What is the importance of setting in A Streetcar Named Desire?

Laurine Herzog

Alongside the significance of
New Orleans, outlined very well in a previous response,
perhaps the other
most important use of setting occurs in scene 10. Scene 10 is an excellent

example of William's use of a staging method known as "plastic theatre," which is
when
the setting on stage is manipulated so as to parallel the state of a
character's mind or/and
emotions.

In scene 10, Blanche is
confronted by Stanley, who stalks after her
through the apartment. He is
presented as the predator, and she is presented as the prey. As the
scene
builds to its horrifying, Blanche's emotions also build to a climax, and her mental
state
becomes more and more unstable. Indeed, the climax of this scene marks
the point in the play
where Blanche's mental instability becomes madness.
This is echoed by the setting of the scene
on stage. We hear "inhuman voices
like cries in the jungle," and these voices become
louder and louder, and we
hear the "blue piano . . . turn into a roar of an

approaching...

]]>