A+Street+Car+Named+Desire-+Big+Ideas

Big Ideas:
 *  Appearance vs. Reality
 *  Example: Blanche enters "daintily dressed as if she were arriving at a summer tea or a cocktail party in the Garden District" her her white clothes "suggests a moth." (Scene 1) This gives her a frail, innocent appearance although she is really a fornicator.
 *  Reputation
 *  Blanche lies throughout the play to maintain a good reputation although she involves herself in activities frowned upon.
 *  “She springs up and crosses to it, and removes a whiskey bottle. She pours a half tumbler of whiskey and tosses it down. She carefully replaces the bottle and washes out the tumbler at the sink.” (Williams stage direction scene 1) This develops Blanche’s character in the beginning of the play and creates situational irony. Only the audience knows that she is a drunk and she is very defensive about the fact when she lies.
 *  “I guess it is just that I have – old fashioned ideals!” (Scene 6) Blanche says this to Mitch; however drinking, fornication, lying and sensuality are against those ideals.
 *  Male Dominance
 *  Examples:
 *  This play denotes a man’s world. Poker and bowling are activities woman are not able to take part in. Woman may only watch bowling however they cannot be present when men are playing poker.
 *  Blanche upsets the balance by luring the men in and attempting to join them in their poker game. She also enjoys drinking which is more of a man’s habit.
 *  “This game is a seven card stud” (Scene 11) Stanley says this at the close of the play after Blanche is gone, as if it is once again a man’s world.
 *  Connection to the playwright’s life:
 *  Tennessee Williams was not accepted by his father because he was homosexual. This formed his opinion of men and gave him a sense of male dominance.
 *  Cultural Difference
 *  “Old South” (Blanche) vs. “New South” (Stanley)
 *  Character Origins:
 * <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.5in;"> Blanche comes from an Aristocratic background. Her family owned a plantation located in Mississippi. She owns fancy clothes with furs and expensive materials.
 * <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.5in;"> Stanley is a typical blue collar man. He comes from a lower class family and does not always present himself as he should in society.
 * <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Guilt
 * <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"> Character Guilt:
 * <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.5in;"> Blanche is filled with guilt because her ex-husband committed suicide. She caught him with a man and told him “You disgust me…” immediately after he runs out and she hears a shot.
 * <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.5in;"> Blanche fills Stella with guilt for leaving her alone to take care of the Belle Reve, their home, and all the sick family.