Symbols in Streetcar Named Desire
Flowers, Streetcars (Desire, Cemeteries, Elysian Fields), Music (Varsouviana Polka, "Paper Moon"), Colors
Flowers, Streetcars (Desire, Cemeteries, Elysian Fields), Music (Varsouviana Polka, "Paper Moon"), Colors
Music: Varsouviana Polka
The Varsouviana Polka occurs in Scene 1 and 6, where Blanche recalls a memory, particularly the memory of her ex-husband called Allan. In scene 1 Stanley asks Blanche about her husband, then Blanche replies "He died", then declared that she felt ill. Pg.28
In scene 6, Pg. 114 the Varsouviana Polka also occurs when Blanche is talking about the death of her ex-husband. We find out why the Varsouviana Polka is significant. On the day Allan died, Blanche found out that her husband was having a homosexual relationship and only encounters her husband about it on the dance floor in which the Varsouviana was playing. She tells her husband that she is disgusted, then Allan runs out and commits suicide, where from then on the Varsouviana will always remind Blanche of that moment, feeling remorse as she is guilty of her ex-husband's death which also triggers panic.
It is also said that the Varsouviana represents Blanche's loss of innocence, since the suicide of her ex-husband triggers her mental decline. Every time she hears the Varsouviana she loses grip on reality and cannot escape the music, since she also couldn't escape her husband's death.
- Alexandra
In scene 6, Pg. 114 the Varsouviana Polka also occurs when Blanche is talking about the death of her ex-husband. We find out why the Varsouviana Polka is significant. On the day Allan died, Blanche found out that her husband was having a homosexual relationship and only encounters her husband about it on the dance floor in which the Varsouviana was playing. She tells her husband that she is disgusted, then Allan runs out and commits suicide, where from then on the Varsouviana will always remind Blanche of that moment, feeling remorse as she is guilty of her ex-husband's death which also triggers panic.
It is also said that the Varsouviana represents Blanche's loss of innocence, since the suicide of her ex-husband triggers her mental decline. Every time she hears the Varsouviana she loses grip on reality and cannot escape the music, since she also couldn't escape her husband's death.
- Alexandra
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The Varsouviana is a piece of music which goes through blanche’s head when she thinks of her husband, Allen Grey. It was her husbands death which made her troubled, as Blanche caught him sleeping with another person. One night they were dancing on the dance floor to this song as if nothing happened, when Blanche then told Allen that she was disgusted with him. Thin then ended up which Allen running off and shooting himself in the head. Therefore, this song is symbolic as it was the last memory Blanche had of her husband before his death, so when she feels remorse, or anxious about her husband, this song appears into her head. The first time we notice that Blanche is hearing the song is at the end of scene 1, page 28 when Stanley meets blanche and asks her about her husband, ‘You were married once, weren’t you?’ ‘(The music of the polka rises up, faint in the distance)’. It’s second appearance is when Blanche tells Mitch the story of Allen Grey. This symbol tells us that the character Blanche is a very troubled, remorseful person. This could be a solution to why she is also an alcoholic.
- Sam
The Varsouviana is a piece of music which goes through blanche’s head when she thinks of her husband, Allen Grey. It was her husbands death which made her troubled, as Blanche caught him sleeping with another person. One night they were dancing on the dance floor to this song as if nothing happened, when Blanche then told Allen that she was disgusted with him. Thin then ended up which Allen running off and shooting himself in the head. Therefore, this song is symbolic as it was the last memory Blanche had of her husband before his death, so when she feels remorse, or anxious about her husband, this song appears into her head. The first time we notice that Blanche is hearing the song is at the end of scene 1, page 28 when Stanley meets blanche and asks her about her husband, ‘You were married once, weren’t you?’ ‘(The music of the polka rises up, faint in the distance)’. It’s second appearance is when Blanche tells Mitch the story of Allen Grey. This symbol tells us that the character Blanche is a very troubled, remorseful person. This could be a solution to why she is also an alcoholic.
- Sam
Streetcars (Desire, Cemeteries, Elysian Fields)
The streetcar, named Desire, brought Blanche to the Kowalski home.
This is symbolic of Blanche is literally brought to the Kowalski home by desire; her sexual escapades in Laurel ruined her reputation and drove her out of town.
The first reference to the streetcar that is desire, then Cemeteries, then Elysian Fields. Which is symbolic of sex, death (or some sort of destruction), the afterlife.
Here are a few examples:
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The street-car named desire brought Blanche to the Kowalskis, and is used as a turning point of Blanche's life. “Blanche: They told me to take a street-car named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at — Elysian Fields!” (Scene 1, page 6) "Street car named desire" refers to Blanche's desire to become a Southern Belle, though she was broke when she arrived New Orleans, she still dressed up as if she's in upper class, living in a plantation and also to live with a man. Blanche left her past behind in her hometown, Laurel Mississippi, where she was fired because she had sex with her student and also became a prostitute in Flamingo Hotel.
“Transfer to cemeteries” can be seen as the old Blanche is 'dead' and she was going to start her new life in Elysian Field. However, it can also be representing life is over for Blanche since the end of the story she was sent to mental institution because Stella didn't believe Stanley raped her and she was living in her imaginary world.
In Roman mythology, Elysian Field represents a part of underworld for those worthy mortals after they pass away. This shows her desire to hide her dishonorable past and to become an elegant, honorable and respectable woman.
-Emily
This is symbolic of Blanche is literally brought to the Kowalski home by desire; her sexual escapades in Laurel ruined her reputation and drove her out of town.
The first reference to the streetcar that is desire, then Cemeteries, then Elysian Fields. Which is symbolic of sex, death (or some sort of destruction), the afterlife.
Here are a few examples:
- Blanche claims that her ancestors’ “epic fornications” led to the squandering of the family fortune and the eventual loss of Belle Reve.
- Blanche’s own good reputation meets its end at the hand of herepic fornications in the Flamingo Hotel.
- After Blanche had an affair with a high school student of hers, her boss, a Mr. GRAVES, fired her.
- When Blanche’s former husband was found having sex with another man, he killed himself out of shame.
- Stanley’s rape of Blanche (a sexual act) kills what’s left of her sanity.
_________________________
The street-car named desire brought Blanche to the Kowalskis, and is used as a turning point of Blanche's life. “Blanche: They told me to take a street-car named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at — Elysian Fields!” (Scene 1, page 6) "Street car named desire" refers to Blanche's desire to become a Southern Belle, though she was broke when she arrived New Orleans, she still dressed up as if she's in upper class, living in a plantation and also to live with a man. Blanche left her past behind in her hometown, Laurel Mississippi, where she was fired because she had sex with her student and also became a prostitute in Flamingo Hotel.
“Transfer to cemeteries” can be seen as the old Blanche is 'dead' and she was going to start her new life in Elysian Field. However, it can also be representing life is over for Blanche since the end of the story she was sent to mental institution because Stella didn't believe Stanley raped her and she was living in her imaginary world.
In Roman mythology, Elysian Field represents a part of underworld for those worthy mortals after they pass away. This shows her desire to hide her dishonorable past and to become an elegant, honorable and respectable woman.
-Emily
"Paper Moon"
The use and symbolism of the song "It's Only a Paper Moon" is sung by Blanche, in order to express her dramatic irony of her situation. The lyrics - "It's only a paper moon/Sailing over a cardboard sea/Bit it wouldn't be make-believe/If you believed in me" shows blanche's state of mind and delusional thinking, expressing her only desire to live in this Utopia with Mitch, however, she is slowly breaking down.
Blanche sings the song "Paper Moon" in scene 7 from page 120.
It conveys the sense of delusion within Blanche's character and ironically foreshadows the idea that her relationship with Mitch is fake and fancipful. This contributes to her character, as she is slowly crumbling with this false sense of reality and also condescended with the idea of her self defense mechanism being fantasy and irrationality.
Chris
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The song serves irony and contrast between the characters, especially the relationship between Stanley and Blanche. Which in this scene Stanley exposes Blanche's crude lifestyle while she was staying at the Flamingo and her lies to Stella. Where contrarily, Blanche is carries on her daily routine, unknowingly of what is going on.
The song to some extent is a metaphor of Blanche's love for her dead ex-husband, which the lyrics portrays her unwillingness and discontent with her pass and reality and that she fails to forget about him.
Pg 120
It's a Barnum and Bailey world /Just as phoney as it can be /But it wouldn't be make-believe /If you believed in me!
Blanche is shown to be delusional of the relation between reality and the world that she had made up of lies. She fabricates her life and tries to forget her pass. In order to do so she manipulates and deceives the people around her to solidify her "make believe world". Blanche is looking for someone to believe her over her doings in the actual reality and her pass.
Mimi :)
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Blanche sings the song "Paper Moon" in scene 7 from page 120.
It conveys the sense of delusion within Blanche's character and ironically foreshadows the idea that her relationship with Mitch is fake and fancipful. This contributes to her character, as she is slowly crumbling with this false sense of reality and also condescended with the idea of her self defense mechanism being fantasy and irrationality.
Chris
________________________________
The song serves irony and contrast between the characters, especially the relationship between Stanley and Blanche. Which in this scene Stanley exposes Blanche's crude lifestyle while she was staying at the Flamingo and her lies to Stella. Where contrarily, Blanche is carries on her daily routine, unknowingly of what is going on.
The song to some extent is a metaphor of Blanche's love for her dead ex-husband, which the lyrics portrays her unwillingness and discontent with her pass and reality and that she fails to forget about him.
Pg 120
It's a Barnum and Bailey world /Just as phoney as it can be /But it wouldn't be make-believe /If you believed in me!
Blanche is shown to be delusional of the relation between reality and the world that she had made up of lies. She fabricates her life and tries to forget her pass. In order to do so she manipulates and deceives the people around her to solidify her "make believe world". Blanche is looking for someone to believe her over her doings in the actual reality and her pass.
Mimi :)
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"Flowers"
The use of flowers in "A Streetcar Named Desire" symbolises the emotions of lust and dejection shown by the characters of the story. In Scene Five, the character of Mitch presents roses to the Blanche character and this shows that Mitch is using the roses as a way to court Blanche. The emotions shown here are lust and desire. It is evident Mitch wants Blanche and he is using flowers as his one of his ways of communicating it. In another scene however, flowers had been used to to depict a different emotion. In scene nine, there is a new character introduced for a short period, the Mexican Woman who goes around selling "flores para los muertos" which translates to flowers for the dead. This shows flowers being used to symbolise the death be it mentally, emotionally or even physically. Another example of use of flowers would be in an exchange between the sister characters Stella and Blanche. Stella says, "You are as fresh as a daisy." while Blanches reply is, "One that's been picked a few days." which indicates flowers as symbolizing that Blanche feels she is past her best days.
Juan 12.3
Juan 12.3
Colours
Blanche is normally wearing very soft and feminine shades of clothing, such as whites and pink that symbolise the delicate female nature that she is trying to put forwards. She often contrasts with the colour and brightness around her and shows how she is very different to everybody else on stage and how she is unable to fit in with her surroundings. The different colours she wears different colours that symbolise what she is doing at that moment, but she is mostly seen in white which is meant to symbolise and enhance the sense of purity that she claims to possess, even though we know that she is not pure and innocent as she claims to be.
Blanche’s name is also a symbol of colour, as it means ‘white’ in French. This is again used to emphasise the fact that she wants to come across as being ‘pure’ as white is seen as a very innocent colour. White is also the colour of light and represents perfection and virginity, which contrasts strongly to her past and her behaviour in the play towards men. She is a very seductive and promiscuous woman who has to lie in order to maintain an image of purity, making her name and outer appearance ironic.
In contrast with Blanche, Stanley and his friends all tend to dress in rather bright and bold colours. These colours are attention-grabbing and can represent their dominance and want for attention. Their clothes are mainly blue, but sometimes green. Blue is considered to be a symbol for the divine or heavenly, but also for truth. This applies to Stanley as he comes across as a person who wants the full truth, as seen when he tries to force information out of Blanche about what happened to Belle Reve. Stanley, unlike Blanche, is a very honest person who has no sympathy when it comes to lies and superficiality, something Blanche specialises in throughout the play.
The colour blue also represents strength and masculinity as well as authority and this is directly related to Stanley’s character. He sees himself as the dominant male and the one with the power over everyone else.
Evelina
Blanche’s name is also a symbol of colour, as it means ‘white’ in French. This is again used to emphasise the fact that she wants to come across as being ‘pure’ as white is seen as a very innocent colour. White is also the colour of light and represents perfection and virginity, which contrasts strongly to her past and her behaviour in the play towards men. She is a very seductive and promiscuous woman who has to lie in order to maintain an image of purity, making her name and outer appearance ironic.
In contrast with Blanche, Stanley and his friends all tend to dress in rather bright and bold colours. These colours are attention-grabbing and can represent their dominance and want for attention. Their clothes are mainly blue, but sometimes green. Blue is considered to be a symbol for the divine or heavenly, but also for truth. This applies to Stanley as he comes across as a person who wants the full truth, as seen when he tries to force information out of Blanche about what happened to Belle Reve. Stanley, unlike Blanche, is a very honest person who has no sympathy when it comes to lies and superficiality, something Blanche specialises in throughout the play.
The colour blue also represents strength and masculinity as well as authority and this is directly related to Stanley’s character. He sees himself as the dominant male and the one with the power over everyone else.
Evelina