The first time we see any of the main characters is when Stanley and Mitch come round the corner. Stanley is described as roughly dressed in blue denim work clothes, carrying a bowling jacket and a red-stained package from a butcher’s. These things imply many things about the character before we have even heard him speak. We can tell that he is someone who works in a labouring job, from the description of his clothes, and is therefore probably working class and unlikely to be affluent. The bowling jacket also enforces this as bowling is seen as a pass time of the working class. The meat suggests the idea of the alpha male, the hunter-gatherer and denotes something animalistic and savage about the character. All these characteristics are very important in the characterisation of Stanley, as these are some of the ones that form the main contrast to Blanche’s educated, upper class and delicate character. When they do start a conversation, it is about gambling, which reinforces the idea of the working class character. Stanley bellows up to Stella, showing his uncouth character and he refers to her as “baby”, a term that implies he is dominant in their relationship. Throughout the play these assumptions of Stanley appear to be completely correct. He is described as “throwing” the screen door open. The use of this word shows how the character is expected to move, carelessly and very masculine. It implies something violent about his character, and shows how he is displaying his male dominance. In one section William uses this description of Stanley: “Animal joy in his being is implicit in all his movements”. This again ties in with how he enters carrying a red stained packet of meat; he is introduced to us as a man who operates on animal instincts. The impression we get is that he is somehow unevolved, or simian. Later on in the play his actions certainly show this. His rape of Blanche shows his animal side at its most destructive. It shows no human remorse, just a basic need to avenge himself in the most animalistic and brutal way he can think of. It combines the ideas of Stanley having uncontrollable animal violence and lust. The sexual aspect of Stanley’s character is also introduced to the reader early on. In the first long description of Stanley we are told “Since earliest manhood the centre of his life has been pleasure with women”. When he looks at women Williams describes “crude images flashing into his mind”. This too shows how he views women, and in a way life. He sees women in a completely derogatory way, as existing purely for the pleasure of men. He sees life in this way too. Throughout the play he does not appear to have any higher level, operating purely to satisfy his animal needs. The first time he meets Blanche he says “do you mind if I take off my shirt?” and starts to remove it without waiting for a reply. This is a blatant display of his sexuality; he is using it to intimidate Blanche in a very primitive way. It also accentuates the difference between the ideas we have already built about Stanley, and the original descriptions of Blanche and our initial impressions. Williams likens him to a “richly feathered male bird” and a “gaudy seed bearer”. These two descriptions support each other in forming a view in our mind of someone who is proud and territorial, perhaps sometimes aggressively so, and as existing purely for the purpose of displaying his sexuality and asserting this. As the plot develops we see that this is certainly the case, he sees Blanche as a threat to his “roost”. Her influence or possible influence over Stella worries him as he enjoys his control over her and he fears she might jeopardise this. We see yet more of this violent and territorial side of Stanley in the second scene when he confronts Blanche about the money from Belle Reve. He appears to think that Blanche has somehow cheated Stella, and therefore him. He finds Blanche’s apparent finery offensive, and takes an instant dislike to her, probably because he sees her as snobby, and says loudly to Stella “look at these feathers and furs that she come here to preen herself in”, showing that he resents her and her upper class appearance and ways. Because of this he confronts her and scorns her attempts to be flirtatious, rejecting her beauty in a way that seems incongruous to the descriptions we have had of him. I think this is because he views her purely as the enemy at this point. However, just before he rapes her he says that she “might be fun to interfere with” implying that he has seen her in the same crude way he sees most women and combines this lust with his hatred for her.
Blanche’s entry is in direct contrast to Stanley’s: how she is dressed (“daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white gloves and a hat, looking as if she were arriving at a summer tea of cocktail party in the garden district”), how she moves (“uncertainly”) and her expression of “shocked disbelief” that shows she is dazed to arrive in such a low-brow area. Blanche is the most complex character in the play and is described as moth-like and as having delicate beauty that must avoid a strong light. The moth analogy tells us about her delicacy and fragility, both physically and mentally. Blanche’s hysterical speeches also remind me of the frantic fluttering of a moth. The fact that her beauty must avoid a strong light also links with her delicate moth like description and hints at her insecurities. The general view the reader forms of Blanche in the first few pages of her entry is of an elegant fragile woman. These assumptions prove to be correct throughout the play, however, many aspects of her character come to light that are only hinted at towards the end of the second scene. For instance, Stanley says to her “if I didn’t know that you was my wife’s sister I’d get ideas about you!” implying that she seems promiscuous or inappropriately flirtatious. From this we can guess that maybe she has more of a dubious past than she would lead others to believe. There are so many layers to Blanche’s character, and she creates fantasies for herself so often that I don’t even think she herself can really distinguish, especially towards the end. However, though she may have fallen in society, she still carries her prejudices and dislikes the idea that she and her family do not live like the upper class any more. This is one reason for Stanley’s dislike of her. He feels she has too many airs and graces, and resents the ways in which she suggests that he is beneath her. Though Blanche may only make subtly snide remarks to Stanley, she openly questions Stella- “what are you doing in a place like this?” When Blanche first enters the building and meets Stella’s neighbours she says “this- can this be- her home?” the dashes show that she is shocked and dismayed so is speaking hesitantly. Also, the question mark implies disbelief. This shows her background to the reader, and also when we are introduced to Stella we make some assumptions about her background, as we know she is Blanche’s sister. There is a long stage direction on page 6 in which many things are about the character are revealed, or indicated to the reader. She sits stiffly, which shows her discomfort and implies that she is quite stressed. When a cat screeches she is startled. This shows her delicate nature and her overwrought nerves. It also foreshadows the animal like character of Stanley, and how he startles her. She notices a bottle of whisky in the cupboard and “springs up” to remove it. The use of the word spring contrasts with all the previous descriptions of her movements which implied an uneasy and uncomfortable woman who is slightly weak. It shows her enthusiasm to retrieve the alcohol. Later on, she asks Stella where the alcohol is, and says she must have some, though it has already been revealed to the reader that she has knows where it is, showing that she is someone who conceals aspects of herself, and maybe has a drinking problem. Williams’ father had a drinking problem, meaning he had first hand experience of alcoholism and the damage it could do to people. The contrast is also in the way Stanley and Blanche talk. Stanley often uses incorrect grammar, whereas Blanche has quite a poetic way of speaking and makes literary references, again emphasising the difference in education between the two. Throughout the first scene Blanche seems to be on the verge of breaking down, and is slightly hysterical, especially during her long outburst to Stella about how she lost Belle Reve. We get the impression that she has been severely disturbed by her ideals, and her mental state appears to be quite fragile. She says “I was on the verge of- lunacy, almost!” and says to herself “I’ve got to keep hold of myself”. Both of these show how she is trying to keep herself from mentally crumbling and hint towards the start of a mental breakdown that takes place throughout the play. Williams’ own sister had a mental breakdown and was eventually lobotomised. Another aspect of Blanche’s character that is linked to this is her apparent vanity. I say apparent, because underneath it she is very insecure about her appearance. She needs constant reassurance that she looks young and beautiful. She persistently fishes for compliments and makes references to how her looks are slipping. Later on in the play Mitch says how he has never seen her in daylight. This always symbolises how Blanche tries to cover up her past and hide from the truth. At the end of the second scene when Stanley tries to look at the love letters from “the boy” she turns mildly hysterical. “The boy” was her husband who committed suicide. She was deeply affected by his death, as she was by the deaths of her relatives. Blanche feels her life has been blighted by death, and I think this is why she is so scared of the idea that she is aging and why she avoids the light, so others can not guess at her real age. She is wracked with guilt over the death of the boy and I think this where her mental decline began. Stella understands this side of Blanche, and constantly reassures her and warns others to do the same.
Although Stella and Blanche are sisters they are introduced as two quite different characters. We get the impression that Stella has always felt overshadowed by Blanche’s character and looks. Stella is a very dependent person and this is why she loves Stanley so much. Though they may seem unsuited, their relationship works because they it is co-dependent. Stanley loves the feeling of dominance he gets from Stella’s dependence on him. It also works on a very basic level, Stella is extremely attracted to Stanley, perhaps partly because he represents the opposite to her old life at Belle Reve, and Stanley, who is described as a “gaudy seed bearer” takes great pleasure in this. There are many indications in the first two scenes of the sexuality of their relationship. Stanley heaves a package of meat at Stella, who laughs breathlessly. Two women nearby pick up on the innuendo. Stella is often described as breathless when she is around Stanley and tells Blanche that he is “a different species” to the men they used to go out with at Belle Reve. This is a reference to the animalistic aspect of Stanley’s character, and we realise that she is attracted to Stanley because of this; she finds his raw animal sexuality appealing. She also says that when Stanley is away for a week she nearly goes wild. This is a reference to her dependence on him and also for her overwhelming desire for him. Stella is very forgiving and doesn’t question Blanche’s loss of Belle Reve. She is shown as a very docile person and stays this way throughout the play. Her main purpose is to alleviate the tension between Blanche and Stanley.
The name Belle Reve means beautiful dream. The play shows Blanche from when she left this beautiful dream and was unceremoniously dumped in to real life. The theme of loss features heavily in the play and the loss that surrounds Blanche drives her in to despair. The loss of the beautiful dream that was her old life drove her to prostitution and finally to mental breakdown. It also focuses heavily on loss in the form of death, and Blanche says in the play that she views death as the opposite of desire. She feels that as long as she is desirable she can escape all the death around her. After her husband dies she tries to ease her pain and guilt by surrounding herself with men who desire her. Blanche is haunted by her past and her memories. She frequently remembers her dead husband, and when she does she normally cries out as if in pain. The play was written at a time of great change in the South, and the characters of Blanche and Stanley could be seen to represent the old South and the new South. Blanche’s delicate gentility and old fashioned ideas represent the old, while Stanley with his manual job and blunt ways represent the new. The steam train that runs near Elysian Fields is heard whenever Stanley is threatening Blanche, and this emphasises the idea of the new South. Blanche also covers her ears whenever this happens, again highlighting this contrast. Another theme is fate, or destiny. This is referred to in the title, with the idea that a streetcar is on a track that can not be altered. When Stanley rapes Blanche, a pivotal point and the climax of the play, he says “we’ve had this date from the beginning”. This is a clear indication that he sees this as Blanche’s fate.
Plastic theatre is a dramatic technique used by Williams throughout the play. This is when artificial effects are used that are not supposed to be realistic, but are maybe only heard by the audience. Williams mainly uses this to show us what is going on in Blanche’s mind, at moments such as when she is remembering the boy, and the music of the polka plays and a shot is heard. This is not meant to be heard by the other characters. This fragmented music and the fact that she withdraws in to her memories for a moment suggest the disturbed state of Blanche’s mind. There are also lots of symbolic noises, such as the sound of the train at appropriate moments, or the Blue piano that indicates the new South. Other things are used to highlight certain characteristics or conflicts, such as he cat screeching and Blanche’s startled reaction to it. The cat is a link to Stanley and his aggressive territorial nature. The fact that Blanche is startled signifies her reaction to Stanley’s aggression.
Williams uses the first two scenes to highlight the main aspects of the characters and sets the scene for the resulting conflicts between them. At the end of the 2 scenes we already understand each of the main characters and are beginning to unravel the most complex one of Blanche. He keeps us guessing about the veiled suggestions of her old life and creates characters that we are intrigued enough by to hopefully keep reading.