Themes (AQA A-Level English Literature A): Revision Notes
Themes
Understanding how themes work in A Streetcar Named Desire is essential for achieving high marks in your exam responses. When you explore the play thematically, focusing on the ideas and concepts that Williams develops through his characters and dramatic techniques, you demonstrate deeper analytical skills. The examiner wants to see you examine how Williams presents specific themes in relation to the question, rather than simply retelling the plot or describing what happens.
The theme specified in the exam question should guide your entire response. Think carefully about how Williams uses characterisation, plot development, setting, and stage directions to explore these bigger ideas. Consider why Williams chose to present themes in particular ways and what messages or meanings he wanted his audience to understand.
Below you will find analysis of three central themes in A Streetcar Named Desire. This exploration is not exhaustive, and you should develop your own interpretations of how these and other themes function within the play.
Sex and desire
The play explores desire as one of its most powerful and dangerous themes. Williams uses the streetcar as an extended metaphor for desire throughout the play. The vehicle that Blanche takes to reach Elysium Fields shares the play's name, representing how desire has carried her to this point in her life.
The Streetcar Metaphor
This particular streetcar becomes a symbol of one of Blanche's driving emotions and contributes to her ultimate downfall. Every character is influenced by desire, symbolised through the streetcar that gives the play its name - the vehicle literally carries Blanche toward her fate, just as desire drives the characters' actions throughout the play.
Physical desire lies at the heart of several key relationships in the play, particularly the connection between Stella and Stanley. Their relationship is built primarily on sexual attraction and passion, which keeps them bound together despite Stanley's violence and aggression.
Blanche's complicated relationship with desire
Blanche initially attempts to deny her desires and presents herself as respectable and refined. However, as the play progresses, we discover the truth about her past and see her increasingly cling to her sexuality and desirability:
- She approaches the Young Collector with determination that borders on aggression
- She dresses provocatively and constantly draws attention to her appearance and body
- Her sexuality becomes more pronounced as the play continues and she begins to unravel psychologically
Sexuality and Death
The discovery that her first husband Allan was homosexual creates a profound sense of loss for Blanche. She experiences this as losing her own desirability, which feels to her like losing her identity and purpose. This traumatic revelation helps explain why she links sexuality so closely with death in her mind. She seems to believe that by continuously asserting her sexual appeal, she can somehow avoid ageing and mortality.
Stella's desire and traditional femininity
Stella's desire for Stanley pulls her away from her past and the traditional, domestic femininity she might have embodied:
- She symbolises conventional feminine roles through her pregnancy
- Physical desire forms the foundation of her relationship with Stanley
- She forgives Stanley's violence because their sexual connection keeps them together
Stanley's primitive masculinity
Stanley represents a raw, primitive form of sexuality that attracts Stella:
- His sexuality and masculinity are deeply interconnected
- He asserts himself sexually over both Stella and Blanche
- His carnal desires eventually result in his rape of Blanche
- Blanche frequently describes Stanley using ape-like and primitive language, emphasising his basic, instinctive nature
- He represents unrefined manhood, which includes a complete disregard for morality
Servicing his desires forms a central part of Stanley's identity. He experiences no moral conflict about driving his sister-in-law further into madness or sexually assaulting her. Some critics argue that Blanche may be somewhat attracted to Stanley because she recognises something of herself in him - they both allow desire to dominate their actions, though in very different ways.
Williams's intention regarding desire
For Williams, desire symbolised a particularly destructive force in human life. Like Blanche, Williams experienced many sexual encounters throughout his life and struggled with loneliness and depression. He may be suggesting through the play that being driven by desire ultimately leads to self-destruction.
The message could be that indulging in desire leads to loneliness, ostracisation, or untimely endings. Blanche's descent into madness can be understood as the consequence of her flaw - her inability to act appropriately on her desires. Her fate appears predetermined, symbolised by the image of the streetcar rattling onwards towards its inevitable final destination.
Fantasy versus reality
One of the fundamental tensions running through the play exists between the romantic and the realistic, or between fantasy and reality. Williams establishes this primarily through Blanche as the romantic fantasist and Stanley as the harsh realist. Blanche's dependence on fantasy and illusion stands in direct contrast to Stanley's down-to-earth view of the world, and his perspective eventually wins.
Blanche's fantasy as self-protection
Blanche relies on fantasy as her primary means of self-defence and survival:
- She does not want reality - she wants magic instead
- Her lies and fantasies stem from her inability to confront and accept the truth
- By living in her own version of reality, she attempts to protect herself from the pain of the tragedies she has endured
- She makes her life appear as it should be, rather than as it actually is
The Consequences of Fantasy
Blanche's desire to escape through fantasy ultimately causes her mental collapse. By the end of the play, she can no longer distinguish between fantasy and real life. Following Stanley's brutal treatment of her, she retreats permanently into her make-believe world. This demonstrates how fantasy, while serving as a coping mechanism, can become destructive when it completely replaces reality.
Stella's necessary illusions
In order to survive emotionally, Stella must also live in a kind of illusion. She forces herself to believe that Blanche lied about Stanley raping her. Accepting this version of events becomes necessary for Stella's survival and her ability to continue her life with Stanley.
Stanley's harsh realism
In contrast, Stanley deals in practicalities, reality and what he perceives as the truth:
- He tells Stella and Mitch what he has discovered about Blanche's past
- He disdains Blanche's lies and does everything he can to expose them
- He represents a brutal honesty that destroys Blanche's careful constructions
Williams's dramatic techniques
Staging and Symbolism
Williams blurs the boundaries between the interiors of the apartments and the exterior street, allowing the audience to see both spaces simultaneously. This staging technique reinforces the theme by showing how the boundary between private fantasy and public reality becomes increasingly unstable.
Williams also uses light to represent the harsh reality that Stanley embodies and the dimmed focus that Blanche requires. Stanley sees things as they are, whilst Blanche prefers shadow and illusion. This pattern continues through direct confrontations until reality destroys fantasy completely.
Williams's intention regarding fantasy and reality
The characters of Blanche and Stanley represent the struggle between appearance and reality, in which reality ultimately wins. However, even though reality triumphs, Williams establishes fantasy as a useful tool for self-preservation.
Fear of madness served as another driving force for Williams, alongside guilt about what happened to his sister Rose, who was institutionalised and subjected to a prefrontal lobotomy. Through the play, Williams may be exploring how fantasy, whilst potentially destructive, also serves as a necessary defence mechanism against unbearable realities.
Gender roles
Williams addresses gender stereotyping in the play, reflecting the emerging post-war American ideals that championed masculinity and patriarchal values. The play also uses Blanche and Stella's dependence on men to critique how women were treated and their position in society during this period.
Traditional patriarchal gender roles
Stella and Stanley represent traditional, patriarchal gender roles in many ways:
- Stanley's masculinity is emphasised through his strength, aggression and lust
- Considerable emphasis in the play falls on his physical form and his role as the alpha male
- He also demonstrates moments of tenderness in response to feminine influence, shown in his remorse when Stella temporarily leaves him
- In contrast, Mitch remains a masculine presence but does not assert the same kind of dominance, displaying more sensitive and arguably more feminine qualities
Women's dependence on men
Economic and Social Dependency
Both Blanche and Stella depend on men for happiness, financial support and their own sense of self-worth. This dependency places them in vulnerable positions and limits their agency throughout the play.
Consider how this dependence manifests throughout the play:
- When faced with choosing between believing Blanche or believing Stanley, Stella chooses Stanley because he represents a more secure future than Blanche can offer
- Blanche views marriage to Mitch as her means of escaping poverty and shame
- Men's exploitation of Blanche's sexuality has left her with a damaged reputation, resulting in Mitch rejecting her as damaged goods
- In response, Blanche immediately thinks of another man, Shep Huntleigh, to rescue her
- Unable to see beyond her dependence on men, she has no conception of how to rescue herself
- However, by relying on men, Blanche places her fate in others' hands
Double standards and moral judgements
Gender-Based Double Standards
Blanche struggles with the moral standards that society places on her, and she faces negative labels and judgement for her actions. These represent double standards, as Stanley, being male, escapes similar judgement for domestic abuse and rape.
The rape scene demonstrates how Stanley asserts his masculine power and authority over Blanche. This portrays women as victims of the oppressive patriarchy, especially as Blanche felt she needed to find a husband in order to be accepted by society.
Blanche's subversion of gender norms
Some critics argue that Blanche's character subverts conventional gender stereotypes. She demonstrates more masculine traits through her promiscuity, sexuality and arrogance. However, the fact that these traits ultimately lead to her downfall suggests that stepping outside of societal norms can lead to destruction.
Williams's intention regarding gender
In the aftermath of World War II, increased emphasis was placed on American heroism, and the nation embraced traditional, patriarchal family values. Williams may have been using Blanche and Stella's dependence on men to critique the treatment of and restrictions placed on women, especially during the transition from the old to the new South.
The play exposes how the patriarchal society of 1940s America limited women's opportunities and made them reliant on men for survival and social acceptance. Through Stanley's behaviour going unpunished whilst Blanche faces institutionalisation, Williams highlights the injustice of these double standards.
Exam tips
Other significant themes appear throughout the play, including death, madness, and class prejudice. Whatever the focus of the exam question, you should develop your own interpretations of the play to create a personal response. This involves considering all of the themes and how they appear in the play, as well as reading various critical opinions and interpretations. Engaging with different perspectives will help you form and articulate your own views.
When answering exam questions, always ensure your response directly addresses the theme specified in the question. Analyse how Williams presents this theme through his use of characterisation, plot development, setting and stage directions to explore these larger ideas.
Key Points to Remember:
- Desire functions as both a driving force and destructive element in the play, symbolised through the streetcar metaphor
- The tension between fantasy and reality structures the conflict between Blanche and Stanley, with harsh reality ultimately destroying comforting illusion
- Gender roles reflect 1940s patriarchal values, showing how women's dependence on men limits their freedom and agency
- Williams uses these themes to critique aspects of American society, drawing on his own experiences of desire, mental illness and social expectations
- Always focus your analysis on the specific theme identified in the exam question, supporting your interpretations with close reference to the text