The setting of the play is limited to the Kowalskis’ apartment and the street directly outside. Williams' play certainly has unity of place; the entire drama takes place in the French Quarter in New Orleans. This unity of place helps to create the conflict between Stanley and Blanche as a fight for territorial dominance because she is an intruder in his home, bringing values and ideas that he hates. The setting is significant as it helps the audience to realize the conflict between Blanche and Stanley. The bed is a central feature in the setting of the play and the bathroom functions as a place of refuge for Blanche (O'Shea 11). There is also a unity of time with mostly simply narration. The play is presented chronologically,
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Her past is revealed only through flashbacks, which come as her own confession to Mitch and through what Stanley finds about her (O'Shea 12). The play is divided into three significant seasonal periods over which it takes place: the spring of Blanche’s arrival, the summer of her hope of a second chance, and the fall of her exposure, defeat, and removal to the mental institution (Abbotson51). Williams, in his play, presents many themes which are relevant to psychological and social problems in his time. First of all the theme of violence; the problem of domestic violence was ignored in American society. Wife-beating was regarded a family matter rather than a crime or a critical social issue. Women were expected to deal with the problem by keeping it behind closed doors. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Stanley Kowalski strikes and hits his pregnant wife Stella. He represents a batterer who has an aggressive masculinity and desire for control, …show more content…
Blanche lives in a fantasy world of sentimental illusion because reality would ruin her. Throughout the play, Blanche constantly bathes herself as if she can wash away the dirt of her guilt and she only appears in semi-darkness and shadows, intentionally keeping herself out of the harsh glare of reality. Her sign of purity is an ironic illusion because of her growingly evident promiscuity, but even that is just a part of her act and is not the real Blanche. Blanche exerts efforts to maintain the appearance of being an upper-class young innocent woman, even though she is, by all accounts, a “fallen woman” (Abbotson 47).She says to
Her past is revealed only through flashbacks, which come as her own confession to Mitch and through what Stanley finds about her (O'Shea 12). The play is divided into three significant seasonal periods over which it takes place: the spring of Blanche’s arrival, the summer of her hope of a second chance, and the fall of her exposure, defeat, and removal to the mental institution (Abbotson51). Williams, in his play, presents many themes which are relevant to psychological and social problems in his time. First of all the theme of violence; the problem of domestic violence was ignored in American society. Wife-beating was regarded a family matter rather than a crime or a critical social issue. Women were expected to deal with the problem by keeping it behind closed doors. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Stanley Kowalski strikes and hits his pregnant wife Stella. He represents a batterer who has an aggressive masculinity and desire for control, …show more content…
Blanche lives in a fantasy world of sentimental illusion because reality would ruin her. Throughout the play, Blanche constantly bathes herself as if she can wash away the dirt of her guilt and she only appears in semi-darkness and shadows, intentionally keeping herself out of the harsh glare of reality. Her sign of purity is an ironic illusion because of her growingly evident promiscuity, but even that is just a part of her act and is not the real Blanche. Blanche exerts efforts to maintain the appearance of being an upper-class young innocent woman, even though she is, by all accounts, a “fallen woman” (Abbotson 47).She says to