Motifs and Symbols in A Streetcar Named Desire PDF

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Summary

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Stanley is able to rebound from his drunken escapades, whereas alcohol supplements Blanche's gradual departure from reality

Blanche's inability to tolerate light means that her grasp on reality is also nearing it's end

For both characters, drinking leads to destructive behavior: Stanley commits domestic violence, and Blanche deludes herself

However, Blanche's drinking is antisocial and she tries to hide it Stanley's drinking is social: at poker games, at the bar, and to celebrate the birth of his first child

Both Stanley and Blanche drink excessively at various points during the play

Throughout the play Blanche avoids appearing in direct bright, light, especially in front of Mitch

Light She is haunted by the ghosts of what she has lost: her first love, her purpose in life, her dignity and her status

Drunkenness Light also symbolizes the reality of Blanche's past

These baths represent Blanche's efforts to cleanse herself of her unpleasant history

Motifs and Symbols in A Streetcar Named Desire

Bathing

The shower serves to soothe his violent temper; afterwards he leaves the bathroom feeling remorseful and calls out longingly for his wife

Bright light represents her youthful, sexual innocence, whereas poor light represents her sexual maturity

She also refuses to reveal he age, and it's clear that she avoids the light in order to prevent him from seeing the reality of her fading beauty

Stanley also turns to water to undo a misdeed when she showers after beating Stella

The Varsouviana Polka

Shadows

This polka music plays at various points in the play, when Blanche is feeling remorse for Allan's death

Meat

Discordant noises and jungle cries occur as Blanche descends into madness

All of these effects combine to dramatize Blanche's final breakdown and departure from reality in the face of Stanley's physical threat

By hurling the meat at Stella in Scene 1, Stanley states the sexual ownership over Stella, and Stella's delight with catching the meat signifies her sexual infatuation with him

The polka and the movement it evokes represents Blanche's loss of innocence

The suicide of her young husband was the event that triggered her mental decline...