.

Why doesn't this behavior not work on Stanley?

This behavior does not work on Stanley because like Blanche states "You're simple, straightforward and honest, a little bit on the primitive side I should think. To interest you a woman would have to-."

What does Blanche hear in the head and what is the effect on her?

Varsouvianna music

In contrast to Blanche's marriage, what is evident about Stella and Stanley's relationship from the very beginning of the play?

abusive relationship and Stanley has all the power of the household

What does Belle Reve mean?

beautiful dream.

Why does Stella say she is quiet around Blanche?

because she never did give her a chance so she just got in the habit of being quiet around her.

Why does Stella stay with Stanley?

because she truly loves him and is happy where she is and says that she has no reason to leave him

The set for the entire play is the Kowalski's crowded apartment. How does this physical set reinforce the themes and conflicts from the start?

by symbolizing the clutter and chaos of the lives of the characters.

What does Stella then do?

comes back down to him because as we learn later she finds his wild side to be exciting to her.

What is Blanche feeling when Stella and Stanley reconcile?

confusion because of how he used violence towards her yet she still goes back to him.

Describe Blanche's interaction with the delivery boy.

flirtatious and unsettling for the delivery boy.

What does Stanley question Blanche about in this scene?

her apparent appearance at the Hotel Flamingo.

What was Blanche's job before coming to New Orleans?

high school english teacher

After Stanley leaves, what questions does Blanche ask Stella? Why?

if she has heard any rumors or gossip about her. She asks this because she wants to know what other people have been told about her so that her reputation is not ruined.

According to Blanche, what has happened to Belle Reve?

lost on a mortgage

What is Blanche's relationship to Stella?

older sister

When Stanley speaks with Blanche about Belle Reve, how does she act?

she acts as if she does not really know what happened and seems like she starts to flirt with him as well

What is Blanche's reaction to this?

she fears for her sisters safety and that it baffles her that she would even stay with him after all the physical abuse

What is Blanche's reaction?

she is appalled, as if she would ever show her face there in that place.

What does Stanley think that Blanche has done with the money he believes she made from selling Belle Reve?

spent it on jewelry and clothing

When Blanche and Stella are discussing Stanley, what does he hear Blanche say about him?

that he acts like a complete animal and that there is something downright bestial about him

What does this say about her?

that she is not a trustworthy woman who bounces around men as she pleases.

Where does Blanche take Stella?

upstairs to Mrs. Eunice's apartment

What incident occurs during the game?

1. The first incident being that Stanley gets upset over Blanche taking away his friend during a bro night. 2. The second incident is when Stanley throws the radio out of aggravation from Blanche invading his space. 3. Finally, Stanley hits Stella out of pure aggravation of the presence of Blanche and how she has ruined his poker night.

What has Stanley bought for Blanche?

A ticket back to Laurel

Describe the use of light in scene 8

Blanche doesn't want to reveal her flaws

What happens at the end of scene 10?

Blanche is on the telephone trying to connect to Western Union. Stanley emerges from the bathroom wearing his special pajamas, and he eyes her. Blanche tries to send a telegraph saying that she's "caught in a trap," but she is interrupted.

What does Blanche say that changes Stanley's attitude from joy to menace?

Blanche makes a remark to Stanley that he will not tolerate. She alludes to him as swine.

Several weeks have passed and Stella is packing Blanche's things. Where does Blanche think she is going? Where is she actually going?

Blanche thinks she is going to the countryside to regain her strength and wits. She is actually being sent to a mental institution.

At the end of scene 6, Blanche is confiding in Mitch by telling him the story of how her husband died. How did he die? What events led to his death?

Blanche's husband died by committing suicide because Blanche found him with another man and realized he was gay. She confronted him about it, saying how embarrassed she is which lead to his death.

What is the significance of Blanche's long baths?

Blanche's lost baths are a form of escape and symbolize purification.

What streetcars does Blanche take to get to Stella's apartment?

Desire and Cemeteries

Williams has the reader learn about Blanche's true history while she is out of the room. How does this dramatize or heighten the suspense of the succeeding scene?

Everyone knows the truth about Blanche now. Most of the action in the play happens off stage in the past which helps the audience know more information than the protagonist

What has happened to Blanche's husband?

He died when he was young