Questions for Streetcar Named Desire

Study Questions and Essay Topics

1. To what extent is Blanche a victim of her own self-delusions and Old South attitudes? To what extent is she the victim of males who take advantage of her, deceive her, or abuse her? 

2. Blanche quotes literature and occasionally speaks French; her language is elegant, educated. Stanley, on the other hand, uses coarse, sometimes brutal, language. Does their speech reflect their perceptions of reality? Explain your answer. 

3. Write an essay focusing on how the roles of males and females in American society circa 1947 were described in A Streetcar Named Desire was published.

4. Who is the most admirable character in the play? 

5. Comment on the significance of the following quotations from the play: 

“I’ve got to keep hold of myself.” (Blanche, after arriving in the Kowalski apartment)

“Poker should not be played in a house with women.” (Mitch, at the card game)

6. What is the meaning of the scene at the beginning of the play in which Stanley throws a package of meat up to Stella? Is it simply intended to show that Stanley is a macho male who delivers what women want, sexually, or is there more to the scene?