Morality And Reputation - Snd

Question 1

“You were married once weren’t you?”

Answer 1

Scene 1 - Stanley to bLANCHE

Theme of reputation presented through the women’s previous marriages

Question 2

The repetitive motif of bathing of Blanche
‘I take hot baths for my nerves. Hydro-therapy, they call it’

Answer 2

Symbolic need for Blanche to wash her sins away
Reflects the Christian baptism, where emerging from the water symbolises a new birth and forgiveness of past sins.

Question 3

Southern belle

Answer 3

From old south with aristocratic heritage
In ‘The Mind of the South’ W.J. Cash details the perception of the old South’s ideal woman who was ‘morally pure and innocent.’ - something blanche struggled with and felt she needed to portray to be accepted.

Question 4

“Daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice (…) white gloves (…) white clothes”

Answer 4

Scene 1
Contrast to surroundings
Not meant to be here but it drawn to it like a moth
Facade - reputation of southern belle

Colour symbolism
PROLEPTIC IRONY to foreshadow that appearance of purity and innocence is far from reality of past endeavors with men

Question 5

[he holds the botte to the light]
“Have a shot? // No, I - rarely touch it.”

Answer 5

Lies, again
By holding bottle to the light, Stanley sees through it, he sees through B’s lies
Motif of light - symbol of truth

Question 6

“He didn’t know what he was doing (…) He was as good as a lamb when I came back and he;s very, very ashamed of himself”

Answer 6

Scene 4

Stella makes excuses for Stanley’s abuse
Repetition of “very” - the need for her to repeat to convince herself and b that the abuse was ATONED for

• justifies it further by saying “on our wedding night (…) rushed about the place smashing the light bulbs with it”

Stella - delusion and madness in the home