Examine the ways in which Tennessee Williams creates tension in the first few scenes of 'A Streetcar Named Desire'

The first 200 words of this essay...

Examine the ways in which Tennessee Williams creates tension in the first few scenes of 'A Streetcar Named Desire'

Throughout the first five scenes of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' Williams uses various techniques to create tension. The first way is through the use of colour.

'The houses are mostly white frame, weathered grey'

Not only is Williams's use of colour descriptive but also it is symbolic.

'She dressed in a white suit with...white gloves and hat'

White reflects how Blanche views herself: Pure, innocent and almost angelic. This is symbolic as we later discover Blanche to be practically the opposite of these. Williams also describes Stanley and his pack through colour.

'The poker players...wear coloured shirts, solid blue, a purple, a red-and-white check, a alight green...'

All these colours are bright and vibrant, symbolizing anger, violence and the strength the men hold over the women.

Another way in which Williams creates tension is through sounds and noises.

'A cat screeches near the window. Blanche springs up'

This is the most classic and prominent example of this technique.

Williams also uses music, on