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A Streetcar Named Desire. By Tennessee Williams. Blanche DuBois. Stella’s sister Talkative but fragile Lost her job and now is destitute; formerly upper-class Pretends to be an innocent young woman Avoids reality and instead lives in the past Represents the dying Southern lifestyle
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A Streetcar Named Desire By Tennessee Williams
Blanche DuBois • Stella’s sister • Talkative but fragile • Lost her job and now is destitute; formerly upper-class • Pretends to be an innocent young woman • Avoids reality and instead lives in the past • Represents the dying Southern lifestyle • Alcoholic
Stanley Kowalski • Stella’s husband • World War II veteran • Working-class • Loyal to friends • Passionate, yet at times cruel to his wife • Physical and brutal • Dislikes Blanche and does not trust her
Stella Kowalski • Blanche’s youngersister • Torn between her sister and her husband • Submissive wife • Shares a violent, physical relationship with Stanley • Denies reality • Is pregnant
Harold Mitchell “Mitch” • Stanley’s army friend • Courts Blanche • Clumsy, sweaty, working-class • Interested in muscle-building • Lives with his mother
New Orleans – setting of the play • 1947 • Low-income French quarter • Cramped two- bedroom apartment in a culturally diverse area • After World War II, men returned home to jobs, and women left the workforce
Significant Themes • One’s difficulty accepting reality leads to a life full of denial and struggle. • The unrelenting power of memory can haunt and trouble a person throughout his or her life. • The desire for freedom can overpower one’s duty/responsibility toward one’s family. • The expectations related to gender roles in society often dictate one’s future.