symbols Flashcards
(20 cards)
What does Williams refer to the streetcar as?
The ideal metaphor for the human condition.
What does the streetcar symbolize in the play?
The power of desire as the driving force behind the characters’ actions.
What is the significance of Blanche’s journey on the streetcar?
It is both literal and allegorical, highlighting desire as a controlling force.
What event is associated with the Varsouviana polka?
Blanche’s young husband’s suicide.
How does the Varsouviana polka affect Blanche?
It plays when she is reminded of her husband or disturbed by the past.
What does Blanche do frequently throughout the play?
Takes baths to soothe her nerves.
What does bathing represent for Blanche?
An escape from reality and an attempt to cleanse herself.
What literary work is referenced in relation to Blanche’s bathing?
Macbeth by Shakespeare.
What does the paper lantern symbolize?
Blanche’s attempt to mask her sordid past and present appearance.
What happens to the paper lantern at the end of the play?
Stanley tears it off to reveal Blanche’s true self.
What does Blanche cry when the lantern is removed?
“I don’t want realism––I want magic!”
What song parallels the themes of the paper lantern?
Paper Moon.
How do Stanley and Blanche use alcohol differently?
Stanley openly drinks while Blanche hides her alcoholism.
What do shadows represent for Blanche at the beginning of the play?
The dream-world and escape from harsh reality.
What do shadows become for Blanche at the end of the play?
A threatening element.
When does Blanche insist on turning off the overhead light?
When she first sees Stella.
How does Stanley’s drunkenness affect his behavior?
It exaggerates his masculinity, making him more physical and violent.
What is Blanche’s attitude towards drinking?
She uses it as an escape mechanism.
Fill in the blank: Blanche retreats to the water to attempt to cleanse herself and forget _______.
reality.
Fill in the blank: A paper world cloaking reality also appears in the song _______.
Paper Moon.
