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A streetcar named Desire (Scene one (After the description of the scene,…

- - - - The setting of the play is Elysian fields, New Orleans
        
        It is said to be a place of "Multi-cultural" and women of 'colour' are around a lot.
        
        "Cosmopolitan city"
        
        The area is also said to have a "raffish charm" and seems to be quite small due to some of the descriptions
        
        "In this part of New Orleans, you are particularly always just around the corner...from a tinny piano"
        
        Raffish = unconventional and slightly disreputable, especially in an attractive way.
        
        This could be as the town is said to be multi-cultural and this could mean that it is quiet different, or unconventional compared to the other parts of America at this time
        
        There also seems to be a Semantic field of impurity or dullness
        
        "grey...dim...atmosphere...brown river...tinny...blue [piano]..."
  - - - Stanley is said to be an alpha, womanising, rough, animalistic man
      - "Roughly dresses in blue denim"
        
        This suggests that he is a working class and blue collar man. He is simply trying to make money for his family on a middle class job.
      - "Stanley carries a...red-stained package from a butcher's"
        
        This could be some sort of double meaning sexual innuendo suggesting that Stanley is a womaniser
        
        Double Entendre
        
        On the other hand, it could be a symbol for an animal that as just hunted it's prey and is coming back with victory. This could present Stanley as ruthless and animalistic
        
        Symbolism
      - When Stanley first speaks to his wife, Stella, he is shown to be "bellowing"
        
        This suggests that in their relationship, Stanley's voice is clearly metaphorically louder than Stella's.
        
        It also shows that Stanley could be someone who always gets his voice heard, and is possibly very opinionated.
        
        He is also said to "size women up with a glance"
      - "Stanley is Polish"
        
        In context of the time, there was a certain ignorance, and stereotype towards Polish people. They had just started immigrating, and through out the play, it is clear that Stanley has some sort of insecurity towards this and wants to prove his value, worth and intellectual.
      - "Strongly, compactly built"
        
        Alpha male.
        
        Adjective
      - "Centre of his life has been pleasure with woman"
        
        This further suggests that he is a womaniser who cares possibly only about sex, games, and work
        
        "Heartiness with men, rough humour, love of good drink and food...his car...games...radio..."
      - "When you've been exercising as hard like bowling is"
        
        Again, there seems to be some sort of sexual innuendo
    - - Blanche is shown to talk to Euince, and Williams seems to foreshadow here.
        
        "They told me to take a streetcar named Desire...transfer to Cemeteries...and get off at Elysian Fields!"
        
        Blanche's past desires, will have led to her eventual downfall
        
        Desire will eventually lead to death, which will land her in the after life.
      - When describing Blanche, Williams writes a semantic field of white
        
        "a white suit, earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat...white clothes""
        
        This could suggest that Williams is trying to paint a picture of Blanche a a pure and innocent woman.
      - "She is a delicate beauty that should avoid a strong light"
        
        Through this, Williams seems to be starting to paint a picture of Blanche's insecurities of her ageing looks
        
        "You haven't said a word about my appearance"
      - "incongruous to this setting...daintily dressed"
        
        Williams is possibly trying to show that Blanche does not fit in with the people, or the setting/area
      - "Something about her uncertain manner...which suggests a moth"
        
        Ironic as moths are usually attracted to light and Blanche is said to avoid a strong light. From this we can infer that Blanche is maybe putting up a facade
        
        She is not who she says she is, which we find out for sure further on in the play
        
        This is also shown through the way that moths are usually dark creatures, but Williams has described Blanche to be white.
      - Blanche is also shown to be tense, and nervous
        
        "Blanche sits in a chair very "stiffly"
        
        "Legs pressed closely together"
        
        "...and her hands tightly clutching"
      - Blanche's alcohol issues are already being shown in the beginning
        
        "she...removes a whiskey bottle"
        
        ""I've got to keep hold of myself"
        
        She then pretends that she doesn't know if there was alcohol in front of Stella
        
        "I never had your beautiful self control"
      - Blanche also seems to be insensitive towards Stella and just everyone in general. But, in the first scene, we see this act towards Stella.
        
        "You've put on some weight, yes, you're as plump as a little partridge"
        
        "You messy child"
        
        Everyone is shown to infantalise Stella
      - There seems to be tension and ignorance that Blanche has bought from the South
        
        "Polacks?"
        
        Derogatory term
        
        "In bed with your - Polack!"
        
        "Oh yes...they're something like Irish, aren't they?"
    - - When Stella is first introduced, she is said to have a "background obviously different to her husband's"
        
        This could be interpreted in two different ways, on the outside it can seem as though her background is different from Stanley as she is said to be from a rich South background. Whereas, Stanley is shown to be from Poland, and is working class.
        
        On the other hand, Williams could be using this dialogue to show how different Stanley and Stella are from each other. For example, Stanley is rough and loud, Stella is shy and timid.
      - Stella is also portrayed somewhat as a pushover.
        
        This is as she takes it when Stanley "heaves the package at her" and when Blanche is insensitive towards her and her home.
    - - In the first scene, Mitch is not presented as one of the main characters of the play. This could be a way for Williams to portray him as someone who is opposite to Stanley. He does not speak much compared to Stanley who has a clearly loud voice.
        
        Williams could be using this to present Stanley as the epitome of the 'alpha male' at the time, possibly the same as his father. Whereas, Mitch could be used to represent Williams himself, as he was a quiet man, opposite of Stanley and his father.