‘A Streetcar Named
Desire’
Introduction: Regarding Streetcar by Arthur Miller
In his introduction
to ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ by Tennessee Williams, Miller recalls the very
first time that he saw the play, “it took only a few minutes to realise that
the play and production had thrown open doors to another theatre world”. The
phrase, “thrown open” emphasises just how powerful Miller’s first viewing of
‘Streetcar’ was, suggesting that his realisation that the play was unlike any
others of the time was profound and sudden. He believes that Williams was the
founder of “another theatre world”, implying that Williams unlocked a type of
theatre, the possibilities of which had never before been discovered. The
lasting impact that the play had on Miller is clear.
Miller believes that ‘Streetcar’ is a play that people can instantly
understand and relate to, “one truly heard every word of it in that first
production”. The fact that he believed
it possible for “every word” to be “truly heard” shows that he believes that
Williams was able to connect with the audience through his writing on the first
night that it was performed and the audience was able to understand the deeper
meanings behind the play, rather than just superficial first perceptions.
‘Streetcar’ was very much a play of truths, “language flowing from the soul”
and this quote suggests that William’s came straight from the deepest parts of
himself and spoke to the deepest parts of the audience’s selves also. It was free of any changes or alterations
that may make it less real.
Miller is able to summarise the key aspect of the play,
“Streetcar is a cry of pain; forgetting that is to forget the play”. Millar suggests that “pain” is such a huge
aspect of the play that to not acknowledge this fact is to not truly understand
the play.
Southern Belle
From the French word ‘belle’, meaning beautiful, the term
Southern Belle refers to women of the upper class of the American Deep South.
The idea of a ‘Southern Belle’ was firstly made popular through 20th
century works such as ‘Gone With the Wind’ and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’.
New Orleans
New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana in
Southern USA. New Orleans was a very culturally diverse area during the time
that ‘Streetcar’ was set. It was also distinctive for its music, such as jazz
and blues, Mardi Gras celebrations and food.
Tennesse Williams’ other plays
Some of Williams’ most well-known plays include works such
as ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’, ‘The Glass Menagerie’, and ‘Sweet Bird of Youth’.
‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ is also set in southern USA and explores the
relationships between a southern family over the period of one evening. ‘The
Glass Menagerie’ is also focuses on a family and it is likely that the
characters have strong links to Williams’ own family. The protagonist’s sister
has a collection of glass animals and William’s own sister Rose also used small
glass figurines to help fight the gloominess of their childhood. ‘A Streetcar
Named Desire’ also features the theme of mental health and at the end of the
play Blanche is taken away from Stella’s home by a doctor and a nurse due to
her unstable mental condition. This also links with Williams’ sister who had a
lobotomy due to her mental health.
William’s Life
Williams lived with his father,mother and sister and moved
to St Louis when he and his sister were still children. They found it very
difficult to adjust to their new life in the city and tried to pretend the
gloominess away, for example, by painting his sister’s room white to bring some
light to the dark room which always had its curtains shut. Williams started at
College during the depression but instead left after a few years and spent his
time at a clerical job in the day and writing in the evenings. He eventually
finished his course at another university and received a Rockefeller Fellowship
in 1940. William’s sister was subject to a lobotomy, after which she was never the
same again and this deeply troubled Williams. Williams wrote many successful
plays throughout his life, including ‘A Streetcar named Desire’ and ‘The Glass
Menagerie’. He died in 1983.
Blanche
Scene 1
“This – can this be – her home?” – Blanche holds a superior
attitude and is surprised at the home in which her sister lives, despite the fact
that she only has a suitcase of belongings to her name.
“I didn’t mean to be rude, but-“ – the use of the word “but”
implies that Blanche does not really care that she is being rude. This line
shows that she knows that she is being rude when she asks Eunice to leave her
alone but yet she does it anyway. This further implies her conceited attitude, despite her infamous reputation that she is
trying to conceal from those around her.
“I’ve got to keep a hold of myself!” – Despite the façade that
she puts on in front of others, Blanche faces a turmoil that she wishes to
conceal. She puts on an act of being a ‘southern belle’ yet her life is very
much in ruins and she is finding it exceedingly difficult to cope. She can feel
herself losing control of her emotions, which is shown by this line where she chastises
herself to keep up her façade and to not succumb to the panic that she feels.
“Turn that off! I won’t be looked at in this merciless glare”-
although Blanche seems to be referring to the harsh light and how her physical
appearance will be affected, it is also possible that Blanche means that she
does not want to be seen for who she really is and judged in a “merciless glare”
for what she has done, so instead would rather exist in the ‘dark’ where she
can pretend that she is something that she is not.
“what are you doing in a place like this?”- Blanche acts as
if she would never live where Stella lives, however, she is not as prim as she
makes herself out to be. She has an infamous history that her sister and her
friends are not aware of, and Blanche herself doesn’t even have enough money to
stay in a hotel.
“Your all I’ve got in the world and you’re not glad to see
me”- the phrase “all in the world” shows how much of a desperate situation Blanche is in and how few people she has to
rely on. Blanche’s life has turned into one of complete loneliness and she
constantly seeks approval from others through compliments on the superficial –
such as her appearance.
“got to be with somebody, I can’t be alone!”- The definitive
way in which Blanche speaks , “got” and “cant”, emphasises the desperation that’s
she has for approval and companionship.
Scene 2
“How pretty the sky is! I ought to go there on a rocket that
never comes down”- Blanche tries to suppress her inner turmoil by appearing to
be nonchalant and cheery, such as by making comments such as this one, where she
comments on the loveliness of the sky, as if she doesn’t have a care in the
world. It appears that she makes the comment about the “rocket” in a light-hearted
manner, but, although she would never wish to reveal it to anyone, it is likely
that Blanche does wish that she could disappear to a place far away from her
life, away from everything that she knows, and never return. Towards the end of
the play, pretending is a key way in which Blanche tries to cope when her life
begins to crumble further.
Scene 3
“How do I look?”- Blanche’s appearance is extremely
important to her and she brings it up on a regular basis, constantly seeking
approval or a compliment from somebody else.
“Show me a person who hasn’t experienced any sorrow and I’ll
show you a shuperficial-“ – this line is ironic as Blanche is extremely
superficial. She focuses on material things such as clothes and her appearance
and she creates a façade that doesn’t let anyone see the truth about her.
“I can’t stand a naked light bulb”- Blanche is regularly referencing
light. She feels that after the death of her first partner the ‘light’ in her
life went out and now she likes to exist in the ‘darkness’, where she can
pretend and nobody can see her clearly enough to decipher the truth.
Scene 5
“storm- all storm- and I was- caught in the centre” – this line
shows the turmoil that Blanche is in, as the metaphor of a ‘storm’ shows how
chaotic and destructive her life is. The idea of her being “caught” shows how
trapped Blanche feels in her situation and panicked that she cannot get out.
“and you’ve got to have your existence admitted by someone”-
this line further emphasises Blanche’s need for companionship and recognition.
It shows how lonely she is and how desperate she is for her existence to be “admitted”.
“have got to be seductive-
put on soft colours”- Blanche resorted to pretending to cope with her
life situation. She explains how she had to learn to manipulate and pretend in
order for her existence” to be “admitted”. The fact that all she wanted was to
be “admitted” shows how little affection she was receiving from others and how
desperate she was for some.
Scene 6
“never for one moment since has there been any light that’s stronger
than this – kitchen – candle”- After the death of her first partner Blanche’s
life has been consumed in darkness. The reference to a “candle”, which gives
off a dull and flickering light, shows how little happiness Blanche has in her
life.
Scene 7
“It’s only a paper moon, just as phony as can be”- when
Stanley reveals to Stella the truth about Blanche’s reputation, Blanche is in
the bath singing these lyrics. The “paper moon” refers to Blanche and the
illusion she creates of being a lady with old fashioned ideals.
“Oh, I feel so good after my long, hot bath, I feel so good
and cool and – rested!”- Blanche often comments on how much better she feels
after a bath. She pretends that all she needs is a bath to make her feel better
and maybe she believes that if she says that she feels better then maybe
eventually she actually will.
Scene 8
“Stanley, tell us a joke, tell us a funny story to make us
all laugh”- This is a further example of Blanche’s technique of supressing her
inner panic by pretending to be cheerful. Blanche prefers to avoid her problems
and pretend to “laugh” than admit to them.
“His aunty knows that candles aren’t safe, and that candles
blow out in little girl’s and boy’s eyes, or the wind blows them out and after
that happens, electric light bulbs go on and you see too plainly”- The metaphor
of electric light bulbs shows how Blanche is now able to see all the flaws in
the world. She would rather live in the darkness and pretend that they are not
there.
Scene 9
“The unforgiveable insult to a lady!”- Blanche comments on
how Mitch didn’t shave before he came to see her. She pretends that she is a ‘southern
belle’ with traditional ideals, however, her terrible reputation shows that she
doesn’t really possess these ideals at all.
“Have you ever had anything caught in your head?”- Blanche
appears to be talking of having a tune stuck in her head, yet it is likely that
she is instead referring to the turmoil that is constantly in her head.
“I like it dark. The dark is comforting to me”- This shows
how Blanche likes to pretend and not acknowledge her problems. The dark enables
her to hide and not allow anyone to see who she really is. The simplicity of the
first sentence shows how gives the audience the sense that Blanche is admitting
to something that is extremely truthful and from a deep aspect of her being.
“I don’t want realism”- Again, this shows how Blanche would
rather exist in a make believe world than acknowledge her problems.
“yes, a big spider! That’s where I brought my victims”-
Blanche is aware of how she behaved wrongly in the past and is almost
hysterically bitter about it, no longer hiding it but instead emphasising the
severity of all that she did. The use of the word “victims” shows how poorly
she views her actions as she compares her actions to that of a spider which is
often a feared and disliked creature.
“I cleft in the rock of the world that I could hide in” -
Blanche was relieved when she met Mitch as she believed that their relationship
would enable her to hide further and pretend her problems away.
“You’re not clean enough to bring in the house with my
mother”- The way in which Mitch portrays Blanche contrasts greatly with the
illusion that Blanche was trying to create for herself.
Scene 10
“but I have been foolish- casting my pearls before swine!” –
even when Blanche’s secrets have been revealed she still tries to keep a hold
on the illusion that she had created for herself and instead treats herself as
being superior, putting down those around her, by calling them “swine”.
“whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of
strangers”- this is the last line that Blanche says in the play and it is very
ironic. It shows how desperate her situation is and it is sad that she puts her
trust into the doctor who takes her away, as it is unlikely that she would view
the way in which she will be treated as him being kind, or the way in which
Stella and her friends have sent her to an institution as being kind.
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