A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

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A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

Reading and Study Guide

The study guide will be collected and graded at various, unannounced times.

Answer all parts of each question. Where it asks for quotations, be sure to include the scene, sentence or line numbers.

Scene 1

1.  Identify the setting of the play by quoting the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find it.

2.  How does Tennessee Williams describe that setting? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

3.  What does Stanley do when he sees Stella at the beginning of the play? What inference(s) can you make about such a character, based on that action?

4.  Describe Blanche’s appearance when she first enters the play. Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

5.  How does Blanche contrast to the setting? What inferences might you make about her character?

6.  Blanche goes into Stella’s apartment to wait for Stella to come home. What does she do while she is waiting?

7.  Based on the stage directions, make an inference and take a position: Does Blanche have a drinking problem? Why or why not?

8.  What is Belle Reve?

9.  How does Blanche react to Stella’s living situation? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

10.  What is Blanche’s explanation for why she left her job? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

11.  How does Stella characterize her relationship with Stanley? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

12.  What happened to Belle Reve? Why? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

13.  How is Stanley characterized in the stage directions when he enters the apartment? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that. Include the non-human element Williams uses to characterize Stanley.

14.  Near the end of Scene One, what do we learn about Blanche’s husband?

15.  What music plays during the last moments of the scene?

Scene 2

1.  What is Stanley’s reaction to the news that Belle Reve has been lost?

2.  What is the Napoleonic Code? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

3.  What does Stanley think Blanche has done with the money from the sale of Belle Reve?

4.  How does Blanche describe a woman’s charm? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

5.  What does Stanley discover in Blanche’s trunk that she doesn’t want him to touch?

6.  What news does Stanley reveal to Blanche about Stella?

Scene 3

1.  How does Tennessee Williams characterize the men playing poker at the beginning of the scene? What else does Williams use to set the scene?

2.  How is Mitch characterized?

3.  When Stella and Blanche return, where do they go while the men play poker?

4. What does Blanche say about Mitch after meeting him? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

5. What lie(s) does Blanche tell Mitch about herself? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

6. Why doesn’t Blanche like bright lights? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

7. When Stanley asks Blanche to turn off the radio and she does not comply, what does he do?

8. What happens between Stella and Stanley that ends the poker game?

9. What brings Stella and Stanley back together?

10. Who comforts Blanche at the end of the scene? What does she say she needs? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

Scene 4

1.  According to Stella, what did Stanley do on his wedding night? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

2.  How does Stella say she reacted to Stanley’s actions on their wedding night? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

3.  Who is Shep Huntleigh? How does Blanche know him?

4.  What idea does Blanche have to escape New Orleans with Stella? How does Stella react?

5.  How does Blanche characterize Stanley in her monologue. Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

6.  When Blanche and Stella are discussing Stanley, it is evident in the stage directions that he hears many of the negative things that Blanche says about him. When he enters, Stella embraces him, and he grins at Blanche over Stella’s head. What message is he sending to Blanche?

Scene 5

1.  What happens between Eunice and Steve?

2.  How does Eunice’s and Steve’s relationship contribute to the play?

3.  Stanley asks Blanche if she knows someone named Shaw. He says that Shaw knew Blanche from Laurel, and suggests that he met her at a place called the Hotel Flamingo. What is Blanche’s response and how does she characterize that hotel? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

4.  Who is coming over to see Blanche on this night? Why is this important to Blanche?

5.  After Stella and Stanley leave, a young man comes to the door collecting money for the local newspaper, The Evening Star. What does Blanche do to him?

Scene 6

1.  How did the date go with Mitch and Blanche?

2.  As their conversation progresses, does it seem like Blanche and Mitch belong together? Why or why not?

3.  What does Blanche tell Mitch about her stay in Stanley and Stella’s apartment? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

4.  At the end of the scene, Blanche confides in Mitch by telling him the story of how her husband died. How did he die? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

5.  What events preceded, and perhaps triggered her husband’s death? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

6.  Why does Blanche drink? [Don’t say she’s an alcoholic and leave it at that. Dig deeper.

Scene 7

1.  It is mid-September and Blanche’s birthday. Stella has prepared a party for her. Stanley lets Stella know that he has learned two major pieces of news about Blanche. What are they? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

2.  How does Stella react to this news?

3.  What does Stanley’s plan for Blanche?

4.  What does Blanche detect at the end of the scene?

Scene 8

1.  Blanche has been stood up by Mitch. Why?

2.  Stanley gets angry at Stella for telling him his face and fingers are disgustingly greasy. What does he do in response?

3.  What has Stanley bought for Blanche? How does he present it to her?

4.  How does Blanche react to what Stanley gives her?

5.  According to Stanley, how has Blanche’s presence changed his relationship with Stella? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

6.  What happens at the end of scene eight?

Scene 9

1.  What is Blanche doing at the beginning of the scene?

2.  Who stops by unexpectedly to see Blanche?

3.  Why does Mitch ask Blanche if she is “boxed out of her mind”? (Williams 115).

4.  Why does Mitch rip the paper lantern off the light bulb? How does Blanche react?

5.  What does the light symbolize?

6.  What does Blanche say about the truth in this scene? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text.

7.  What does Blanche admit happened after her husband’s death? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text.

8.  What effect does the woman selling flowers for the dead have on Blanche?

9.  Blanche suggests that death is “the opposite of desire” (Williams 120). What does that mean?

10.  What does Mitch try to do at the end of the scene?

11.  Why does Mitch say he won’t marry Blanche now?

Scene 10

1.  What invitation does Blanche say Shep Huntleigh extended to her?

2.  Blanche tells Stanley that Mitch came to see her that night. What does she tell him the reason was?

3.  Closely reread the speech that begins with “It won’t be the sort of thing you have in mind,” (Williams 126) and ends with “But I have been foolish—casting my pearls before swine! (Williams 126). What does she say about inner qualities of a person vs. physical beauty? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

4.  What does Blanche say is unforgivable?

5.  Find at least one line where Stanley is being sarcastic towards Blanche. Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that, using an in-text MLA citation.

6.  Stanley bluntly calls Blanche out on two lies. What are they?

7.  What happens at the end of scene ten?

Film Reflection

Closely reread the end of Scene 10, starting with Stanley’s line, “I’ve been on to you from the start” (Williams), through to the end of the scene, then answer the questions. Now watch two versions of the scene, a 1951 version, and a 1997 version.

Film comparison: Which version is more accurate? Why? Write a paragraph to support your opinion, using at least 1 quote from the stage directions and/or dialogue.

Scene 11

1.  Several weeks have passed and Stella is packing Blanche’s things. Where does Blanche think she is going? Where is she actually going?

2.  Why did Stella agree to send Blanche away? What does Eunice think she should do?

3.  How does Stella’s dialogue and stage directions reflect her conflicted emotions? Quote the sentence(s) or line(s) in the text where you find that.

4.  What happens between Stanley and Stella at the end of the play?

Summative Analysis

Answer in well-developed paragraphs:

1.  Identify one motif from the play, list three specific examples of the motif’s recurrence, and then explain the significance of the motif. Does it advance our understanding of character? Does it symbolize something meaningful? Explain.

2.  Based on everything studied and discussed, what is the theme (message) of the play? What evidence can you provide to support that?