A Streetcar Named Desire Marriage Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Scene.Line). Every time a character talks counts as one line, even if what they say turns into a long monologue.

Quote #1

STANLEY
[bellowing] Hey there! Stella, Baby! (1.1)

The first thing the audience sees in Streetcar is the dynamic between Stanley and Stella – not the relationship between the two sisters or the sexual tension between Stanley and Blanche. This marriage and its foundations are at the core of the play’s conflicts.

Quote #2

STELLA
Can I come watch? (1.8)

Mitch will later tell Blanche that Stella and Stanley are just crazy about each other, but we get a sense of this mutual adoration early on in the play. Stella dotes on her husband to the point of worship.

Quote #3

STELLA
Yes. A different species.
BLANCHE
In what way; what’s he like?
STELLA
Oh, you can’t describe someone you’re in love with! (1.146-8)

Love blinds Stella to the social differences between herself and her husband. She doesn’t see the compatibility issues that Blanche does.