Light Flashcards
“I won’t be looked at in this merciless glare!”
-blanches need to hide from the light is in allegory for her need to hide from her past
-also shows her vanity
“She moves out of the yellow streak of light” and “moves back into the stream of light”
-when Blanche moved out of the light it shows her tendency to hide
-when she moves back in it is purposely to provoke the men because she wants to control how she is viewed and she wants to be viewed sexually
“This adorable little coloured paper lantern…I can’t stand a naked bulb”
-plastic theatre: the lantern dims the light and puts Blanche in the shadow just like she wishes to dim her past
-the harshness of the light is dimmed to give Blanche somewhere to hide.
“Shimmer and glow-put a-paper lantern over the light”
-“shimmer and glow”- metaphor for blanches performance of desire
-metaphor of paper lantern creates a dark moody feel for sex but also shows how Blanche wants to hide.
“Like you turned a blinding light on something that had always been half in shadow”
-metaphor for discovery of love and sex as a blinding light
-Prehaps explains why Blanche can’t stand bright lights because she is scared of that heartbreak
“The searchlight which had been turned on the world was turned off again and never for one moment since has there been any light stronger”
-light is a metaphor for love: she hasn’t been able to find a love like that for Allan grey since.
-search light cause also be a metaphor for the harsh reality of the realisation that Allan was gay
“Candles burn out in little boys and girls eyes…and after that happens electric bulbs go on and you see too plainly”
-metaphor for loss of innocent, children will lose the innocence(candles) and see too plainly(electric bulbs) when they are exposed to harsh reality of the real world
“I like the dark.the dark is comforting”
-Blanche finds comfort in darkness with out having to see the harsh reality of her self and her past
“He..seizes the paper lantern, tearing it. She cried out as if the lantern was herself”
-paper lantern was like blanches protection and Stanley tearing it down is exposing her and taking away her final comfort
