1. By Jess, Demi and Selen

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Throughout the play, we quickly realise that Stanley's sexual relationship
with his wife is very important to him. Although Stella and Stanley fight, their
physical relationship is the way that they make up and forgive each other.
Stella herself realizes that their sex life helps them smooth out their
marriage; she says to Blanche, ―there are things that happen between a
man and a woman in the dark – that sort of make everything else seem –
unimportant‖ So essentially, Stanley's way of showing his wife that he loves
her tends to happen through sex.
When Blanche shows up, Stanley and Stella's sex life suffers, and their
mechanism for maintaining the peace in their relationship is disrupted. After
fighting with Stella about Blanche, Stanley talks about how he wants their
relationship to simply go back to normal: 'Stell, it's gonna be all right after
she [Blanche] goes and after you've had the baby. It's gonna be all right
again between you and me the way it was. You remember that way that it
was? Them nights we had together? God, honey, it's gonna be sweet when
we can make noise in the night the way that we used to and get the colored
lights going with nobody's sister behind the curtains to hear us!"
Basically, Stanley sees his marriage as suffering because with the sister-inlaw in town, he can't relate to his wife the way he normally does.

3. Blanche’s fear of death manifests itself in her fears of
aging and of lost beauty. She refuses to tell anyone her
true age or to appear in harsh light that will reveal her
faded looks. She seems to believe that by continually
asserting her sexuality, especially toward men younger
than herself, she will be able to avoid death and return
to the world of teenage bliss she experienced before
her husband’s suicide. In scene 4, Blanche and Stella
have a conversation about sexual desire. They use
euphemistic metaphors with sexual overtones. Stella
says to Blanche ― Have you never ridden on that street
car?‖. This is symbolic in the name ― A street care
named desire‖.

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When Blanche and Mitch first meet, she notes to her sister that he seems ―superior to the others.‖
Indeed, most likely because of living with his dying mother, Mitch, whose place on the ―spare parts‖
department reflects his position in life well, is more sensitive than Stanley and his poker-playing
friends. When it is revealed that his mother wants to see him married before she passes away, it
seems that Blanche, who is single and in need of sanctuary, may make a good match for him.
Their relationship is looked upon more closely in Scene 6, the only scene in the play which
consists of just them, alone together.
From the beginning of Scene 6, it is apparent that neither Mitch, who is ―stolid but depressed‖ nor
Blanche, who feels ―the utter exhaustion which only a neurasthenic can know‖ enjoyed their date.
The ―exhaustion‖ felt by Blanche, because she ―did try‖ shows that their relationship is one which
requires a lot of ―work‖ and is not natural to either of them. The emphasis on the ―hard work‖ of this
relationship is accentuated when we see that neither of them had fun, despite, paradoxically,
having been at a funfair. Also, the awkwardness of their pairing is present in the stage directions,
―laughs uneasily‖ as well as dialogue which is full of pauses uncomfortable gaps, ―Well…‖ This
suggests that Blanche and Mitch are not right for each other.
One of the reasons their relationship comes across as so tepid is because of the obvious missing
ingredient: passion. The passion which is so present in Stanley and Stella’s relationship is missing
here, as Mitch even asks Blanche for her permission to kiss her, which emphases the
awkwardness and ―unease‖ felt between the two characters. Also, where Stella and Stanley are
natural around each other, the interaction between Blanche and Mitch is ―hard work.‖ There are
also some basic differences between Mitch and Blanche. Where Blanche is a cultured woman (this
is accentuated when she speaks French which he doesn’t understand) Mitch lacks formal manners
and culture, especially in his choice in hobby – muscle building, which Blanche even mocks,
―Samson!‖, again suggesting that the pair are incompatible.
However, when the revelation of Blanche’s failed marriage comes, it is clear that both these
characters have more in common, ―I loved someone too, and the person I loved I lost.‖ When
Blanche tells Mitch of her experience, she speaks with more of her emotions, and is ―performing‖
less, showing that this event did have a huge impact on her. Mitch, who listens intently, finally says
―You need somebody, and I need somebody too.‖ This shows that were they to get married, it
would be one of needs rather than out of passion.

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Blanche’s sob of ―Sometimes – there’s a God – so quickly!‖ is perhaps her most genuine comment in the scene.
She is clearly in distress thinking about her past, and Mitch’s attempts to sooth her are in much more relaxed,
natural movements, ―He kisses her forehead and her eyes and finally her lips‖ in contrast to before, ―he fumblingly
embraces her‖, showing that he is capable of intimate acts. What Tennessee Williams could be suggesting is that,
despite their many differences, Mitch could be redemption for Blanche and there is the possibility that they’d make
a good couple.
Scene 6 also highlights some of the key themes of the play. One of them is of sexual attraction, which is highlighted
in this scene because it is so plainly missing. There is no sexual spark between Mitch and Blanche, and their
relationship stands out against Stella and Stanley’s, which is built solely on sexual attraction. When Mitch does
make advances, Blanche rejects them, ―I said unhand me, sir.‖ This could be seen as a good thing as the lack of
sexual attraction makes way for a deeper, more spiritual love, or, more likely, a marriage of strong needs. Mitch
seems genuinely to like Blanche, and Blanche needs a marriage and a place to live. However, it can also be seen
as bad, as we have seen from past scenes that Blanche is a highly desirous character, with a passion that would
be considered wrong for a woman in her society, and this passion cannot be left unfulfilled. However, it is
suggested by Williams throughout the play that sex/desire will lead to Blanche’s downfall. This is highlighted when
we consider that Blanche says she rode a street car named Desire to her destination.
This scene also examines what drives relationships. Whilst passion is the key factor for Stanley and Stella, Mitch is
seeing Blanche for the companionship. He had previous expressed fears of being ―lonely.‖ Blanche is also seeking
companionship, but she also sees marriage to Mitch as a way of escaping destitution. Previous men’s exploitation
of her sexuality has left her with a poor reputation, and now she just has a desire for ―rest.‖ She is likely to find this
with Mitch.
Another way in which Williams uses this play is to present Blanche DuBois as a tragic character. Her past is a sad
one and has obviously shaped her, ―We are a product of our past‖. The audience feel sympathy for her having
suffered such a loss so young, and this alleviates some of the annoyances we felt at Blanche for her actions and
comments in previous scenes. Her delivery of the event also reveals some things about Blanche’s fear of the
―light.‖ Light imagery is rife, from the ―blinding light‖ at which she encountered love, to the sad admittance that
―there’s never been any light stronger than this kitchen candle.‖ This shows that through all of Blanche’s
inconsequential sexual affairs with other men, she has experienced only dim light. Bright light, therefore, represents
Blanche’s youthful sexual innocence, while poor light represents her sexual maturity and disillusionment. She was
―deluded‖, and now she creates ―illusions.‖ Thought Williams is not entirely justifying Blanche’s lies, here, he shows
her reason for them, and suggests that she might still have some innocence in her, ―I never lied in my heart.‖

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.Immediately
following the death of Blanches Husband, she was subjected to a series
of deaths in her family and the ultimate loss of the ancestral home. The deaths were
ugly, slow, and tortuous. They illustrated the ugliness and brutality of life.
.To escape from these brutalities and to escape from the lonely void created by her
young husband's death, Blanche turned to alcohol and sexual promiscuity. The
alcohol helped her to forget. When troubled, the dance tune that was playing when
Allan committed suicide haunts her until she drinks enough so as to hear the shot
which then signals the end of the music.
.Blanche gives herself to men for other reasons. She feels that she had failed her
young husband in some way. Therefore, she tries to alleviate her guilt by giving
herself at random to other young men. And by sleeping with others, she is trying to fill
the void left by Allan's death — "intimacies with strangers was all I seemed able to fill
my empty heart with."
.Also, she was particularly drawn to very young men who would remind her of her
young husband. During these years of promiscuity, Blanche has never been able to
find anyone to fill the emptiness. Thus Blanche's imagined failure to her young
husband and her constant encounter with the ugliness of death forced the delicate
young girl to seek distraction by and forgetfulness through intimacies with strangers
and through alcohol which could make the tune in her head stop.

7. Throughout the play, Blanche is haunted by the deaths
of her ancestors. Her husband’s suicide results from
her disapproval of his homosexuality. The message is
that indulging one’s desire in the form of unrestrained
promiscuity leads to forced departures and unwanted
ends. In Scene Nine, when the Mexican woman
appears selling ―flowers for the dead,‖ Blanche reacts
with horror because the woman announces Blanche’s
fate. Her fall into madness can be read as the ending
brought about by her dual flaws—her inability to act
appropriately on her desire and her desperate fear of
human mortality. Sex and death are intricately and
fatally linked in Blanche’s experience.

8. Blanche struggles to come to terms with the
death of both her husband and her parents.
Blanche is living with Stella because she’s the
only person she can rely on. In scene one
Blanche says ― I’ve got to keep hold of
myself‖. This shows that Blanche is struggling
to cope. Also, Blanche lies about her drinking,
she drinks excessively in order to comfort
herself and try to forget about the bad things
in her life.