Scene One - Quotations
Literature in English: Cambridge International GCSE A Streetcar Named Desire, topic 8.1.1
Key Quotations from Scene One
The play begins with the arrival of Blanche DuBois in the New Orleans French Quarter. She has come to stay with her younger, married sister, Stella, and her brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski.
Blanche's route
- “They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at—Elysian Fields!”.
- The route is allegorical, taking advantage of New Orleans’s colourful street names.
"Red hots! Red hots!"
- Williams opens the play by showing the migrant nature of the city, showing several characters seeking direction or in the business of selling.
"Elysian Fields"
- Elysian Fields works metaphorically here. The term comes from Greek mythology and indicates ‘the abode of the blessed after death’.
"Polack"
- Blanche uses this offensive term for a Polish person to talk about Stanley.
"The boy died"
- Blanche says this of her former (young) husband).
Test yourself on Scene One - Quotations
What are the sellers shouting at the beginning of the play?
What abusive term is used to refer to Stanley in the opening scene?