Streetcar Named Desire Flashcards, test questions and answers

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What is Streetcar Named Desire?

A Streetcar Named Desire is a classic play by Tennessee Williams that follows the story of Blanche DuBois, a woman who moves to New Orleans with the hope of starting a new life. After her husband dies in an accident, she is left penniless and desperate, but still determined to make something of her life. She moves into her sister’s home in the French Quarter and gradually becomes acquainted with the other residents, including Stanley Kowalski and his wife Stella. As the story progresses, Blanche struggles to find acceptance in this new world and battle against Stanley’s aggression towards her.The theme of A Streetcar Named Desire is one of desire versus reality. Blanche desires love and acceptance from others but often finds that reality does not meet these expectations. Her descent into loneliness and despair is further exacerbated by Stanley’s cruelty which eventually leads to her breakdown at the end of the play. This theme serves as an exploration into human relationships and how they can quickly devolve when faced with uncomfortable truths. The play also examines themes related to gender roles in society during this time period through its characters such as Stella who is forced to choose between loyalty towards her husband or devotion towards her sister despite their differences. Additionally, it looks at class dynamics between members of different economic backgrounds while offering insight on mental illness during this era through Blanche’s experiences with PTSD due to past traumas related to racism and sexism she has faced throughout her life. Overall A Streetcar Named Desire offers an interesting look into themes such as desire versus reality, gender roles, class dynamics, mental health issues that are still relevant today despite being written over 70 years ago making it an enduring piece of literature worth exploring even now for its thought-provoking insight on human behavior .