Hegemonic Masculinity

Question 1

‘He heaves the package at her’

Answer 1

This symbolises their sexual relationship - Stanley is the hunter and Stella waits happily at home for his return

Question 2

‘Animal joy in his being is implicit’

Answer 2

Suggests wildness and promiscuous

Question 3

‘I don’t like to be swindled’

Answer 3

As a man Stanley likes to be in charge - he does not wanted to be cheated out of anything especially money and also especially by a woman

Question 4

‘Jerks out an armful of dresses’

Answer 4

‘Jerks’ is a dynamic verb - aggressive - little care for Blanche

Question 5

‘The touch of your hands insults them’

Answer 5

Blanche’s hypocrisy - also foreshadows Stanley’s destructive nature

Question 6

‘Poker players…wear coloured shirts’

Answer 6

The bright colours emphasises all the male domination and control that these character have

Question 7

‘Hurry back and we’ll fix you a sugar tit’

Answer 7

Idiom - Mitch is seen to be caring but Stanley makes fun of this - asserting masculine stereotypes

Question 8

‘When men are drinking…it’s always a powder keg’

Answer 8

Metaphor - Stella is making excuses for Stanley - because they are men Blanche wouldn’t understand that this what they do

Question 9

‘Holding some packages…wears an undershirt and grease stained pants’

Answer 9

Stanley’s appearance is always rough but emphasises his role as the breadwinner and worker for the family - also demonstrates his masculinity

Question 10

‘He grins through the curtains at Blanche’

Answer 10

This creates a menacing atmosphere as Stanley has set up the rivalry between him and Blanche over Stella

Question 11

‘Mitch is a buddy of mine

Answer 11

Cult of masculinity - men stick up for each other - soldier mentality to stick together

Question 12

‘She’ll go! Period. P.S She’ll go Tuesday’

Answer 12

Stanley’s speech features lots of elisions - he is being petty and childish in order to get control back

Question 13

‘Of course you boys don’t notice things like that’

Answer 13

This is rather backhanded - Blanche is talking to Mitch as though he is a child or a ‘boy’

Question 14

‘The same raw and lurid one of the disastrous poker night’

Answer 14

Foreshadows the disaster which again will follows in this scene - the two most climatic moments happen at a poker games

Question 15

‘I always did say that men are callous things with no feeling but this does beat anything. Making pigs of yourselves’

Answer 15

Eunice is the voice of reason for the all the characters in the play - she is not afraid to stand up to the men and point out what they are doing is wrong

Question 16

‘[wildly] You! You done this all o’ your Goddamn interfering’/ ‘I’ll kill you [he lunges and strikes at Stanley’

Answer 16

Mitch has never properly stood up to Stanley before but he is trying to stand up for Blanche as she is unable to anymore

Question 18

Connell (1995) gender theory?

Answer 18

hegemonic masculinity - practices that authorise and encourage male domination
other types: complicit masculinity, marginalised masculinity and subordinate masculinity

Question 19

Context for hegemonic masculinity?

Answer 19

Andrew Rotundo - the rise of a market economy and republican government saw a shift into self made manhood
WWII led veteran pursuing passions more
Napoleonic code gave husbands authority

Question 20

Why is Blanche said to have a masculine energy and what are the consequences of this?

Answer 20

she is openly flirtatious and sexual with the young man and can control situations to her benefit
while her sexuality is condemned Stanley’s is praised

Question 21

What is Stella’s approach to hegemonic masculinity?

Answer 21

she dismisses Stanley’s brutishness as an expert behaviour of an alpha male - he holds a psychological power over her
her relationship reflects the patriarchal hierarchy

Question 22

Stanley and hegemonic masculinity?

Answer 22

Stanley becomes the embodiment of archetypal machismo
his male power is rooted in his sexual male gaze
his response to social justice inferiors is violence - his rape of Blanche is to push her back to a status of inferiority as he feels threatened by her

Question 23

How does Stanley not fully fit into the category of hegemonic masculinity?

Answer 23

Stanley in 1940s would have been denied many privileges of american men as he was polish
he would have been conscious of his ostracisation by society
he is also a blue collar worker
he therefore uses verbal and physical dominance to assert his power on Blanche - compensation for the fact he does not possess hegemonic masculinity

Question 24

What are example of subordinate masculinity in the play?

Answer 24

allan gray-
homosexuality was considered a mental illness was
his association with the colour grey shows how he is different from stanley’s harsh colours
he is camouflaging himself to survive
this is similar to Blanches name - they both end up victims of hegemonic masculinity

mitch-
presented to be a beta male
as he acts like a gentleman society labels him rather as awkward
his treatment of blanche at the end reclaims his status as an alpha male as well as his sexist ideals