Literary Devices in A Streetcar Named Desire
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Blanche makes a big deal out of never being seen in direct light. She uses a paper lantern like a shield to block out the strong light of the naked bulb in the Kowalski apartment. The obvious concl...
Setting
What we know about the atmosphere of setting in Streetcar comes from Williams’s (intense!) stage directions. He tells us that us that the area is "poor" but "has a raffish charm." He says the sky...
Narrator Point of View
Though all works of literature present the author’s point of view, they don’t all have a narrator or a narrative voice that ties together and presents the story. This particular piece of litera...
Genre
Unfortunately, "Super Iconic Sex N' Madness Spectacular" isn't a viable genre. Dang.A Streetcar Named Desire is actually realism of several different varieties. First you’ve got Magical Realism,...
Tone
What we’re getting at here in our discussion of "Tone" is Williams’s attitude toward his protagonist, Blanche DuBois. We admit that Blanche comes off as quite silly for a good chunk of the text...
Writing Style
Williams’s style comes across best in his stage directions. He doesn’t hold back. He brilliantly strikes at the heart of his characters with such potent descriptions as this one of Stanley: The...
What’s Up With the Title?
Let’s start with the literal meaning of the title. There is an actual streetcar named “Desire” that Blanche takes on her way to the Kowalskis’. She mentions it twice. First, in Scene One, s...
What's Up With the Epigraph?
And so it was I entered the broken worldTo trace the visionary company of love, its voiceAn instant in the wind (I know not whither hurled)But not for long to hold each desperate choice.– “The...
What’s Up With the Ending?
The ending to A Streetcar Named Desire is all about cruel and tragic irony. Blanche is shipped off to a mental institution because she can’t deal with reality and retreats into illusion—yet Ste...
Plot Analysis
"Meat!"Yes, that’s right—the early interactions between Stella and her husband constitute the initial situation of A Streetcar Named Desire. It’s important for us as the reader/audience to se...
Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis
Blanche arrives in New Orleans and meets Mitch.Mitch is the "object of desire" through which Blanche, our protagonist plot, hopes to find fulfillment. As she settles in at the Kowalski place, her...
Three Act Plot Analysis
Blanche arrives in New Orleans, reunites with sister, and meets Stanley. Conflict seems inevitable as we get a glimpse of Stanley’s violent streak, and of course the Mitch saga begins. Stella’s...
Trivia
Endlessly hilarious is Ned Flanders’s portrayal of Stanley in The Simpsons. It’s a musical version, and he sings out the verses in his shrill voice:"Can’t you hear me yella,You’re putting m...
Steaminess Rating
Let’s let the tamale-vendor at the end of Scene Two sum this up for us: "RED-HOT!" Stanley, a.k.a. "the gaudy seed-bearer," is very sexual. Stella is all about the virility popping out of his vei...
Allusions
Edgar Allan Poe (1.93, 3.162)Edgar Allan Poe, "Ullalume" (1.93)Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "How Do I Love Thee?" (3.115)Nathaniel Hawthorne (3.162)Walt Whitman (3.162)One Thousand and One Arabian N...