Femeninity Flashcards
“You are as fresh as a daisy” “one that’s been picked a few days”
-simile of Blanche as an old daisy- shows she believes her beauty of fading
-suggests she is vain and fishing for a compliment
“Virgo is the virgin”
-irony as Blanche is most likely not a virgin
-likes to pretend she is pure and innocent and in line with southern beliefs of chastity
“People don’t see you-men don’t- don’t even admit your existence unless they are making love to you”
-hyperbole shows the way Blanche struggles and her dependency on sex
“You’ve got to be soft and attractive”
-definitive “got to be” shows the expectations of women to be attractive
“Washing out some things”
-blanches constant need to bathe to maintain her opinion is an allegory for her need to wash away her sins and past
“Sister Blanche is no lily”
-Lily’s are usually white flowers that connote innocence-Stanley’s comment shows expectations for women to be innocent and pure as Blanche tried to fit this.
“Her future is mapped out for her”
-reference to Stanley’s control over Blanche by sending her away
-could also connote the idea that women had a lack of control in their lives and were either controlled by father or husband
“Physical beauty is passing. But beauty of the mind and the richness of the spirit and tenderness of the heart”
-syndetic list: Blanche showing there is more to a women than her beauty
“She cries out…she moans”
-zoomorphism of a prey: shows Blanche as vulnerable against Stanley
“This game is seven card stud”
-final lines on the play is a reference to the poker game
-metaphor for the manner in which men have controlled blanches life
-women’s lives are almost like a game
