A Streetcar Named Desire Lighting and Sound

The Importance of Detail

Often times the words of a play are what we pay the most attention to; however, every little detail from the set, to lights and sound, ends up playing a huge part on the emotions felt and guide the viewer in depicting the actions and setting of the play. Throughout the play, A Streetcar Named Desire, the author, Tennessee Williams, pays explicit attention to details including lighting and sound which effectively highlight the central themes, develop central characters, and create a more realistic atmosphere. The Polka builds the character of Blanche, an ex-school teacher who has been struggling financially and emotionally, and helps the viewer look into her mind. The Polka also sets the theme of illusion that Blanche displays throughout the play. Another important sound within the play evokes an aura around the sound of the Blue Piano which again seems to accompany Blanche's character. The Blue Piano creates a dark melancholy atmosphere. It continues to build upon Blanche’s depressed character. Lastly, the lighting within the play not only seems to help the viewer understand unique aspects of the characters, but it also also affects the mood of the characters. Again, Blanche seems most affected by the change in lighting. Overall, dramatic conventions such as sound effects and lighting create a more extensive atmosphere while providing indirect characterization to the viewer.

Williams uses the Polka as a genre of music at certain intervals throughout scenes to evoke a mood of nostalgia and grief that permeates Blache’s existence. First off, the Polka has a unformatable distortion that establishes an atmosphere of discomfort. The Polka plays when Blanche begins to lose her grip and a touchy issue of her past surfaces, the death of her husband, Allan Grey. Williams strategically cues the polka in scene one when Stanley asks Blanche about her marriage, and in scene six when Blanche recalls her husband's death to Mitch, and near the end of the play when Stanley gives Blanche a bus ticket. These scenes evoke a tense and emotionally charged atmosphere which the Polka music intensifies. Additionally, the Polka serves as a symbol of Allen Grey’s , Blanche’s deceased husband, death. Blanche and Allan danced to the Polka the evening of Allan’s tragic death. As a result this tune serves as a constant reminded of Allen’s death. Given the understood symbolism behind this tune, when it plays it helps the viewer not only get a feeling of the atmosphere, but to also understand Blanche’s current mood and thoughts. Furthermore, the Polka represents the disintegration of Blanche’s world. After the dance with Grey to the tune of the Polka, Blanche's life takes a sharp decline. Before, Blanche lived a good life. She was well off and married the love of her life Allen. However after the Polka Blanche's life took a turn. Allen died, Blanche began to lose all her money, she lost her home, and progressively she began to lose her mental health. Ultimately, Blanche ended up in an institute. Whenever the Polka plays, it highlights Blanche's descent from her once happy life into a dark depression. As a result, the Polka represents this isolation. Blanche can’t fit in after she loses Allen. She doesn’t feel welcomed anymore and doesn’t know her place. Therefore, isolation becomes a key factor in Blanche’s fall. In summary, Williams uses the Polka to build up a tense yet saddening atmosphere as well as using it to depict trauma from the past that Blache cannot escape.

The Blue Piano serves as another sound technique that Williams uses to help build a distinct atmosphere as well as further understand the inner feelings of Blanche. The stage direction in scene one says, “ The Blue Piano expresses the spirit of the life which goes on there”. Throughout the play, the Blue Piano does just that, expresses the current mood of the scene. In scene nine when Mitch, a decent mannered man who lives with his sick mother, tells Blanche he will not marry her due to her past, the Blue Piano comes in slow and saddening. This surreal sound establishes the “blue” atmosphere of the scene. In scene ten, Shep Huntleigh, her apparently rich lover, the Blue Piano comes in quicker and more upbeat suggesting Blanche is hopeful and maybe even excited. This Piano creates a more exciting and lively atmosphere than the earlier scenes. Lastly, in scene eleven, the Blue Piano permeates over sobbing and the poker game. This usage magnifies Stanley’s victory over Blanche as well as Blanche’s downfall. The music of the blue piano becomes more jarring and evokes a disturbing