70 pages • 2 hours read
Tennessee WilliamsA Streetcar Named Desire
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1947A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
Sounds and actions on the street constantly interrupt or backdrop the dialogue taking place within the Kowalski flat. What are the purposes of these various interruptions? How might reading them on the page differ from seeing them enacted on stage?
Mitch and Stella confront life-changing questions in the face of information given to them by Stanley. How much does he influence their decisions to sever ties with Blanche? Do you think any measure taken by Blanche could have countered the breadth and scope of his domination over those around him?
Whenever Blanche talks about Belle Reve, her language becomes dreamlike—loose and associative. What can you piece together about her experience there given the visceral details she provides? How do this trauma and the past traumas of her life influence her manner of moving about the world?
Different forms of nurturing and caretaking occur in the play; identify one example for each major character. What does this reveal about the character’s own history and values?
Strict gender roles of the time dictate much of the action and dialogue of the play. Name three scenes in which gender roles play a large role, and discuss whether gender is reinforced or destabilized.
Consider Williams’ decision to make Blanche an English teacher. Her manner of speaking is often lofty, touching on subjects that surpass the experiences and knowledge of those around her. How does her education hinder or help her in forming relationships with the people of Elysian Fields?
Different seasons pass over the course of A Streetcar Named Desire, influencing the atmosphere (lighting, mood, etc.) of the play as well as symbolizing different events. Talk about how each season relates to the scenes of the play.
If we assume the play is set during the time it was written, it takes place in 1947. Certain references to music and politics provide contextual clues to the times as well. Consider, compare, and contrast the dynamic of Elysian Fields to the larger context of mid-1940s America and the world, at large.
Two poker games occur in the third and final scenes. What shifts occur between the first and second game? Why do you think Williams chose poker as opposed to another card game or form of entertainment as a central event of the play? Include the specific game of seven-card stud somewhere in your discussion.
How do you think the characters’ lives might have been had Blanche stayed at Elysian Fields, specifically if Stanley were unable to procure information about her past and everyone remained ignorant of it? Would the quality of their lives have improved, or do you think they are better off in her absence?
Related Titles
By Tennessee Williams
