major conflict
Blanche DuBois, an aging Southern debutante, arrives at her sister's home in New Orleans hoping to start a new life after losing her ancestral mansion, her job, and her reputation in her hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. Blanche's brother-in-law, a macho w
rising action
Blanche immediately rouses the suspicion of Stanley, who (wrongly) suspects Blanche of swindling Stella out of her inheritance. Blanche grows to despise Stanley when she sees him drunkenly beat her pregnant sister. Stanley permanently despises Blanche aft
climax
After Stanley treats Blanche cruelly during her birthday dinner, giving her a bus ticket back to Laurel as a present, Stella goes into labor. She and Stanley depart for the hospital, leaving Blanche alone in the house. Mitch arrives, drunk, and breaks off
falling action
Weeks after the rape, Stella secretly prepares for Blanche's departure to an insane asylum. She tells her neighbor Eunice that she simply couldn't believe Blanche's accusation that Stanley raped her. Unaware of reality, Blanche boasts that she is leaving
themes
Fantasy's inability to overcome reality; the relationship between sex and death; dependence on men
motifs
Light; bathing; drunkenness
symbols
Shadows and cries; the Varsouviana polka; "It's Only a Paper Moon"; meat
foreshadowing
In Scene Ten, Williams takes a brief detour away from events in the Kowalski household to show a street scene involving a prostitute, her male admirer, and a Negro woman. The man follows the prostitute solicitously, there is a struggle offstage, and then
Plot Overview
Blanche DuBois, a schoolteacher from Laurel, Mississippi, arrives at the New Orleans apartment of her sister, Stella Kowalski. Despite the fact that Blanche seems to have fallen out of close contact with Stella, she intends to stay at Stella's apartment f
What subject did Blanche teach at Laurel High School?
English
How does Mitch verify the stories Stanley tells him about Blanche?
He speaks with a supply man named Shaw and a merchant named Kiefaber
Where does Stanley see Eunice after her fight with Steve?
At the local bar
Where does Blanche meet Mitch?
At the Kowalskis' apartment
Which of the following songs does Blanche sing while taking a bath?
It's Only a Paper Moon
What poet does Williams quote in the epigraph to A Streetcar Named Desire?
Hart Crane
Which of the following bonds is not shared by Mitch and Stanley?
They are each married to a DuBois sister
What type of music was playing when Blanche's young husband committed suicide?
A polka
Where is Shep Huntleigh from?
Dallas
Stella left Belle Reve after the death of which family member?
Her Father
Which of the following events occurs first?
Blanche meets Mitch
Which of the following accurately describes Elysian Fields?
Ethnically diverse, working class, noisy
What does Blanche say caused her family to lose Belle Reve?
Her ancestors' "epic fornications
What does Blanche pretend to find when Mitch comes by while Stella is in labor?
Liquor
Who lives upstairs from Stanley and Stella?
Steve and Euniece
What does Stella profess she likes to do for her sister?
Serve her
What does Blanche give the Young Collector?
A kiss
Which of the following does not function as a symbol in A Streetcar Named Desire?
Beer
Why is Blanche grateful to the doctor in the final scene?
He is a kind stranger
What doesn't Blanche know?
Shep Huntleigh's phone number and address
Why did Blanche leave her job as a schoolteacher in Laurel?
She had an affair with a young male student
What material is Mitch's jacket made from?
Alpaca
What does Stanley buy Blanche for her birthday?
A bowling jacket