Scene 10, Themes and Connotations Flashcards
How is the theme of inside vs outside continued in this scene?
The outside world intrudes upon Blanche as the walls “become transparent” and this is symbolic of Blanche’s dream succumbing to reality. Moreover, the outside world is shown to be a place of violence and thievery as we can see a drunkard and a woman who stole a “sequined bag” from a prostitute. This reflects how Blanche feels the real world is not tolerable and is forced to create a false illusion just to survive.
How is the theme of pleasant dreams vs unpleasant gritty reality presented?
In this scene, Blanche’s illusions completely fall apart and she is forced to accept the reality of her age and the situation that she is living in, which is what drives Blanche insane. Furthermore, Blanche is shown to have a very good understanding of reality as she ‘slams the mirror’ down, breaking it at the start of the scene because she cannot bear to live in the real world. This is what makes Blanche such a tragic character; even though she has these dreams, she has a better understanding of reality than most characters in the play, and as a result, she knows that her dreams will eventually collapse, but she is forced to believe in dreams because the real world is something that she is unable to bear. The poignancy and pathos of her situation is reinforced by the fact that her evening gown is soiled and crumpled and the jewels in her tiara are merely rhinestone – cheap imitations, which echo Blanche’s, somewhat, pathetic attempts to paint reality in better colours than it warrants. The fact that Stanley destroys Blanche’s illusions, which he calls “lies and conceit and tricks”, helps to create a cruel image of him and the ‘real world’ that he represents. Stanley, and his ilk, are what will destroy Blanche and her world of beautiful illusions. His rape of Blanche helps reveal how this reality is violent and brutal; only strong men such as Stanley are able plough through it.
How is the theme of conflict presented?
Undoubtedly, conflict plays a key role in this scene. First of all, we see Blanche try to defend her dreams with a broken “bottle top” and the fact that it is broken symbolically reveals how this conflict has undermined the dreams that Blanche has had. Moreover, the violence of Stanley during his conflict with Blanche is used to indicate the animalistic instincts of the members of his society; this is what Williams feels is wrong with Stanley’s world. The rape of Blanche shifts the sympathies of the audience away from Stanley and towards Blanche. Thus, the conflict between Blanche and Stanley reveals how Williams is advocating neither society; the audience is left unsure who to support. Ultimately, this is a tragedy of a corrupt and unscrupulous society.
How does Williams present the idea of a decaying modern society?
The rape of Blanche is used by Williams to reveal the extinction of the morals and values that Blanche’s society represents. At the time when Williams wrote this play, the social structure of America was changing and the aristocratic way of life represented by Blanche and the world of Belle Reve, was giving way to a more dynamic (albeit more violent) world of working class immigrants. This play shows how Williams believes that the working class was winning this struggle, but he does raise one important consequence; if the rape of Blanche is intended to reflect the real world, then isn’t the fantasy world and sophistication of Blanche worth keeping? Williams leaves it up to the audience to decide if the decay of modern society should be allowed to continue as he believes that both societies have their own flaws.
