A Streetcar Named Desire Themes free essay sample

Stanley stalks fiercely† â€Å"with a shouted oath he tosses the instrument out of the window† Stanley supposedly hits Stella after she protests at his outbreak of rage when he threw the radio out of the window. There is a sound of a blow. Stella cries out† On this occasion Stanley’s attitude towards Stella is purely physical and violent. We do not see Stanley hit Stella but the stage directions tell us information and we assume that he has. (Scene 10) Blanche tries to fend Stanley off with a broken bottle top â€Å"she smashes a bottle on the table and faces him† . However this doesn’t deter Stanley and he â€Å"Springs towards her, overturning the table. † He then carries her into the bedroom. It is up to the reader to make up their mind as to what happens after that, but it is implied that Stanley rapes Blanche, the pinnacle of his violent state. We will write a custom essay sample on A Streetcar Named Desire Themes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Sexuality (Scene 1) Blanche feels that she will have no privacy as she is only separated from Stanley and Stella’s bedroom by a curtain. â€Å"But there’s no door between the two rooms, and Stanley-will it be descent? †-Blanche. This suggests that Blanche feels that she will be imposing on Stella and Stanley’s sexual relationship. She feels uncomfortable with the situation. Scene 3) Blanche flirts with Mitch, displaying her feminine sexuality. She exaggerates her (assumed) purity and innocence. â€Å"Blanche means white† which reflects purity. We find out that both Blanche and Mitch are romantically interested in each other. (Scene 7) Stanley reveals to Stella the information that he found out about Blanches past, from Shaw. She was selling herself sexually and got involved with a 17 year-old boy. â€Å"They got wised up after two or three dates with her and then they quit, and she goes on to another†-Stanley. It shows how Blanche’s past revolves around sexuality, and sexual favours. Love Stella is truly in love with Stanley and it is a running theme in the play that Stella will always go back to Stanley. â€Å"They’re crazy about each other†- Mitch. Blanche loved her husband. â€Å"I loved him unendurably†-Blanche â€Å"Blanche didn’t just love him, but worshipped the ground he walked on†-Stella Loneliness (Scene 2) When Stanley touches Blanches love letters she expresses her devastating feeling of loss, and loneliness. It is obvious that she is in need of companionship. â€Å"poems a dead boy wrote†- Blanche . By stating that she is not â€Å"Vulnerable† anymore, actually increases how much the reader sees how much she needs someone. (Scene 6) Blanche and Mitch are both alone, â€Å"you need somebody, and i need somebody too. Could it be – you and me, Blanche? †-Mitch. Mitch and Blanche both understand feelings of loneliness and by supposing that they are to be together then they will no longer have to be alone. Scene 8) Mitch doesn’t come to Blanche’s birthday party. â€Å"It’s the first time in my entire experience with men, and I’ve had a good deal of all sorts that I’ve actually been stood up by anybody! † Blanche tries to make light of the situation, but now we can see that she is truly alone, without any friends. She tries to make sure no one can see her loneliness. Opposing Backgrounds (Scene 1) Blanche arrives in New Orle ans, expecting it to be of the same class as where she and her sister Stella grew up. The contrast of her standing in the Kowalski flat which is simple and common, and wearing clothes that suggest great wealth and a proper upbringing, tells the reader that there may not only be opposing class in the play, but opposing views and lifestyle too. â€Å"This-can this be- her home? †- Blanche This quote shows Blanches shock as to where her sister lives. (Scene 4) Blanche has a very low opinion of Stanley and his general manners around the flat, and his actions towards Stella, his wife. â€Å"He acts like an animal, has an animal’s habits! Eats like one, moves like one, talks like one! It is this time n the play that Blanche really lets go and expresses how she really feels. She feels that Stella, being from a more educated background, is too good for a commoner like Stanley. (Scene 8) Stanley is aware of his and Stella’s opposing backgrounds, and yet he doesn’t express it in the way that Blanche does. He does not see it as a negative thing. He f eels that he did Stella a favour by pulling her â€Å"down off them columns†. It shows that although he and Stella are from different worlds, they have created their own personal breed, where the upper and working class can live together happily. Lies/Hypocrisy (Scene 1) When Stanley first meets Blanche, she says that she has not drunk any of his liquor, but we think Stanley is quite suspicious. He comes back by saying â€Å"Some people rarely touch it, but it touches them often† This is ironic as we know that Blanche HAS drunk Stanley’s alcohol. And she lies by saying that she hasn’t. (Scene 2) Stanley believes that Blanche has been lying about the loss of Belle Reve, and that he and Stella have been â€Å"Swindled† He uses reference of the â€Å"Napoleonic Code†. We later find out that the estate may have been lost on a mortgage, but Stanley does make a very convincing argument, trying to prove Blanche is a liar. (Scene 11) Blanche is in a state of delirium, it seems that she is drowned in her lies and she now begins to believe them as reality. Stella has arranged for Blanche to be institutionalised, but she’s â€Å"got it mixed in her mind with Shep Huntleigh†. Blanche a Eunice go along with her stories however, these lies, rather than being for personal gain, are to benefit Blanche and her wellbeing.