SND - conflict within a family Flashcards
how to write an introduction?
‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ is a play written by Tennessee Williams. It involves our protagonist Blanche, who visits her sister Stella and her new brother-in-law Stanley in New Orleans over the summer period. As soon as Blanche and Stanley meet, tension heightens due to each of them wanting to win Stella over. This causes conflict to rise in the family between the two characters and Williams explores this through the use of language and word choice.
Blanche: ‘He acts like an animal, has an animals habits! Eats like one, moves like one, talks like one… something ape-like about him’
imagery - ‘like an animal’ conveys how Stanley seems to be a completely different species to her and Stella.
she only wants the best for her sister, by telling her that she deserves better than him.
highlights how much Blanche does not like Stanley, and calls him derogatory names liked ‘animal’ and even ‘Polack’ - further emphasises that she thinks that she is better than him.
BLANCHE: “Western Union? Yes! — I want to — Take down this message!”
STANLEY: “You left th’ phone off th’ hook”
Stanley returns home while Stella is at the hospital in labour. He then decides that this is his ample opportunity to confront Blanche and get his own back. Blanche’s response however is panicked and impetuous
Blanche is so deluded into her own thoughts and the voices in her head to even realise that the ‘person’ she was talking to was not even on the other line.
Stanley then makes an audacious comment to her as a sort of mocking and winning way, knowing that he has caught Blanche out and he will have his revenge with her.
This conveys to the audience that Williams is exploring the theme of violence versus cruelty and truth versus illusion.
Stanley: ‘ Ticket! Back to Laurel! On the Greyhound! Tuesday!’
(Blanche tries to smile. Then she tries to laugh.. she clutches her throat and then runs into the bathroom. coughing, gagging sounds are heard)
The language use of repeated exclamation marks emphasises that he is making a mockery of Blanche with her ‘present’ highlighting how she is not welcomed into the Family and that her stay is overdue.
Stanley knows that Blanche only has Stella left, as she has been shunned out of Laurel due to her promiscuous past - shows how cold hearted Stanley is as he finds this situation almost humorous, knowing that by getting rid of Blanche, he can finally have Stella back and go back to ‘normality’
stage directions show that Blanche feels physically ill by this - being alone and not being able to be with Stella
-> highlights how malicious Stanley is towards Blanche
Emphasises on theme of cruelty as Stanley is not physically harming Blanche, he is emotionally harming her by forcing her out of her sisters life.
Stanley is ‘grinning amiably’
Stanley: ‘ there isn’t a goddamn thing but imagination’
Stage direction - Blanche (she moans. the bottle top drops. he picks up her inert figure and carries her to bed)
Stanley is acting happy to deceive Blanche, leading her to tell him all about her ‘admirer’ - Stanley knows there is nobody
Stanley snaps at Blanche - audience is aware of how Stanley is, but by his actions of snapping at Blanche in her most vulnerable state emphasises how sadistic of a character he is
Stanley begins to act out his plan for Blanche
‘inert’ - word choice - suggest unable to move/stuck and highlights that Stanley has got Blanche under his control and making her fearful of him
Stanley knew nobody would believe what he did to Blanche because of her delusional state, which confirms how cruel Stanley is
