Chapter Summaries Flashcards
SCENE 1
Blanche arrives unexpectedly at her sister Stella’s home in New Orleans.
She is shocked by the small, working-class apartment and unsettled by the neighborhood.
Blanche reveals she has lost the family estate, Belle Reeve.
Stanley is introduced; tension begins between him and Blanche.
Stanley’s aggressive masculinity contrasts Blanche’s delicate persona.
SCENE 2
Stanley is suspicious of Blanche and confronts her about the loss of Belle Reeve.
He believes Blanche may have swindled Stella out of her inheritance.
He uses the Napoleonic Code to assert his right to know.
Blanche flirts with Stanley, trying to assert control, but he’s unmoved.
Tension between old Southern gentility (Blanche) and new brutal realism (Stanley) begins to build.
SCENE 3
The famous poker night scene.
Blanche meets Mitch, Stanley’s friend, and a romantic interest sparks.
Stanley gets drunk and violent, hitting Stella.
Stella and Blanche retreat upstairs.
Stanley calls to Stella in the iconic “STELLL-AHH!” scene, and she returns to him — hinting at the sexual basis of their relationship.
SCENE 4
The next morning, Blanche pleads with Stella to leave Stanley, calling him an “animal.”
Stella, however, defends him and insists on her love for him.
Stanley overhears Blanche insulting him, foreshadowing future conflict.
The theme of desire overriding reason becomes clearer.
SCENE 5
Blanche flirts with a young newspaper boy, then kisses him — revealing her predatory side.
Mitch arrives for a date; Blanche tries to impress him with her cultured persona.
She hints at her troubled past but hides the truth.
Her deception starts to form the foundation of their relationship
SCENE 6
Mitch and Blanche have a more serious date.
She opens up about her tragic marriage to Allan Grey and his suicide after she discovered he was gay.
Mitch responds sympathetically and says they both need someone.
The scene ends with a tentative hope for emotional healing — but built on half-truths.
SCENE 7
t’s Blanche’s birthday.
Stanley reveals to Stella that he’s discovered the truth about Blanche’s past: she was promiscuous and fired for an affair with a student.
He has told Mitch, ruining her chances with him.
Stella is distressed but conflicted.
Blanche sings “It’s Only a Paper Moon” — ironically romantic, while Stanley exposes her.
Dramatic irony and contrast between illusion and reality are heightened.
SCENE 8
Stanley gives Blanche a bus ticket back to Laurel as a “birthday present.”
Tension explodes; Stella defends Blanche.
Stanley lashes out, reminding Stella he is the “king” of the household.
Stella goes into labour.
Mitch doesn’t show up for Blanche’s birthday dinner, deepening her despair.
SCENE 9
Mitch confronts Blanche about her lies.
She tries to explain her tragic past, pleading for understanding.
Mitch, disillusioned, tries to sleep with her without marrying her.
Blanche resists, crying, “I don’t want realism… I want magic!”
He leaves, and Blanche is once again isolated and rejected.
SCENE 10
Blanche, mentally unraveling, dresses up as if going to a party.
Stanley returns and mocks her delusions.
Blanche tries to defend herself with a broken bottle.
Stanley overpowers her and rapes her — the play’s most violent act of sexual destruction.
This scene marks the final psychological blow to Blanche.
SCENE 11
Blanche is being taken to a mental institution.
Stella is torn but chooses to stay with Stanley, despite knowing what he did.
Blanche descends into complete delusion, famously saying:
“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”
The play ends with Stanley comforting Stella, maintaining the status quo.
