scene 11 Flashcards
stage directions:
‘the portieres are partly open on the poker players’
nothing changes to stop the new south from being the way it is
refusal to change
stanley is reclaiming his space and life seems to be resuming as normal - stanley has won.
male dominant setting.
stage directions:
‘open trunk’
suitcase, previously had a valise
motif for blanche’s demise - tearing her past
stanley:
‘put it in english, greaseball’
derogatory term
stanley hates being called a polack
winning - uses an imperative
hypocritical - he is not english either
mitch:
‘you…you…you…brag…brag…bull…bull’
can’t get all his words out
guilty
shows how stanley is exceptionally immoral
blanche:
‘try and locate a bunch of artificial violets’
still concerned about looks
funeral flowers - foreshadows her demise
still faking herself
associated with death and a young woman’s sorrow over losing a loved one
stella:
‘i couldn’t believe and go on living with stanley’
can’t be alone due to social expectations
belief is based on trust
wrong to love, right to live
if she believes he’s a rapist it will shatter stella’s illusion
eunice:
‘don’t ever believe it. life has to go on. no matter what happens, you’ve got to keep on going’
stella is doing the right thing
social darwinism - survival of the fittest - do what you have to do to stay alive
links to societal expectations
stage directions:
‘blanche appears in the amber light of the door, she has a tragic radiance in her red satin robe following sculptural lines of her body. the varsouviana rises audibly as blanche enter the bedroom’
contrapuntal sound
power/ tragedy rather than seduction
added that description to show how her end is almost near – parallel to a greek tragic hero at elysian fields
sculptures are usually made after a tragic hero’s ending - greek mythology
stage directions:
‘silverbacked mirror’
smashed last time
acceptance - sad
symbol of inferiority biblically
stage directions:
‘she turns from stella to eunice and back to stella. her rising voice penetrates the concentration of the game. mitchducks his head lower but stanley shoves back his chair as if about to rise. steve places a restraining hand on his arm’
stanley doesn’t care even though he’s caused it
williams intentionally trying to display the lack of morality
blanche:
‘yes it will do! i’m anxious to get out of here - this place is a trap’
parallels stanley’s attack
too late
is a trap
blanche:
‘that doesn’t mean they’ve been washed’
just because you live like this, doesn’t mean it’s okay
purity/clean
alludes to the old south
blanche:
‘i don’t want to pass in front of those men’
contrasts scene 3 when she would’ve done this eagerly
can’t be part of that world
blanche:
‘i can smell the sea air. the rest of my time i’m going to spend on the sea. and when i die, i’m going to die on the sea. you know what i shall die of? i shall die of eating an unwashed grape’
fantasising about her death
it won’t go like this - mental hospital
more trauma
delusions have grown more romantic and literary as she retreats further into madness.
given up on trying to reconcile her visions with reality and surrendered completely to fantasy.
wants to cleanse herself with the ocean
stage directions:
‘a doctor and a matron have appeared around the corner of the building and climbed the steps to the porch. the gravity of their profession is exaggerated - the unmistakable aura of the state institution with its cynical detachment. the doctor rings the doorbell. the murmur of the game is interrupted’
williams’ experience with female mental health
sister was schizophrenic
