A Streetcar Named Desire 16/07/13 9:58 AM

Synopsis

Drawers

Analyse the relationship between Blanche and Stella, discussing and

analyzing their differences. Who do you think is most suited to the modern

world and why?

In your response you can refer to:

Stage directions

Stella and Blanche’s appearances (or comments about)

Language

Attitude to Belle Reave and their current setting

Stella and Blanche have a very conflicting and fickle relationship. This

contradiction is usually fueled by Blanche and her fluctuating and

opposing mannerisms and comments. Blanche is so attached to her image

and the concept of Bell Reave that she covers up her flaws and guilt

through her compulsive lies. Stella has moved on from the Bell Reave and

the ‘deep Southern’ concept; she is more open to the changing world than

Blanche is. Because of Blanche’s hysterical and compulsive nature

towards Belle Reave and her image, Stella would seem more suited to the

modern world through her flexibility and the society she lives in.

Blanche is a character who lives in and is attached to her past. She arrives

in ‘a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white

gloves and hat’. In the New Orleans “modern culture” her clothes would

have been appropriate for a ‘summer tea or cocktail party in the garden

district’. The clothes that she wears conveys a lot about her personality.

The white clothes that Blanche wears are symbolic of purity and class.

However, this symbol indicates elements of irony and juxtaposition

towards Blanche’s personality. The fact that this image is portrayed

through the image of clothing may also suggest a symbol of façade.

Another important aspect of Blanche’s clothing is that it obviously

contrasts with the New Orleans environment. The symbol of facade shows

that Blanche is desperate to portray her image as pure and higher classed

in order to cover up her flaws. One way in which she does this is to make

herself look superior to the New Orleans community. Stella on the other

hand has a different approach to the New Orleans lifestyle. She is

described as a ‘gentle young woman’. Stella has left behind her past and

has managed to adapt to the modern world. Compared to Blanche, she is

more comfortable in her image and her place in New Orleans.

In the same set of stage directions, Blanche is said to have an ‘uncertain

manner’ ‘that suggests a moth’. Like a moth, Blanche is drawn to and

craves her own disaster. She is drawn to the flames which could

potentially ruin her, however is unaware, or only subconsciously aware, of

this danger. Blanche also mentions about a ‘streetcar named desire’

twice. At first she mentions to Eunice in Scene 1 that “they told [her] to

take a street-car named Desire, and then transfer to one called

Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at—Elysian Fields!” Later, she

criticizes Stella on her obsession for Stanley where she again mentions

the streetcar. In this second mention, we learn the significance of the title:

Blanche: ‘What you are talking about is brutal desire—just—Desire! The

name of that rattle-trap street-car that bangs through the Quarter, up one

old narrow street and down another…’

STELLA

Haven’t you ever ridden on that street-car?

BLANCHE

It brought me here. 

Again, the symbol of the moth reappears. Blanche is unable to control and

take ownership of her desire. She is unable to think clearly about the

decisions she makes and it leads her down the path of insanity. This

therefore makes Blanche unsuited to cope with the modern world.

In conclusion, Stella is a lot more suited to the modern world than

Blanche. Blanche is stuck in the past and is unable to be more open to

change. She is overcome by her own desire which leads her to insanity

and her downfall. These are the characteristics of a person that are

certainly and upmost detrimental to one’s ability to cope with change.

A Streetcar Named Desire - Speech Draft 16/07/13 9:58 AM

Gender + Domestic Violence

16/07/13 9:58 AM