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A Streetcar Named Desire

 Tennessee Williams
 

Study Questions & Essay Topics

 

Study Questions

 
1. What does Williams's depiction of Blanche and Stanley's lives say about desire?
 
 
2. The plot of A Streetcar Named Desire is driven by the dueling personalities of Blanche and Stanley. What are the sources of their animosity toward one another?
 
3. A Streetcar Named Desire can be described as an elegy, or poetic expression of mourning, for an Old South that died in the first part of the twentieth century. Expand on this description.
 
 

Suggested Essay Topics

 
1. Describe the use of light in the play. What does its presence or absence indicate?
 
2. How does Williams use sound as a dramatic device?
 
3. How does Blanche's fascination with teenage boys relate to her decline and fall?
 
4. Compare and contrast Mitch to the other men in the play.
 
5. Compare and contrast Blanche and Stella.
 
 
 
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