🚋• Streetcar: Critical Views

Question 1

Give a feminist interpretation of Blanche and Stanley’s characters

Answer 1

Judith Butler (feminist philosopher): Could be applied here via the idea of performed gender roles—Stanley aggressively asserts masculinity, Blanche clings to femininity.

Question 2

Give a feminist interpretation of the rape scene

Answer 2

Kate Millett (feminist critic): Would likely view Stanley’s rape of Blanche as the ultimate expression of patriarchal violence.

Question 3

Give a feminist interpretation of Blanche’s Breakdown

Answer 3

Elaine Showalter: Interprets Blanche’s breakdown as a feminist tragedy, highlighting how women were denied power and agency.

Question 4

Give a somewhat feminist interpretation of Blanche’s reliance on fantasy

Answer 4

Tennessee Williams: Said he sympathized with Blanche’s need for “magic” to soften the “harshness of life.”

Question 5

Give an interpretation of institutions such as asylums from the 1940s

Answer 5

Michel Foucault: Might argue that society uses institutions like the asylum to suppress inconvenient or deviant behavior.

Question 6

Given an interpretation of Blanche’s madness

Answer 6

Christopher Innes: Argues that Blanche’s madness is socially induced, a result of trauma and isolation.

Question 7

Give a critical quote about patriarchy and fragility

Answer 7

Judith Thompson
“Blanche is a victim of a patriarchal world where fragility is punished rather than supported.”

Question 8

Give Kazan’s interpretation of Stanley, Blanche and the rape scene

Answer 8

Eliza Kazan (original director of the play): Kazan argued that Stanley represents the new, brutal America, and the rape of Blanche is not just personal violence, but symbolic of the destruction of sensitivity and tradition.

Question 9

Give an interpretation on Mitch’s rejection of Blanche + critical quote

Answer 9

Christopher Bigsby: Mitch’s rejection is not just personal, but social—he represents the ordinary man upholding societal norms by turning away from damaged women.

• ‘Mitch’s kindness has limits’