“‘But tell me how you’ll arrange for old people not to suffer?

’
‘It will simply be forbidden.’”
This quotation, which occurs in Chapter 1, The Veil, as Marji explains her early religious
devotion and dream of becoming a prophet to her grandmother, helps set the tone for the graphic
novel. For one, the quotation and scene reveals a lot about the book’s protagonist, Marji. Her
knowledge of history and Islam shows that Marji is a precocious young girl. She is bright,
optimistic, yet also naïve. She has a profound sense of justice and compassion and wants to
relieve the suffering of others. But she is too young to understand the complexity of society, the
reasons for suffering, and the steps required to solve such problems. The quotation also signals
that humor will be a major component of an otherwise serious story. It is funny to hear a small
girl confidently and self-righteously explain that she will relieve suffering by simply forbidding
it. On a deeper level, the quote reveals the inadequacy of mere faith to provide justice and peace.
This foreshadows Iran’s takeover by a theocratic authoritarian state that centers faith in god over
governance.

“We had demonstrated on the very day we shouldn’t have: on ‘Black Friday.’ That day
there were so many killed in one of the neighborhoods that a rumor spread that Israeli
soldiers were responsible for the slaughter. But in fact it was really our own who had
attacked us.”
This quotation, which occurs in Chapter 5, The Letter, just after Marji and Mehri are punished
for attending the protests without permission, foreshadows the coming division in Iranian
society. Frequently throughout the story, characters express their disappointment and outrage
that their worst enemies are their fellow Iranians. Iran has a long history of being invaded for its
access to the far east, its riches, and its oil. This history is frequently alluded to in the story as a
source of national and cultural shame and resentment. But when Iran finally throws off the yoke
of foreign influence, its people immediately descend into the darkness of authoritarian rule by
fellow Iranians. The panels that contain the quotation show Marji and Mehri each with a
handprint on their cheeks from Taji’s slap. The images convey the sense of shame Iranians feel
that their own worst enemy is themselves.

“‘Your father acted like a genuine hero, you should be proud of him!’
‘I wish he were alive and in jail rather than dead and a hero.’”
This quotation, found in Chapter 11, The F-14s, after Pardisse’s father has been killed in the war,
makes a powerful point about Iranians’ sacrifice in the war and the value of heroism. In
Persepolis, Iranians are frequently forced to choose between their ideals and their survival.
Indeed, ideals and ideology play an outsized role in Iranian society under theocracy. The regime
frames every new policy and state decision in ideological terms. It uses propaganda that
encourages total devotion to god and sacrifice for one’s country on ideological grounds. Those
who resist the regime do so out of a sense of justice and at great risk to their physical safety.
Pardisse’s experience shows that these issues are complex. Her father was a fighter pilot
imprisoned for trying to oust the radical Islamists. He was released so he could fight only to die
in battle. Pardisse’s poignant wish that he was alive in prison rather than dead and a hero cuts
through all of the ideology and historical context to remind Marji of what is really important.
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“After the death of Neda Baba-Levy, my life took a new turn. In 1984, I was fourteen and a
rebel. Nothing scared me anymore.”
This quotation, which occurs in Chapter 19, The Dowry, after the Baba-Levys are killed in a
bombing raid, is the final turning point of this stage of Marji’s life. She has become so infuriated
and so hurt by the tragedy that she turns toward a kind of nihilism. She simply doesn’t care what
happens to her anymore, and her anger and confusion are causing her to act out. Now that Marji
is a young woman, her outspokenness is especially dangerous. Her mother understands this best,
and when she sees Marji’s increasingly rebellious behavior she decides that Marji must be sent
away from Iran for her own safety. Therefore, this quotation gives the root cause for the final
tragic event of the graphic novel: Marji’s estrangement from her country and her separation from
her beloved family. It sets the stage for the book’s continuation as young Marji makes her way
alone to Europe.

The Loss of Innocence in Coming of Age

The Loss of Innocence in Coming of Age

PreviousNext
“I think you are old enough to understand certain things.”
This quotation from Ebi occurs in Chapter 3, The Water Cell, as he is explaining the origins of
the Shah’s rule and Marji’s grandfather’s role in it. The conversation is Ebi’s response to Marji’s
claim that the Shah was chosen by God. Ebi’s alarm at Marji’s statement shows that he regards
Marji’s innocence as a liability at her age. He wants to arm her with logic and the truth and thus
chooses to reveal the Shah’s illegitimacy. He also tells Marji about her grandfather, who was
thrown in prison and reduced to poverty. Marji’s parents had never told her this before and its
revelations feels like a rite of passage. Ebi’s quote shows that this is exactly his intent. He
reasons that by telling Marji a pair of difficult truths, he helps her along the path to adolescence
and adulthood. Ebi’s thinking here suggests that a loss of innocence is a necessary part of
growing up.

“‘Marji, what seems to be the problem?’

‘Shut up, you! Get out of my life!!! I never want to see you again! Get out!’”
This quotation, which occurs in Chapter 10, The Sheep, the night after Uncle Anoush is
executed, marks a major turning point in Marji’s coming of age. With these words, Marji casts
God out of her life forever. It is a heartbreaking turn for a girl whose faith in God had been such
a large part of her life. God was the figure in her life that represented safety, comfort, and
protection. But after Uncle Anoush is killed, Marji no longer trusts God to keep her safe. Marji
loved Uncle Anoush as much as anyone in her life, and the two had a special connection. For that
to so quickly be torn away from Marji has hurt and hardened her. By casting out of her life the
symbol of protection and safety, Marji is acknowledging that these things are not guaranteed.
Marji is casting out much of her own innocence.
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“‘500 Tumans for the life and virginity of an innocent girl.’

‘I had no idea.’ ”
This quotation occurs in Chapter 19, The Dowry, after Marji’s parents receive a call from the
principal to report Marji’s rebelliousness. To open Marji’s eyes to the danger she is in, her
parents explain that Niloufar was raped and killed by members of the Iranian regime for her
activism. The regime then sent her family a “dowry” in the equivalent of five dollars to signal
she was raped before she died. This detail further demonstrates to Marji the regime’s hypocrisy:
before Niloufar was raped, a Guardian of the Revolution married her to make the act
“legitimate.” This is a brutal story of the regime’s cruelty, but again Marji’s parents believe
Marji must be armed with the truth. Being an innocent girl, unaware of the terrible things that
can happen, is simply too risky. Marji’s parents believe she must lose her innocence and grow up
so she knows how to protect herself.
“The masking tape is to protect against flying glass during a bombing and the black
curtains are to protect us from our neighbors […] Across the street. They’re totally
devoted to the new regime. A glimpse of what goes on in our house would be enough for
them to denounce us!”
This quotation, which occurs in Chapter 14, The Wine, after the Iraqis have started bombing
Tehran, shows the extent to which Iranians feels besieged on all sides. The Satrapis have to
protect themselves from the physical threat of Iraqi bombs as well as the existential threat of
their own neighbors’ prying eyes. A family like the one across the street that is “totally devoted
to the new regime” understands that the regime relies on Iranians to inform on the illegal or
forbidden actions of other Iranians. Presumably the neighbors are true believers and thus happy
to oblige. This quotation suggests that the fuel that keeps the Iranian regime going is the blood of
their own citizens, who are either sacrificed in the war effort or imprisoned or executed so the
regime can consolidate its power. If these devoted neighbors were to see the Satrapis engaging in
anything they might deem worthy of a dog whistle, then it would bring down a gauntlet of
trouble for the family.

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“They eventually admitted that the survival of the regime depended on the war. When I
think we could have avoided it all … it just makes me sick. A million people would still be
alive.”
This quotation occurs in Chapter 15, The Cigarette, shortly after the Iranian regime has refused
to negotiate for peace with the Iraqis. The illustration on the page is a full-page drawing of a
chaotic battlefield scene, full of smoke, gunfire, and explosions. Many men are pictured fighting
and dying as Marji narratively walks through the gruesome scene. Marji laments the Iranian
regime’s decision to refuse peace, even when they know full well how many Iranians will die as
a result of this decision. Marji also shrewdly observes that the regime depends upon the war for
its survival. This suggests that the regime is fully aware of its cannibalizing nature. It is
significant that Satrapi chooses to depict men both clean-shaven modernists and fully bearded
fundamentalists in the battle scene. This represents the sad truth that the Iranian regime
consumes the lives of every kind of Iranian, whether they support the regime or not.

“To die a martyr is to inject blood into the veins of society.”

This quotation, which occurs in Chapter 15, The Cigarette, when Iran refuses the Iraqis’ offer of
a peaceful settlement, is a motto of the regime’s own making. It is a piece of propaganda that is
intended to encourage Iranians to sacrifice their lives in the war effort. With this motto, the
regime implies that dying for one’s country makes the country stronger. To Iranians like Marji,
however, the opposite is true. Every Iranian that dies is a loved one whose death is a terrible
blow to his or her friends and family. Marji’s own experience with Uncle Anoush and her
classmates’ experiences in losing their loved ones shows that these traumas damage and weaken
Iranians, and thus Iran. Nevertheless, the Iranian regime knows its survival depends upon its
feeding off of its own citizens, and this motto suggests they embrace it.

“‘For a revolution to succeed, the entire population must support it.’

‘You can participate later on.’
‘Sure, sure! When it’s all over. Mom, please.’
‘Oh no! Come on, you’re going to bed now.’”
This quotation occurs in Chapter 2, The Bicycle, after Marji overhears her parents talking about
the Rex Cinema fire and the upcoming protests. Marji wants to participate in the protests with
her parents, but her father knows it’s too dangerous. Marji is only around eight years old, so
there’s nothing unusual about her parents refusing to let her participate in a dangerous protest,
but this quotation does raise the issue of moral compromise in the face of danger. If physical
safety were not an issue, Marji’s parents would almost certainly let her join them. Marji’s parents
believe in the value of the protests, and their purpose aligns with the Satrapis’ sense of justice.
They want to instill this sense of justice in their daughter, and having her participate in a civic
action like this, absent physical danger, would be a good thing. Of course, the protests are
dangerous, so they refuse. Though the stakes are not yet as high as they will later become, this
incident hints at one of the book’s recurring themes that sometimes moral compromise is
necessary for survival.

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“‘Every man for himself!’”

This quotation from Ebi, which occurs in Chapter 10, The Trip, while the family is at a
demonstration to protest the veil, marks an important turning point in the book. The previous
protests against the Shah were dangerous. The Shah’s thugs beat and even murdered protestors.
But the people of Iran were so overwhelmingly unified in their rejection of the Shah that it was
only a matter of time before the demonstrations were successful. This time around, it is very
different. The people of Iran are now bitterly divided, and the Satrapis are unprepared for the
brutality and viciousness of the new regime’s supporters. Marji sees violence like she has never
seen before. Ebi’s scream of “Every man for himself!” is juxtaposed with an image of a woman
being stabbed in the leg by a Guardian. It is meant to signal to his family not to worry about
others but rather to take care of themselves so they can escape the carnage unharmed. But his
words can also be taken as a broader lesson: The division in Iranian society is so profound that
the values of peaceful debate and harmonious coexistent are not possible here. Survival is more
important.

“‘It was the principal of Marji’s school. Apparently she told off the religion teacher. She
gets that from her uncle.’
‘Maybe you’d like her to end up like him too? Executed?’”
This quotation occurs in Chapter 19, The Dowry, after Marji’s parents are informed that she has
stood up to her religion teacher for spreading regime propaganda. Ebi is proud of Marji for being
outspoken, and it reminds him of Uncle Anoush’s sense of justice and his commitment to his
ideals. Taji, on the other hand, is scared and upset. Taji understands that Marji’s outspokenness
is extremely dangerous in a country under strict authoritarian rule. Absolutely nothing stands
between Marji and a prison cell. Taji also understands that Marji’s identity as a woman is
especially dangerous. The regime has shown that it spares no cruelty when punishing its
detractors, including subjecting teenage girls to a forced marriage followed by rape. Taji’s point
could not be clearer. Conviction and ideals are secondary considerations when one’s life is
threatened. Taji believes that it is better to compromise one’s ideals than to wind up dead.

God
Marji’s personal God who comes to talk with her at night symbolizes her feeling of belonging,
her faith, and her innocence. Marji is deeply religious and spiritual as a young girl. Her faith in
herself and her place in the world is symbolized by God’s warm embrace. She feels whole, safe,
and at home. She feels in control, even to the point of being able to “control” God, calling on
him and sending him away at will. But as Marji learns more about the world, her relationship
with God weakens. On a night when she needs him the most, God does not come. This represents
the first crack in her faith and suggests that the more Marji learns of the horrors of the world, the
more estranged she becomes from God. As Marji’s interest in the secular world increases, her
interest in God, and thus her faith and innocence, decreases. She becomes interested in the
Revolution and ignores God and talk of being a prophet. This shows that Marji’s relationship
with God is tied to a sense of safety. When Marji feels in control and a part of a righteous
crusade, she doesn’t need God. But when the moral ambiguity of the Revolution and the
complexity of Laly’s situation becomes overwhelming, Marji wants to feel safe and retreats into
God’s warm embrace. Marji’s final break with God comes after Uncle Anoush’s execution. She
screams at God and tells him never to come back, and he is absent for the rest of the book. God’s
absence symbolizes the loss of Marji’s innocent belief that all will be well. Her loss of innocence
has resulted in her loss of faith and sense of belonging.

The Veil
The Iranian regime’s requirement that women wear the veil is a powerful symbol of oppression,
division, and isolation. It is notable that Satrapi begins her novel with a discussion about the veil
even though the veil requirement is not chronologically the first thing that happens to Marji in
the story. This signals that the veil has a wide-ranging significance that goes beyond the
practical. Practically speaking, the veil has the immediate effect of separating women from men
and relegating women to second-class citizens. For this reason, the veil represents a now-
permanent division in Iranian society. The veil also serves to represent the extent to which
someone supports the regime, with fundamentalists wearing it to the letter of the law and
modernists showing some hair as a form of protest. A metaphorical veil has thus been lowered to
separate Iranians from one another and make unity impossible. The veil also symbolizes the
regime’s repression of the individual. It not only represents this repression by literally covering
up individual traits, but it also facilitates the regime’s repression by signaling who the regime’s
true supporters are. Finally, the veil symbolizes Iran’s withdrawal and isolation from the
international community. On their trip to Europe, the Satrapis see a news report that contains an
image of Iran being slowly covered by a pall of darkness. It looks a bit like a veil descending
over the country and represents the way Iran is growing “darker” and turning its back on the
West. Though in the opening pages of the book Marji and her classmates treat the veil as a
meaningless plaything, Marji comes to associate the veil with division, oppression, and
isolation.

The Henchmen of the Regime

The way Satrapi draws the bearded henchmen of the Iranian regime suggests these faces are
symbols as much as they are real people. The drawing of each bearded, fundamentalist man is
nearly identical. The face is either angry or self-righteously pious. Marji feels surrounded by and
intruded upon by these men who threaten and look down on her. The angry faces that pepper
Satrapi’s graphic novel thus symbolize the brutal patriarchy under which Marji lives. The way
the drawings are crafted also suggest a darkening and a flattening of Iranian society. Nothing
distinguishes one face from another, symbolizing the way the Iranian regime seeks to stamp out
individuality. The people of Iran don the veil, long dark clothing, and cover their faces with
beards. This creates a sort of “flattening” effect where there is no spontaneity, gaiety, nor
outbursts of joy. As the regime’s power spreads, the feeling of a flattening darkness spreads as
well.

Class
The issue of class is everywhere in Persepolis. Right from the start, a six-year-old Marji
perceives the unfairness inherent in the strict class structure of Iranian society. Marji claims to
want to be a prophet because her father owns a Cadillac and the maid eats in the other room.
Indeed, the Iranian Revolution begins as a leftist movement, and activists like Uncle Anoush
identify the class divide as the country’s greatest problem. Mehri’s story illustrates just how
deeply ingrained and uncrossable class lines are in Iran. It is also partly Ebi’s desire to remain in
a privileged class that keeps the family in Iran. The losers in the various regime changes that Iran
undergoes in the 20th century experience extreme class shifts, and it is often perceived as a
humiliating experience. Marji’s grandfather goes from royalty to poverty, and her grandmother
does her best to pretend they are not destitute. Meanwhile, Uncle Taher’s wife is outraged that
the Revolution has turned her former window washer into an inept hospital director overseeing
her husband’s life-or-death treatment. The issue of class thus influences and provides much of
the context for nearly all the events in the book, large and small.
Fundamentalism vs. Modernism
Once the Iranian Revolution becomes an Islamic and cultural revolution, cultural issues come to
define and divide Iranians. The Iranian regime clearly sees their revolution as a war with the
modern values of secularism, liberalism, and materialism. Likewise, secular Iranians feel that
their values and way of life are under siege. Marji lays out the divide explicitly by explaining
each camp’s attire. The fundamentalists express their values through strict adherence to the veil
requirement for women and beards for men. Modernist women signal their disapproval of the
regime by showing a little hair, and modernist men shave their beards. Once Marji explains how
to identify fundamentalist and modernists, the divide is easy to see in the book’s illustrations. It
provides important context in understanding various characters’ motivations and actions, just as
it provides context for people in Iran. Iranians know who they need to be careful around, who
they can trust, and who is a member of their camp.

Lies
Lies, dishonesty, secrecy, and distrust play a major role in Marji’s story. The most innocuous of
these are the many white lies that people tell their children in order to protect them. Laly’s
mother tells her that her father is “on a trip” to protect her from the terrible truth that he is
suffering in prison. Similarly, Marji’s parents at first tell Marji that Uncle Anoush went back to
Moscow when he has actually been captured by the regime. When Iran’s Islamic Republic is
established, lies, dishonesty, and secrecy become a constant fact of life. Marji is encouraged to
lie about how much she actually prays and to hide her liberal views. Indeed, Marji learns to lie to
anyone who looks like they might be a fundamentalist. Taji blacks out the windows of the
Satrapis’ home in order to avoid being spied on by the neighbors. Marji’s parents go through
elaborate machinations to sneak innocuous contraband into the country from Turkey, and Marji
must buy her music in utter secrecy. In a way, Iranians like the Satrapis are in a war of lies with
the regime. The regime is constantly lying to the people. Ebi knows he cannot trust Iranian news
reports and gets his news from the BBC. The regime lies to the poor and uneducated to entice
them to enlist in the military and lies about the people they execute. In order to survive the
onslaught of deception and oppression, Iranians like the Satrapis must learn to lie in order to
survive.

Sexual Desire
Many critics believe that Williams invented the idea of desire for the 20th century. The power of
sexual desire is the engine propelling A Streetcar Named Desire: all of the characters are driven
by “that rattle-trap street-car” in various ways.

Much of Blanche’s conception of how she operates in the world relies on her perception of
herself as an object of male sexual desire. Her interactions with men always begin with flirtation.
Blanche tells…

read analysis of Sexual Desire

Fantasy and Delusion
In Scene One, Blanche takes a streetcar named Desire through Cemeteries to reach Elysian
Fields, where Stella and Stanley live. Though the place names are real, the journey allegorically
foreshadows Blanche’s mental descent throughout the play. Blanche’s desires have led her down
paths of sexual promiscuity and alcoholism, and by coming to stay with the Kowalskis, she has
reached the end of the line. Blanche’s desire to escape causes her to lose touch with…

read analysis of Fantasy and Delusion

Interior and Exterior Appearance

The audience of Streeetcar sees both the inside of the Kowalskis’ apartment as well as the street,
which emphasizes the tense relationship between what is on the outside and what is on the inside
throughout the play. The physical attention to inside versus outside also symbolically
demonstrates the complicated relationship between what goes on in the mind versus what occurs
in real life. As the play progresses, the split between Blanche’s fantasy world and…

read analysis of Interior and Exterior Appearance

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Masculinity and Physicality

Masculinity, particularly in Stanley, is linked to the idea of a brute, aggressive, animal force as
well as carnal lust. His brute strength is emphasized frequently throughout, and he asserts
dominance aggressively through loud actions and violence. Even his clothing is forceful: he
dresses in bright, lurid colors. Stanley’s masculinity is deeply connected to the “sub-human.”
Williams describes him as a “richly feathered bird among hens” and a “gaudy seed-bearer.”

Much emphasis is placed…

read analysis of Masculinity and Physicality

Femininity and Dependence
Blanche and Stella demonstrate two different types of femininity in the play, yet both find
themselves dependent on men. Both Blanche and Stella define themselves in terms of the men in
their lives, and they see relationships with men as the only avenue for happiness and fulfillment.
Blanche is a fading Southern belle who clings to coquettish trappings, preferring “magic” and the
night to reality and the light of day. She performs a delicate, innocent…

read analysis of Femininity and Dependence

Many critics believe that Williams invented the idea of desire for the 20th century.
The power of sexual desire is the engine propelling A Streetcar Named Desire: all of
the characters are driven by “that rattle-trap street-car” in various ways.

Much of Blanche’s conception of how she operates in the world relies on her
perception of herself as an object of male sexual desire. Her interactions with men
always begin with flirtation. Blanche tells Stella that she and Stanley smoothed things
over when she began to flirt with him. When Blanche meets Stanley’s poker-playing
friends, she lights upon Mitch as a possible suitor and adopts the guise of a chaste
lover for him to pursue.

Blanche nearly attacks the Young Man with her aggressive sexuality, flirting heavily
with him and kissing him. Blanche dresses provocatively in red satin, silks, costume
jewelry, etc: she calls attention to her body and her femininity through her carefully
cultivated appearance. Blanche clings to her sexuality more and more desperately as
the play progresses. To Blanche, perhaps motivated by her discovery that her first
husband was in fact homosexual, losing her desirability is akin to losing her identity
and her reason to live.

Stella’s desire for Stanley pulls her away from Belle Reve and her past. Stella is
drawn to Stanley’s brute, animal sexuality, and he is drawn to her traditional,
domestic, feminine sexuality. Stella is pregnant: her sexuality is deeply tied to both
womanliness and motherhood. Even though Stanley is violent to Stella, their sexual
dynamic keeps them together. When Blanche is horrified that Stanley beats Stella,
Stella explains that the things that a man and a woman do together in the dark
maintain their relationship.

Stanley’s sexuality and his masculinity are extremely interconnected: he radiates a

raw, violent, brute animal magnetism. Stanley’s sexuality asserts itself violently over
both Stella and Blanche. Although he hits Stella, she continues to stay with him and to
submit to his force. While Stella is at the hospital giving birth to his child, Stanley
rapes Blanche: the culmination of his sexual act with Stella coincides with the tragic
culmination of his destined date with Blanche.

Throughout the play, sexual desire is linked to destruction. Even in supposedly loving
relationships, sexual desire and violence are yoked: Stanley hits Stella,
and Steve beats Eunice. The “epic fornications” of the DuBois ancestors created a
chain reaction that has culminated in the loss of the family estate. Blanche’s pursuit of
sexual desire has led to the loss of Belle Reve, her expulsion from Laurel, and her
eventual removal from society. Stanley’s voracious carnal desire culminates in his
rape of Blanche. Blanche’s husband’s “unacceptable” homosexual desire leads to his
suicide.

In Scene One, Blanche takes a streetcar named Desire through Cemeteries to reach
Elysian Fields, where Stella and Stanley live. Though the place names are real, the
journey allegorically foreshadows Blanche’s mental descent throughout the play.
Blanche’s desires have led her down paths of sexual promiscuity and alcoholism, and
by coming to stay with the Kowalskis, she has reached the end of the line. Blanche’s
desire to escape causes her to lose touch with the world around her. By the end of the
play, Blanche can no longer distinguish between fantasy and real life.

The tension between fantasy and reality centers on Blanche’s relationship with both
other characters and the world around her. Blanche doesn’t want realism––she wants
magic––but magic must yield to the light of day. Although Blanch tries to wrap
herself in the trappings of her former Southern belle self, she must eventually face
facts, and the real world eclipses and shatters Blanche’s fantasies. Throughout the
play, Blanche only appears in semi-darkness and shadows, deliberately keeping
herself out of the harsh glare of reality. She clings to the false, illusory world of paper
lanterns and satin robes: if she can keep up the appearance of being an innocent
ingénue, she can continue to see herself in this fashion rather than face her checkered
past and destitute present. By maintaining an illusory exterior appearance, Blanche
hopes to hide her troubled interior from both herself and the world at large.

When Stanley tells Stella the sordid details of Blanche’s past, Blanche is offstage
bathing and singing “Paper Moon,” a song about a make-believe world that becomes
reality through love. But Blanche’s make-believe world does not overtake reality: her
fantasy version of herself crumbles. At the end of the play, Blanche is taken to a
mental asylum, permanently removed from reality to her own mind.

Summary & Analysis

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Fantasy and Delusion Interior and Exterior AppearanceTheme Analysis

Themes and Colors

LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Streetcar Named Desire, which you can use to track
the themes throughout the work.
The audience of Streeetcar sees both the inside of the Kowalskis’ apartment as well as the street,
which emphasizes the tense relationship between what is on the outside and what is on the inside
throughout the play. The physical attention to inside versus outside also symbolically
demonstrates the complicated relationship between what goes on in the mind versus what occurs
in real life. As the play progresses, the split between Blanche’s fantasy world and reality
becomes sharper and clearer to every character in the play except Blanche, for whom the interior
and exterior worlds become increasingly blurred.

Social and class distinctions also point to the tension between interior and exterior. Blanche is
trying to “keep up appearances” in all aspects of her life. She surrounds herself in her silks and
rhinestones and fantasies of Shep’s yacht to maintain the appearance of being an upper-class
ingénue, even though she is, by all accounts, a “fallen woman.” Blanche also calls Stanley a
“Polack” and makes snide remarks about the state of the Kowalski apartment in order to
maintain her own sense of external social superiority.

Williams uses music to play with the boundary between the interior and the exterior. The “blue
piano” that frequently plays outside evokes tension and fraught emotions inside the apartment.
Although the blue piano is a part of the exterior world, it expresses the feelings occurring inside
the characters. Blanche sings “Paper Moon” in the bath offstage while, onstage, Stanley reveals
to Stella Blanche’s hidden and sordid history. Music also allows the audience to enter Blanche’s
head. When she hears the Varsouviana Polka, the audience hears the polka, even though it is
only playing in her mind. Just as Blanche’s fantasy blurs into reality, Blanche’s point of view
and the perspective of the whole play become blurred

Masculinity, particularly in Stanley, is linked to the idea of a brute, aggressive,

animal force as well as carnal lust. His brute strength is emphasized frequently
throughout, and he asserts dominance aggressively through loud actions and violence.
Even his clothing is forceful: he dresses in bright, lurid colors. Stanley’s masculinity
is deeply connected to the “sub-human.” Williams describes him as a “richly
feathered bird among hens” and a “gaudy seed-bearer.”

Much emphasis is placed on Stanley’s physical body: he is frequently seen stripping

his shirt off; cross at Blanche for not letting him spend time in the bathroom (where
the audience cannot see him, but can imagine his naked form). Stanley asserts his
masculinity physically as well as psychologically. Physically, he bellows in a sort of
animal mating call at Stella. He also forces himself upon Blanche. Psychologically, he
investigates Blanche’s sordid past and brings it into the limelight, airing Blanche’s
dirty laundry (both literally and metaphorically) to affirm his position as not only the
alpha male but also the head of the household. Yet although Stanley is aggressively
animal in his male nature, his masculinity also asserts itself in his response to the
feminine. He has tender responses to Stella’s pregnancy; his tone shifts suddenly both
when he breaks the news to Blanche and when Stella tells him that she is in labor. He
also breaks down when Stella leaves him after he hits her.

Stanley is a prime specimen of manhood, but he is not a gentleman. Stanley represents

the powerfully attractive but powerfully frightening threat of masculinity,
whereas Mitch represents masculinity as a trait of comfort and refuge. If Stanley is
the alpha male, Mitch is a beta male: still a masculine force, but not asserting the same
kind of physical dominance over the space. But Mitch still finds his power through
physical assertion. Mitch brags about his body to Blanche and insists on his precise
measurements (six foot one, two hundred seven pounds). Even though Mitch isn’t as
violently male as Stanley, he is just as imposing a physical specimen. Blanche sees
Mitch as male enough to radiate a carnal attractiveness, but not physically or
psychologically dangerous in the way that Stanley is.

Blanche and Stella demonstrate two different types of femininity in the play, yet both
find themselves dependent on men. Both Blanche and Stella define themselves in
terms of the men in their lives, and they see relationships with men as the only avenue
for happiness and fulfillment. Blanche is a fading Southern belle who clings to
coquettish trappings, preferring “magic” and the night to reality and the light of day.
She performs a delicate, innocent version of femininity because she believes that this
makes her most attractive to men. Blanche insists that Stella should attempt to get
away from the physically abusive Stanley, but her solution also involves dependence
on men, as she proposes that they contact the Dallas millionaire Shep Huntleigh for
financial assistance. Blanche’s tragic marriage in her youth has led her to seek
emotional fulfillment through relationships with men, and men have taken advantage
of her nervous, fragile state. Even though Blanche’s first marriage ended disastrously,
she sees marriage as her only path. Blanche views Mitch as a refuge and a way to
rejuvenate her shattered life. Although Blanche’s sexual exploits make the other
characters perceive her as a shameful, fallen woman, these same characteristics are
seen as conferring strength and power in Stanley.

Stella’s femininity is based not on illusions and tricks but on reality. She does not try
to hide who she is nor hide from her present circumstances. Stella’s pregnancy asserts
the real, physical, unmasked nature of her conception of herself as a woman. Stella
chooses her physical love for and dependence on Stanley over Blanche’s schemes.
Even though Stanley hits her, she is not in something she wants to get out of, as she
explains to Blanche. Eunice demonstrates a similar, practical reliance on men, and
she convinces Stella that she has made the right decision by staying with Stanley
rather than believing Blanche’s story about the rape.

Williams called the streetcar the “ideal metaphor for the human condition.” The play’s title refers
not only to a real streetcar line in New Orleans but also symbolically to the power of desire as
the driving force behind the characters’ actions. Blanche’s journey on Desire through Cemeteries
to Elysian Fields is both literal and allegorical. Desire is a controlling force: when it takes over,
characters must submit to its power, and they are carried along to the end of the line.
The Streetcar Quotes in A Streetcar Named Desire
The A Streetcar Named Desire quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Streetcar. For each
quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by
its own dot and icon, like this one:

).
Scene 1 Quotes
They told me to take a street-car named Desire, and transfer to one called Cemeteries, and ride
six blocks and get off at—Elysian Fields!

Related Characters: Blanche DuBois (speaker)

Related Symbols: The Streetcar
Related Themes:

Page Number and Citation: 6 Cite this Quote

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Scene 4 Quotes
What you are talking about is brutal desire–just–Desire!–the name of that rattle-trap street-car
that bangs through the Quarter.

Related Characters: Blanche DuBois (speaker), Stella Kowalski

Related Symbols: The Streetcar
Related Themes:

Page Number and Citation: 81 Cite this Quote

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 Varsouviana PolkaSymbol Analysis

Blanche associates the polka with her young husband’s suicide. Blanche and her husband were dancing

the polka when she lashed out at him for his homosexual behavior, and he left the dance floor and shot

himself. The music plays when Blanche is reminded of her husband in specific or when she is particularly

disturbed by the past in general. The polka continues until some event in the real world distracts her or

until a gunshot goes off in her memory. Although the polka plays in Blanche’s mind, and she is the only

character onstage who hears the tune, the audience also hears the polka when she hears it.

Varsouviana Polka Quotes in A Streetcar Named Desire

The A Streetcar Named Desire quotes below all refer to the symbol of Varsouviana Polka. For each quote,
you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and
icon, like this one:

).
Scene 11 Quotes

Please don’t get up. I’m only passing through.

Related Characters: Blanche DuBois (speaker)

Related Symbols: Varsouviana Polka

Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation: 173 Cite this Quote

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Varsouviana Polka Symbol Timeline in A Streetcar Named

Desire
The timeline below shows where the symbol Varsouviana Polka appears in A Streetcar Named Desire.
The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Scene 1
...in Mississippi. Stella is still in the bathroom. When Stanley asks Blanche about her

marriage, polka music plays faintly in the background. Blanche tells Stanley that “the boy died” and

sinks... (full context)

Scene 6
...out to a casino together. But while Blanche and her husband were dancing the Varsouviana polka, she

erupted, telling him that he disgusted her. Her husband, who she refers to as... (full context)

Scene 8

The Varsouviana polka rises in the background. Blanche tries to smile and laugh, but she crumples and

rushes... (full context)

Scene 9

...that night. Blanche is sitting in her red satin robe in the bedroom. The Varsouviana polka music can be

heard from offstage. The stage directions say that the music is playing... (full context)
Mitch, unshaven and disheveled, rings the doorbell. The polka stops. Blanche hurriedly puts on powder

and perfume and hides the liquor before letting Mitch... (full context)

...to know what is the matter, but says she won’t press Mitch about it. The polka music begins again, and

she is agitated. Blanche says that the music always stops when... (full context)
...para los muertos” (flowers for the dead). Blanche is frightened and slams the door. The polka music

begins again, and the Mexican Woman’s voice can still be heard from outside. (full context)

Scene 11

...when she comes out of the bathroom. She appears in the red satin robe. The polka music plays in the

background. Stella and Eunice murmur appreciatively over Blanche. Blanche asks if... (full context)

...is calling for Blanche, but Blanche says that she is not quite ready yet. The polka plays faintly in the

background, and drums also begin to play softly. (full context)

...she has forgotten something. Lurid reflections and shadows appear on the walls again, and

the polka music plays distortedly, accompanied by noises of the jungle. (full context)

Blanche takes frequent baths throughout the play to “soothe her nerves.” Bathing is an escape
from the sweaty apartment: rather than confront her physical body in the light of day, Blanche
retreats to the water to attempt to cleanse herself and forget reality. Blanche’s constant washing
is reminiscent of Lady Macbeth’s famous hand-washing scene in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, in
which the queen tries and fails to wash the blood from her guilty hands. Blanche also seeks
rejuvenation, as though the bathwater were a Fountain of Youth. But although bathing may
provide a temporary respite, she can never escape the past. In contrast with Blanche’s use of
bathing to escape reality, the men dunk Stanley in the shower to sober him up so that he face the
real world.

Bathing Quotes in A Streetcar Named Desire

The A Streetcar Named Desire quotes below all refer to the symbol of Bathing. For each quote,
you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own
dot and icon, like this one:

).
Scene 2 Quotes
I never met a woman that didn’t know if she was good-looking or not without being told, and
some of them give themselves credit for more than they’ve got.

Related Characters: Stanley Kowalski (speaker)

Related Symbols: Bathing
Related Themes:

Page Number and Citation: 38 Cite this Quote

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Scene 7 Quotes
It’s only a paper moon, Just as phony as it can be–But it wouldn’t be make-believe If you
believed in me!

Related Characters: Blanche DuBois (speaker)

Related Symbols: Bathing, Paper Lantern and Paper Moon
Related Themes:

Page Number and Citation: 121 Cite this Quote

Explanation and Analysis:
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Bathing Symbol Timeline in A Streetcar Named Desire
The timeline below shows where the symbol Bathing appears in A Streetcar Named Desire. The
colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Scene 2

It is the next day, at six o’clock in the evening. Blanche is taking a bath offstage. Stella tells
Stanley that she and Blanche are going out to the French Quarter... (full context)
Blanche emerges from the bath in a red satin robe and lightly closes the curtains to dress. When
she asks... (full context)

Scene 3

Blanche is about to take a bath when Mitch emerges from the bathroom. Mitch is sheepish and
awkward, and Blanche looks at... (full context)

Scene 7

...into the kitchen to find Stella decorating for Blanche’s birthday. Blanche is taking yet
another bath to soothe her nerves, which Stanley mocks. Throughout the scene, Blanche’s
singing of the popular... (full context)
Scene 8

...begins to cry. Blanche asks her again what Stanley had said while Blanche had been bathing,
but Stella refuses to tell her. (full context)

...join her. Blanche reproaches herself for calling Mitch. Stanley complains about the heat from
Blanche’s bath, and she retorts that a “healthy Polack” couldn’t understand about having
delicate nerves. Stanley heatedly... (full context)

Scene 11
It is several weeks later. Stella is packing Blanche’s things. Blanche is in the bath. The men are
playing poker in the kitchen, where the atmosphere is raw and lurid... (full contex

The paper lantern over the light bulb represents Blanche’s attempt to mask both her sordid past
and her present appearance. The lantern diffuses the stark light, but it’s only a temporary solution
that can be ripped off at any moment. Mitch hangs up the lantern, and Blanche is able to
maintain her pose of the naïve Southern belle with him, but it is only a façade. After Stanley has
told Mitch about Blanche’s past, Mitch angrily tears the lantern off so he can see Blanche’s face,
and she cries, “I don’t want realism––I want magic!” At the end of the play, Stanley takes off the
paper lantern and presents it to Blanche. A paper world cloaking reality also appears in the song
“Paper Moon.” While Stanley tells Stella about Blanche’s sordid history, Blanche sings this
saccharine popular song about a paper world that becomes a reality through love. Blanche feigns
modesty and a coquettish nature, but behind the veneer, she hides a much darker past.

Paper Lantern and Paper Moon Quotes in A Streetcar

Named Desire
The A Streetcar Named Desire quotes below all refer to the symbol of Paper Lantern and Paper
Moon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme
is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

).
Scene 3 Quotes
I can’t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action.

Related Characters: Blanche DuBois (speaker)

Related Symbols: Paper Lantern and Paper Moon, Shadows
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation: 60 Cite this Quote
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Scene 5 Quotes
Young man! Young, young, young man! Has anyone ever told you that you look like a young
Prince out of the Arabian Nights?

Related Characters: Blanche DuBois (speaker)

Related Symbols: Paper Lantern and Paper Moon
Related Themes:

Page Number and Citation: 99 Cite this Quote

Explanation and Analysis:

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Scene 7 Quotes
It’s only a paper moon, Just as phony as it can be–But it wouldn’t be make-believe If you
believed in me!

Related Characters: Blanche DuBois (speaker)

Related Symbols: Bathing, Paper Lantern and Paper Moon
Related Themes:

Page Number and Citation: 121 Cite this Quote

Explanation and Analysis:

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Scene 9 Quotes
I don’t want realism. I want magic!

Related Characters: Blanche DuBois (speaker)

Related Symbols: Paper Lantern and Paper Moon
Related Themes:

Page Number and Citation: 145 Cite this Quote

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Scene 11 Quotes
You left nothing here but spilt talcum and old empty perfume bottles–unless it’s the paper
lantern you want to take with you. You want the lantern?

Related Characters: Stanley Kowalski (speaker), Blanche DuBois

Related Symbols: Paper Lantern and Paper Moon
Related Themes:

Page Number and Citation: 176 Cite this Quote

Explanation and Analysis:
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Paper Lantern and Paper Moon Symbol Timeline in A
Streetcar Named Desire
The timeline below shows where the symbol Paper Lantern and Paper Moon appears in A
Streetcar Named Desire. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with
that appearance.

Scene 3
...sonnet. Blanche claims to be younger than Stella, and she asks Mitch to hang a Chinese
lantern over the naked electric bulb. Stanley, in the kitchen, seethes at Mitch’s absence from
the... (full context)

Scene 5

...cope properly with the loss of Belle Reve, and she cloaked herself in half-shadows
and Chinese lantern s to make herself attractive. (full context)

Scene 7

...soothe her nerves, which Stanley mocks. Throughout the scene, Blanche’s singing of the
popular song “Paper Moon” is heard in counterpoint to Stella and Stanley’s conversation. (full
context)

Scene 9

...that he’s never seen Blanche in the daytime or in the light. He rips the paper lantern off the
light bulb. Blanche gasps, crying, “I don’t want realism. I want magic!” (full context)
Scene 10

...attire, saying that he’s been on to her from the start: powders and perfumes and paper
lantern s couldn’t fool him. Lurid, grotesque shadows and reflections on the wall surround
Blanche. (full context)

Scene 11

Stanley says that the only thing Blanche could have forgotten is the paper lantern . He rips it off
the bare bulb and holds it out to her. Blanche... (full context)
 Alcohol and DrunkennessSymbol Analysis

Both Stanley and Blanche drink frequently throughout the play. When Stanley gets drunk, his

masculinity becomes exaggerated: he grows increasingly physical, violent, and brutal. Stanley makes a

show of drinking, swaggering and openly pouring himself shots. Blanche hides her alcoholism, constantly

claiming that she rarely drinks while secretly sneaking frequent shots. She uses drinking as an escape

mechanism.

Alcohol and Drunkenness Quotes in A Streetcar Named

Desire
The A Streetcar Named Desire quotes below all refer to the symbol of Alcohol and Drunkenness. For each
quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own
dot and icon, like this one:

).
Scene 3 Quotes

STELL-LAHHHHH!

Related Characters: Stanley Kowalski (speaker), Stella Kowalski

Related Symbols: Alcohol and Drunkenness

Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation: 67 Cite this Quote

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Scene 9 Quotes

I told you already I don’t want none of his liquor and I mean it. You ought to lay off his liquor.
He says you’ve been lapping it up all summer like a wild-cat!

Related Characters: Harold Mitchell (Mitch) (speaker), Blanche DuBois, Stanley Kowalski

Related Symbols: Alcohol and Drunkenness

Related Themes:

Page Number and Citation: 143 Cite this Quote

Explanation and Analysis:

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Scene 10 Quotes

Tiger–tiger! Drop the bottle-top! Drop it! We’ve had this date with each other from the
beginning!

Related Characters: Stanley Kowalski (speaker), Blanche DuBois

Related Symbols: Alcohol and Drunkenness

Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation: 162 Cite this Quote

Explanation and Analysis:

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Alcohol and Drunkenness Symbol Timeline in A Streetcar
Named Desire
The timeline below shows where the symbol Alcohol and Drunkenness appears in A Streetcar Named
Desire. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Scene 1

...bed for Blanche, and the bedroom. Suddenly, Blanche springs up to the closet, finds a whiskey bottle,

and quickly takes a drink. After replacing the bottle and washing the glass, she... (full context)
...the physical and social surroundings slip into her effusive greetings. She asks Stella for a drink to calm

her nerves, though simultaneously insisting that she’s not a drunk. Once the drink... (full context)

...that Stella does not have a maid in the two-room flat, and she takes another drink. (full context)

...makes small talk with Blanche, who is stiff and a little hectic. Stanley pulls the whiskey bottle out to

take a drink, noting its depletion. (full context)

Scene 3
...green shade, the men are dressed in bright colors, and they are eating watermelon

and drinking whiskey. The men deal out yet another hand of poker. Mitch worries that he should... (full

context)

...there, and as he waits he and Blanche begin to flirt. Both are a little drunk. (full context)

Scene 5
A while later, Stanley comes in and says that Eunice is getting a drink at the Four Deuces, which Stella

says is much more “practical” than going to the... (full context)

...morbidly. Blanche asks for a shot of alcohol in the Coke, and Stella pours some whiskey into a glass,

insisting that she likes waiting on her sister. Blanche hysterically promises to... (full context)

...collecting subscriptions for the Evening Star newspaper. Blanche flirts with the boy, offering him

a drink, and attempts to seduce him, calling him a young Arabian prince. She kisses him on... (full

context)

Scene 9
...stage directions say that the music is playing in Blanche’s mind and that she is drinking to escape

it. (full context)

...the doorbell. The polka stops. Blanche hurriedly puts on powder and perfume and hides

the liquor before letting Mitch in. She greets him with a hectic and excited chiding and offers... (full

context)
Mitch asks Blanche to turn off the fan. She offers him a drink. Mitch says that he doesn’t want

Stanley’s liquor, but Blanche replies that she has her... (full context)

Blanche pretends to happen upon the liquor bottle in the closet and pretends that she doesn’t know what

Southern Comfort is. Mitch... (full context)

Scene 10

It is still later that night. Blanche has been drinking steadily since Mitch left. She has dressed herself in a

white satin gown and her... (full context)

...slams the door, and gives a low whistle when he sees Blanche. Stanley is also drunk. He says that the

baby won’t come until morning, so the doctors sent him home... (full context)

Unable to find a bottle opener, Stanley pounds a beer bottle on the corner of the table and lets the... (full

context)
Stanley continues to advance toward Blanche. She smashes a bottle on the table and waves the broken

end of the top at him. He springs... (full context)

Shadows represent the dream-world and the escape from the light of day.
Initially, Blanche seeks the refuge of shadows and half-light to hide from the harsh facts of the
real world. When Blanche first sees Stella, she insists that Stella turn the overhead light off: “I
don’t want to be looked at in this merciless glare!” But at the end of the play, shadows become
menacing to Blanche. When Stanley approaches Blanche to rape her, his shadows overtake hers
on the wall before he physically overpowers her. In the play’s final scene, when the Doctor and
Matron come to escort Blanche to the asylum, shadows contribute to the jungle-like, mad
atmosphere. Rather than representing a longed-for escape from reality, shadows become a
threatening element.

Shadows Quotes in A Streetcar Named Desire

The A Streetcar Named Desire quotes below all refer to the symbol of Shadows. For each quote,
you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own
dot and icon, like this one:

).
Scene 3 Quotes
The kitchen now suggests that sort of lurid nocturnal brilliance, the raw colors of childhood’s
spectrum.

Related Symbols: Shadows

Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation: 46 Cite this Quote
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I can’t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action.

Related Characters: Blanche DuBois (speaker)

Related Symbols: Paper Lantern and Paper Moon, Shadows
Related Themes:

Page Number and Citation: 60 Cite this Quote

Explanation and Analysis:

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Scene 4 Quotes
There are things that happen between a man and a woman in the dark–that sort of make
everything else seem–unimportant.

Related Characters: Stella Kowalski (speaker), Stanley Kowalski

Related Symbols: Shadows
Related Themes:

Page Number and Citation: 81 Cite this Quote

Explanation and Analysis:

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Shadows Symbol Timeline in A Streetcar Named Desire
The timeline below shows where the symbol Shadows appears in A Streetcar Named Desire. The
colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Scene 10
...her from the start: powders and perfumes and paper lanterns couldn’t fool him. Lurid,
grotesque shadows and reflections on the wall surround Blanche. (full context)

Scene 11

...her way. She rushes past him, claiming that she has forgotten something. Lurid reflections
and shadows appear on the walls again, and the polka music plays distortedly, accompanied by
noises of... (full context)