Rae’s Reviews > A Streetcar Named Desire > Status Update

My view of the play hasn’t really changed much since my last read- still a super messed up story but extremely telling of its time if that makes sense (and unfortunate parallels to today as well) “And then the searchlight which had been turned on the world was turned off again and never for one moment since has there been any light that’s stronger than this…candle.”

Just finished scene 9- my oh my I remember how shocked I was seeing the twist? I guess if how Mitch is almost identical to all the other men in the play. Actually analysing and seeing the direct references to Stanley just makes this scene even more painful. I truly think this is what breaks Blanche- from this point she is truly ‘dead’

Re-reading for school like all the others, although I’m not the biggest fan of streetcar- I do believe the foreshadowing and decent into madness are done really well. Each character is really complex and you can’t help but feel bad for everything that has happened to Blanche by the end. It’s quite the solemn tragedy.

By reading and going along in class it’s actually quite fun to realise how much thought has gone into the play, from the symbolism and links back in the text it’s super interesting to see. Especially with Mitch mimicking Stanley and the reveal of why the Polka tune plays: “There now,the shot! It always stops after that.”

Hard to understand sometimes but it is a play and the symbolism of the scenes are fun to analyse.