A Streetcar Named Desire: Themes

Desire: The theme of desire drives the plot and characters’ actions, especially Blanche, who yearns for a better lifestyle and sensuality.
Sex: A strong undercurrent in the play, sex offers characters both a weapon and a tool, it underscores Stanley’s animalistic approach to life and Blanche’s fall from grace.
Fantasy: This theme reflects Blanche’s escapism from reality and her compulsion to cloak her true circumstances and past through a veil of illusion.
Delusion: Dominantly embodied in Blanche, the theme of delusion ties into the overall search for escaping from harsh realities and embracing a world of self-created illusions.
Interior vs Exterior: This theme illustrates the tension between one’s internal emotions and the external world, Blanche’s refined persona contrasts with Stanley’s earthy exterior, demonstrating a collision between two worlds.
Masculinity: Highlighted extensively through Stanley, the theme of masculinity unveils crude power, dominance, physicality, and the consequent male brutishness.
Feminity: Embodied mostly by Blanche and Stella, this theme explores the diverse manifestations of femininity, including vulnerability, delicacy, and surrender.
Dependence: The theme of dependence examines the dynamic relationships in the play, especially between Blanche and her younger sister Stella and also her reliance on male companionships.
Marriage: A constant theme, the nature of marriage is questioned throughout the play, particularly focusing on Stella and Stanley’s relationship which is dynamic yet laced with dominance and violence.
Love: The theme of love emphasises the complexities and contradictions within relationships and is portrayed as a binding, yet a potentially destructive force, particularly evident in the volatile love between Stella and Stanley.