Idea that past is inescapable and determines the future
● Blanche’s past is what causes her downfall
○ Reinforces patriarchal ideas
○ Symbolic of the fall of the Old South - political landscape shaped by events of
the past (Williams cautions people against forgetting the past injustices in the
South)
○ “Cemeteries” streetcar suggests she gravitates towards death because of
how it surrounded her at Belle Reve, and this is what causes the ‘death’ of
her new life
● Stanley’s past as a war veteran, potentially traumatised, influences his treatment of
Blanche
○ He sees her as trying to attack him and steal back Stella, and is immediately
defensive
○ The loyalties created in the army survive beyond it and are why he tells Mitch
about her past
■ Both of their pasts converge (despite the fact they’d never met when
these events actually happened) to determine their futures
● Stella’s past haunts her (in the form of Blanche)
○ Her loyalties to Blanche and her past love for Stanley’s supposed
commonness cause them to expect her to still be the person she was
■ Her attraction to Stanley being built off her desire to escape her wealth
also shows her upbringing haunts her
○ Could say her past destroys her marriage - she was happy with Stanley until
Blanche (symbolic of Old South and her childhood) reappeared and reminded
her of her old values
● The past takes on an aural presence and becomes tangible for the audience -
pervading idea that the past cannot be escaped by anyone
○ Polka - this physical form is also reminiscent of Stanley’s Polishness,
suggesting their paths intersected long before they met (and could suggest
that her past was shaped to bring her to him, and that not only does the past
determine the future, but the future is concrete and unswerving)
● At the end of the play it returns to the past, suggesting it’s unchangeable
○ Blanche reverts to her reliance on other people (patriarchal society) - she has
“always” been this way, and so her vulnerability and defencelessness until
this point determines how she’ll live in the future
○ The flat is returned to how it was before Blanche’s arrival, with no marker of
her presence. Implies the events of the play were a brief interlude in normal
life, and nothing can drastically swerve what’s already been determined
Time as a catalyst
● Blanche’s use of time conflicts viciously with Stanley’s
○ She overstays her welcome and so Stanley feels invaded
○ Blanche’s lazy approach to time infuriates Stanley (her spending hours in the
bath or getting ready)
■ Shows how her superficiality clashes with Stanley’s authenticity
■ Could be class indicator - Stanley is a product of the American Dream
culture and is working class - for him, wasting time is time not spent
earning money. Blanche, as someone who never had to work, has the
● Blanche’s past is what causes her downfall
○ Reinforces patriarchal ideas
○ Symbolic of the fall of the Old South - political landscape shaped by events of
the past (Williams cautions people against forgetting the past injustices in the
South)
○ “Cemeteries” streetcar suggests she gravitates towards death because of
how it surrounded her at Belle Reve, and this is what causes the ‘death’ of
her new life
● Stanley’s past as a war veteran, potentially traumatised, influences his treatment of
Blanche
○ He sees her as trying to attack him and steal back Stella, and is immediately
defensive
○ The loyalties created in the army survive beyond it and are why he tells Mitch
about her past
■ Both of their pasts converge (despite the fact they’d never met when
these events actually happened) to determine their futures
● Stella’s past haunts her (in the form of Blanche)
○ Her loyalties to Blanche and her past love for Stanley’s supposed
commonness cause them to expect her to still be the person she was
■ Her attraction to Stanley being built off her desire to escape her wealth
also shows her upbringing haunts her
○ Could say her past destroys her marriage - she was happy with Stanley until
Blanche (symbolic of Old South and her childhood) reappeared and reminded
her of her old values
● The past takes on an aural presence and becomes tangible for the audience -
pervading idea that the past cannot be escaped by anyone
○ Polka - this physical form is also reminiscent of Stanley’s Polishness,
suggesting their paths intersected long before they met (and could suggest
that her past was shaped to bring her to him, and that not only does the past
determine the future, but the future is concrete and unswerving)
● At the end of the play it returns to the past, suggesting it’s unchangeable
○ Blanche reverts to her reliance on other people (patriarchal society) - she has
“always” been this way, and so her vulnerability and defencelessness until
this point determines how she’ll live in the future
○ The flat is returned to how it was before Blanche’s arrival, with no marker of
her presence. Implies the events of the play were a brief interlude in normal
life, and nothing can drastically swerve what’s already been determined
Time as a catalyst
● Blanche’s use of time conflicts viciously with Stanley’s
○ She overstays her welcome and so Stanley feels invaded
○ Blanche’s lazy approach to time infuriates Stanley (her spending hours in the
bath or getting ready)
■ Shows how her superficiality clashes with Stanley’s authenticity
■ Could be class indicator - Stanley is a product of the American Dream
culture and is working class - for him, wasting time is time not spent
earning money. Blanche, as someone who never had to work, has the
