The Heidi Chronicles

The central theme of “The Heidi Chronicles” is defined when Heidi and Susan meet for lunch and Heidi is observing Susan’s new persona as a powerful executive. Heidi asks, “Susie, do you ever think that what makes you a person is also what keeps you from being a person?”, relating back to the theme of finding yourself. A central theme of the play is Heidi’s search for the meaning of her life, and seeing how her friend Susan has changed so much due to her success has highlighted the ongoing struggle Heidi faces about defining herself.

I felt that in the early stages of Heidi’s life, Scoop served as a source of stability and recognition. Basically, she understood herself when around her. Scoop doesn’t want to marry Heidi because he wants an A- wife rather than an A+ wife. Basically, he understands that Heidi would be a “partner” rather than someone who would “devote the next ten years of her life to him”. He agrees that Heidi is absolutely valid and correct in wanting to be an equal, but Scoop feels that Heidi and him would compete for “self-fulfillment, self-determination, and self-exaggeration”. He cannot imagine having a wife that would be competent of competing with him.

It could be argued that the play is a tragedy. Heidi later finds out that Peter is gay, and is relatively upset as she had romantic intentions for him before he revealed the truth. This highlights how it is not only Heidi, but also other characters in the play have their own questions of identity to resolve, and a greater theme of people finding their way in life emerges.

She later highlights the theme in the following scene. Heidi’s speech is titled, “Women, Where Are We Going?” and relates back to the theme of defining oneself in scene 3. In 1986, women as a whole still were facing issues defining their gender as a whole and their role both within and outside of the home. Heidi highlights this theme with her statement at the end of the speech, “We’re all concerned intelligent, good women. It’s just that I feel stranded. And I thought the whole point was that we wouldn’t feel stranded. I thought the point was that we were all in this together.”

The last image is of “Heidi triumphantly holding Judy in front of a museum banner for a Georgia O’ Keefe retrospective”. Georgia O’ Keefe was a celebrated cultural icon for carving out a place for women in the American art community, which was dominated by men. The image resonates with the audience, as it highlights that Heidi was able to achieve her goal of having both a successful career and a family, rather than simply serving as an “empty vessel”.

Streetcar Stage Design

Out of all the plays I have read as a high school student, Tennessee Williams provides the most detailed stage directions and design in “A Streetcar Named Desire”.  The nature of the stage is intentionally planned in a small, relatively rundown apartment. The play begins with Blanche trying to find the apartment and appears surprised by its lack in furnishings. Blanche is on the run from herself, the inability of herself to run her own life; but the location she runs to becomes the death of her.

Williams characterizes the apartment as “tall” (45) and “straight” (57) which is captured in the diagram I have drawn. For example, the hallway to the bathroom on the far right is long and narrow, and the wall stretches significantly upwards. However, Stanley, the man of the house, is from a fairly low socioeconomic class so the overall apartment appears decayed. Therefore, I have drawn cracks and made the ironwork inside the apartment seem corroded, giving the set an uncomfortable or sticky feeling. This contributes nicely to William’s “rackety windows” (33), which slightly let in light.

On the left side of the apartment is the “folding bed for Blanche” (8), and next to it lays her “messy wardrobe trunk” (33). The trunk intentionally appears messy as Blanche has just arrived in the house and Stanley has gone through all her belongings because he is suspicious of her. I have put the “kitchen” (8) nearby and across from it lies the set of chairs and the table where the men sit down to play poker and drink hard liquor. I have purposely put the chairs in odd positions that crowd the central room where we meet most of the characters to make the apartment feel more crowded, and the “vivid slices of watermelon on the table, whiskey bottles, and glasses” (46) are the remains of the boys’ late night playing cards.

Drawn across the middle of the room is a shady “portiere” (56), which separates the “two rooms, not too clearly defined” (8). This in turn makes the entire apartment al the more uncomfortable as there is no real sense of privacy to either bedroom. In fact, right next to the bed on the left side of the apartment is “Stanley’s photo from the dressing table” (23) and “Stanley’s radio” (25) which support the notion that Stanley is the head of the house. I have emphasized the large “screen at the head of the bed” (23) to show how little space there is in each of the two vaguely defined rooms; the small size of the rooms causes tension to rise when a conflict arises between characters due to the small enclosed setting. In the bedroom in the right, the tattered “drapes” (56) can be seen, adding to the idea that the owners of the apartment are not too wealthy and creating a general sense of discomfort in the bedroom.

In the center of the apartment is Blanche’s Chinese paper lantern, which she uses to block out the glare from the naked bulb when she arrives and begins to settle in to Stanley and Stella’s apartment. The Chinese paper lantern plays a large role in the play because it keeps Blanche from seeing herself aging by creating an allusion of something beautiful, and highlights one of the central themes: the characters’ denial of reality; therefore, it takes up a large central space of the stage.

{The dimensions of the stage design are reversed because the camera flipped the photo}

Italicized Statements

When analyzing a literary text, it is important to take into account the genre of the text itself. Tennessee William’s “A Streetcar Named Desire” is a play and therefore contains specific stage directions and perhaps even set design descriptions within the text. Even if one isn’t reenacting the play but merely analyzing the content of the play, the directly stated set designs, sounds, and stage directions still play an important role in understanding the content of the play on a deeper level.

In terms of describing set design, the entire first page is dedicated to portraying the scene. William’s use of surroundings and environment is important because it gives us indications to the social and economic class of Elysian Fields. Additionally, Williams places a large emphasis on color and lighting in order to highlight aspects of his characters. For example, “He crosses to dressing table and seizes the paper lantern, tearing it off the light bulb, and extends it toward her. She cries out as if the lantern was herself” (116). This single action shows us how Blanche likes the paper lantern rather than the sharp naked bulb as it creates an illusion of something beautiful, which in turn translates to how Blanche wants to deny the fact that she will age physically.

The italics also describe sound, which impacts the mood and tone of the scene. For example, when the polka music begins to play the tension rises. Evidently, the italicized directions play a larger role than merely putting life to the text. When Blanche’s actions are italicized we as the reader look at them in a different light; for example, when she is in the bathroom and begins to sing and dance frantically (30).

Character development depends on the usage of stage directions and interaction with the set. Blanche’s gradual transition into insanity is indicated by “the shadows and lurid reflections move sinuously as flames along the wall spaces” (159). The diction and imagery is tied in the stage directions, a great example of how literary terms apply to stage directions just as much as they do if you were to find them directly in non-italicized text. Clearly, the italicized statements provide the reader with critical information rather than just material to help visualize the play.

Clemson University supports my idea that the italics impact of the setting during the play. The italics are an indication to the actors that they need to stress the specific word, in an attempt to change the tone of their scene. Despite the fact that the audience is unaware of which words are italicized, they indicate that the playwright had a certain intention for their use in the play, which causes us to think about how it impacts the central purpose or theme of the play. Evidently, italics are far more than a mere grammatical element, but rather play a large role in impacting the play, almost as much as a literary element would.

Light as a Metaphor in A Streetcar Named Desire

Light as Metaphor

Chinese Lantern (Scene 11, pg. 116):

Stanley: “You want the lantern?”

[He crosses to dressing table and seizes the paper lantern, tearing it off the light bulb, and extends it toward her. She cries out as if the lantern was herself.]

• The lantern keeps Blanche from seeing herself aging. It creates an illusion of something beautiful, which she values highly.
• It highlights one of the themes in A Streetcar Named Desire:  the denial of reality
• When Stanley rips off the Chinese Lantern, it increases the tension of the scene and the conflict between romanticism and realism. The lantern represents romanticism because it slightly conceals the reality of Blanche’s situation, and dims the indoor of Stanley & Stella’s house. The light represents the reality of the current situation, hence Stanley likes it because he is a straight-shooter. Stanley is realistic as he accepts himself for being common.

Blanche’s insanity (Scene 10, pg. 159)

[The shadows and lurid reflections move sinuously as flames along the wall spaces]

• The diction and imagery of light become darker and menacing when Blanche speaks of her past, such as when she is trying to contact Shep Huntleigh
• Light now has a destructive nature, and may have something to do with desire
• The flame of the candle represents Blanche’s desire to charm. In this scene, Blanche’s desire to charm turns destructive because her lies are revealed, and hence the light develops a backlash.
• Her desire to charm has gone to far and she becomes engulfed in lies.

 

Mitch’s desire to see Blanche in the light (Scene 9, pg. 144-145)

Mitch- “What it means is I’ve never had a real good look at you, Blanche. Let’s turn the light on here.”

Blanche-“Light? Which light? What for? [Fearfully]

Mitch- “This one with the paper thing on it”[He tears the paper lantern off the light bulb. She utters a frightened gasp.]

Blanche: “I don’t want realism. I want magic! Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don’t tell truth, I tell what ought to be truth. And if that is sinful, then let me be damned for it! —Don’t turn the light on!

• Mitch feels that he doesn’t know the “real” Blanche because he has never seen her in a lighted room. In fact, Mitch complains that they never meet during the day, and only go to dimly lit places on dates. Blanche is self conscious about her aging. She feels she deserved to have romance that lasted in her youth. She may be appearing to correct the world with magic but she is also trying to correct her own mistakes and cope with the guilt of pushing her husband to suicide.

 

Lighting candles (Scene 6, pg. 104)

Blanche-“We have both been anxious and solemn and now for these last few remaining moments of our lives together—I want to create—joie de vivre! I’m lighting a candle.”

• The act of lighting a candle is desire-driven, and an example of Blanche’s passion. She has a romantic vision of life, and enjoys creating a sensual mood when with men, specifically Mitch.
• She wants to exemplify her charm, and lighting candles and speaking in French highlights this.
• She is aging and life is short; Blanche wants to use her charm to win over Mitch while she is still able to.

Cigarette (Scene 5, pg. 97):

Blanche-“Can you give me a light?”

Young Man- “Sure. This doesn’t always work.”

Blanche: “It’s temperamental? Ahh-thank you!”

• Williams is using the lighting of a cigarette to show how her own perception of beauty, and how she cannot accept the fact that her looks are temperamental, just as light is.
• Uses the act of lighting cigarettes to interact/talk with men, an “ice-breaker”. The light is her own charm, but its dim.

Relationship between Browning’s Sonnet and Blanche

The last line of Elizabeth Barret’s sonnet, “XLIII”, highlights the purpose of the speaker’s relationship with their significant other. “I shall but love thee better after death”, which suggests that the speaker will love their partner more once they have passed away and has therefore left all their money and belongings to the speaker.

Blanche frankly is a gold-digger, even if she is misunderstood and has kind intentions. She seeks the attention of Shep Huntleigh and Mitch relentlessly. If she succeeds in winning their hearts, she can rely on them to keep her economically stable.

Blanche is a passionate lover, and as a result often lets her heart supersede her brain. She doesn’t know when she oversteps boundaries; for example, Blanche flirts with the young paperboy and kisses him on the lips. Similarly, the speaker is very passionate about her significant other, stating that she “loves thee freely…purely…with the passion put to use”. The absolute devotion Blanche holds for a man she lays her eyes on—an aspect of Blanche’s character that her Stella criticizes earlier in the play—is precarious. This similar notion is suggested in Elizabeth Barret’s sonnet, with the last few lines stating, “With my lost saints,- I love thee with the breath, Smile, tears, of all my life!” Overall, it is clear that the similarities between the speaker in Browning’s sonnet and Blanche in “A Streetcar Named Desire” are striking.

King & Queen: The importance of language and its role in A Streetcar Named Desire

Nilsen’s statement about the relationship between culture and language in “Sexisim in English: A Feminist View” uncovers the connotations of gender roles in society by exposing the unashamed sexism in our own communication system. Tennessee William’s use of certain diction in “A Streetcar Named Desire” highlights the notion of gender within the context of two primary characters in the play, Blanche and Stanley.

Blanche is referred to an “old maid” (60) which conveys the notion of an unattractive, economically disadvantaged individual. Nilsen brings up an interesting point when discussing this issue, stating the striking differences in connotations between “sir” and “madam”. In the case when terms have male and female counterparts, the female ones almost always carry damaging connotations. Moreover, Blanche is objectified on different cases, being called a “dainty moth” (67) and “as fresh as a daisy” (49). Women are portrayed in a fairly passive manner by using pet names rather than men, who are too active to be thought of with mere pet names. At one point, Mitch refers to Blanche as a “wild-cat” (143), yet this term also carries a downbeat connotation of wild, unruly behavior.

The objectification of women is an issue feminists fight against, and is quite apparent in the play. Her fragility and delicacy is clear, with words such as “fading”, “vivacity”, and “unrefined” being used frequently throughout to almost characterize her as an inanimate item. Williams truly attempts to show women’s passivity during the era, which is made even more clear by Blanche’s statements: “…we have got to make grow and cling to, and hold as our flag in this dark march”

Ironically, Blanche’s name itself is defined as “to make white or pale by extracting color; bleach”. It’s no wonder a central theme in the play is female dependence or reliance on males, and the words used to convey notions of gender for Blanche underline this theme for the audience.

Stanley on the other hand is portrayed in an entirely different light due to his gender. William conveys Stanley as a brute-like, animalistic character. Although he is of Polish descent and is criticized by Blanche for being common, the connotations associated with how he is described put him in a better light. Stella calls him “as good as a lamb” (72) and Stanley himself feels “ I am the king around here” (131). Nilsen expresses the fact that gender pairs of words such as count and countess and king and queen highlight gender power discrepancies, with king being mightier than a queen.

Nevertheless, the words used to describe Stanley imply that he is a strong individual to a certain extent. He is feared, as most masculine men were in society, for his “madman” (73) characteristics. Nevertheless, Stella’s desire to be sexually satisfied influences her perception of him, and hence she has no problem referring to him as a “King” (131) and in fact at one point even calls him “master sergeant” (18). Despite the domestic violence that Blanche observes between Stanley and Stella, she is still able to call him “as good as a lamb” (72) which indicates how far women in the play are willing to tolerate their husbands behavior in order to benefit from their sustenance. After all, Blanche and Stella are not self-sufficient economically or socially following the loss of Belle Reve.