a streetcar named desire

Question 1

blanche dubois BACKSTORY

Answer 1

-anti-hero of the play.
-fell in love with her first husband (allan grey) at 16.
-insults and belittles him when she finds him having sex with a man.
-traumatised by her past with allan.
-spends youth watching family die and loses family house. (belle reve)
-loses job as a school teacher for sleeping with a 17 year old boy.

Question 2

blanche dubois CHARACTERISTICS

Answer 2

-southern belle/aristocracy = educated and upper class.
-manipulative/pathological liar = constantly bends the truth to fit stories.
-insecure/sensitive = insecure about ageing. always looks for compliments.
-lonely = established in s1 when she arrives in belle reve.
-flirtatious/seductive = flirts with stanley. tries to relive youth.
-delusional = doesn’t want realism and always looks at fantasy. stuck in traumatic past.

Question 3

stella kowalski BACKSTORY

Answer 3

-younger sister of Blanche and wife of stanley.
-left the family home due to being seduced by new america.
-strong sexual relationship with stanley.
-experiences physical and verbal abuse.

Question 4

stella kowalski CHARACTERISTICS

Answer 4

-aristocratic = educated and raised in the old south.
-gentle/impressionable = empathetic and forgiving in nature. tolerant of extreme behaviours due to how much she loves.
-realistic/practical = refused to believe blanche’s rape cry as she can’t live without a man.

Question 5

stanley kowalski BACKSTORY

Answer 5

-representation of new america.
-fought in WW2.
-represents american dream of freedom and opportunity.
-loves drinking/gambling/sex.
-misogynistic/hyper masculine who believes in male superiority.
-of Polish decent.

Question 6

stanley kowalski CHARACTERISTICS

Answer 6

-working class man/immigrant descent = provides for wife and unborn child. second/third generation immigrant.
-violent/crude = uses force to convey emotions. treats objects around him with violence.
-straightforward/cunning = brutally honest and can read through people.
-hero/villain = initially a hero but comes abusive and violent.
-primitive = often described with animalistic features.

Question 7

mitch BACKSTORY

Answer 7

-blanche’s main romantic interest.
-stanley’s colleague and poker-playing friend.
-portrayed as a sensitive gentleman despite coming from the same working class as stanley.

Question 8

mitch CHARACTERISTICS

Answer 8

-working class man = rough appearance.
-gentle/sensitive = well-mannered unlike his friends. mocked for taking care of his sick mother. treats blanche with respect.
-beta male = antithesis of stanley. masculine in nature and physically strong whilst also sensitive.