A Streetcar Named Desire: Scene 1
How does Williams use language and imagery to establish place and atmosphere in
Scene 1?
Written: 1947 (same year the play is set)
The Four Deuces: the neighbourhood bar that most characters frequent. Steve and Eunice drink
there, as do Stanley and Stella. It is a place of safety away from the Elysian Fields home.
Clip-joint: a bar, nightclub or strip club where the customer is tricked into paying excessive
amounts of money, for surprisingly low grade goods/services.
Red hots: hot dog - motif of colour
Elysian Fields: In mythology, the Elysian Fields were the place where heroes went to rest after
their death. Represents Blanche’s final resting place. When she is taken to the mental hospital
she is a shell of the person she was - her soul is left at Elysian Fields. Connotes paradise.
New Orleans: Louisiana city on the Mississippi River, near the Gulf of Mexico. Known for round
the clock nightlife, vibrant live music scene & cuisine reflecting French, African and American
history. Known as the birthplace of Jazz but in the 1940s blues became really popular - diversity
created a new ‘cultural identity’.
“Raffish” - unconventional & slightly disreputable, especially in an attractive way.
“Gables - the triangular upper part of a wall at the end of a ridged roof.
“Lyricism” - an artist's expression of emotion in an imaginative and beautiful way; the quality of
being lyrical.
“Attenuates” - reduce the force.
“Redolences” - sweet/pleasant odor.
“Cosmopolitan” - including people from many different countries.
Williams’ opening stage directions are poetic and descriptive which completely contrasts with
the description of the “Two women” which shows the importance of atmosphere that remains
throughout the play. The audience is introduced to “Elysian Fields” which is a “poor” section of
New Orleans. In Greek mythology, “Elysian” is the final resting place for the heroic and virtuous
people which outlines the fate of Blanche from the beginning. In the final scene of the play,
Blanche is a shell of the person she was which implies that her soul is left at Elysian Fields.
Ironically, in more recent times, “Elysian” connotes paradise which is the complete antithesis to
how Blanche viewed her sister’s living conditions; however for Stella, “Elysian Fields” could be
her paradise as she seems happy with her husband and her friends. Similar to how Stella
perhaps views Elysian Fields, Williams describes it in a way that overshadows anything that
may be deemed rundown. It has a “raffish charm” which shows it to be unconventionally
beautiful, especially to its inhabitants. The idea of unorthodox beauty is reinforced by the
repetition of the colour “white” which would theoretically imply cleanliness and purity but this is
attenuated by the adverb “mostly” and the adjective “weathered”. All of the houses aren’t “white”
but they are “mostly” which implies that there is something tainting the houses, whether it’s the
paint peeling away or it’s foreshadowing the events that will later occur in Stella and Stanley’s
apartment. Furthermore, the adjective “weathered” shows a rawness to the buildings, as if they
have been attacked by the weather and not cleaned up. This could portray Elysian Fields as
abandoned and uncared for.
How does Williams use language and imagery to establish place and atmosphere in
Scene 1?
Written: 1947 (same year the play is set)
The Four Deuces: the neighbourhood bar that most characters frequent. Steve and Eunice drink
there, as do Stanley and Stella. It is a place of safety away from the Elysian Fields home.
Clip-joint: a bar, nightclub or strip club where the customer is tricked into paying excessive
amounts of money, for surprisingly low grade goods/services.
Red hots: hot dog - motif of colour
Elysian Fields: In mythology, the Elysian Fields were the place where heroes went to rest after
their death. Represents Blanche’s final resting place. When she is taken to the mental hospital
she is a shell of the person she was - her soul is left at Elysian Fields. Connotes paradise.
New Orleans: Louisiana city on the Mississippi River, near the Gulf of Mexico. Known for round
the clock nightlife, vibrant live music scene & cuisine reflecting French, African and American
history. Known as the birthplace of Jazz but in the 1940s blues became really popular - diversity
created a new ‘cultural identity’.
“Raffish” - unconventional & slightly disreputable, especially in an attractive way.
“Gables - the triangular upper part of a wall at the end of a ridged roof.
“Lyricism” - an artist's expression of emotion in an imaginative and beautiful way; the quality of
being lyrical.
“Attenuates” - reduce the force.
“Redolences” - sweet/pleasant odor.
“Cosmopolitan” - including people from many different countries.
Williams’ opening stage directions are poetic and descriptive which completely contrasts with
the description of the “Two women” which shows the importance of atmosphere that remains
throughout the play. The audience is introduced to “Elysian Fields” which is a “poor” section of
New Orleans. In Greek mythology, “Elysian” is the final resting place for the heroic and virtuous
people which outlines the fate of Blanche from the beginning. In the final scene of the play,
Blanche is a shell of the person she was which implies that her soul is left at Elysian Fields.
Ironically, in more recent times, “Elysian” connotes paradise which is the complete antithesis to
how Blanche viewed her sister’s living conditions; however for Stella, “Elysian Fields” could be
her paradise as she seems happy with her husband and her friends. Similar to how Stella
perhaps views Elysian Fields, Williams describes it in a way that overshadows anything that
may be deemed rundown. It has a “raffish charm” which shows it to be unconventionally
beautiful, especially to its inhabitants. The idea of unorthodox beauty is reinforced by the
repetition of the colour “white” which would theoretically imply cleanliness and purity but this is
attenuated by the adverb “mostly” and the adjective “weathered”. All of the houses aren’t “white”
but they are “mostly” which implies that there is something tainting the houses, whether it’s the
paint peeling away or it’s foreshadowing the events that will later occur in Stella and Stanley’s
apartment. Furthermore, the adjective “weathered” shows a rawness to the buildings, as if they
have been attacked by the weather and not cleaned up. This could portray Elysian Fields as
abandoned and uncared for.
