Scene 6

Question 1

sex symbol of her era, she was known to tackle controversial roles and steamy scenes. Her blunt sexuality was notorious
iconic Hollywood figure

Answer 1

Mae West

Question 2

symbolises Mitch’s social ineptitude in navigating complex dynamics with Blanche
inability to meet Blanche’s expectations of a refined and idealized partner

Answer 2

“bearing, upside down, a plaster statuette of Mae West”

Question 3

fantasy, temporary thrill
fleeting illusory nature of relationship
irony - associated with childhood innocence
Mitch’s lack of sophistication/ straightforward ideals
accessible by streetcar - journey of escapism, driven by fleeting desires/illusions
circularity of streetcar and Blanche’s fate - relief with Mitch is temporary as its only a diversion and does not alter Blanche’s ultimate destination, as a streetcar cannot deviate from tracks

Answer 3

amusement park date setting

Question 4

playful insinuation as to whether Mitch has lost interest
reflects her own sexual longings
ultimately ambiguous and existentially questioning line BUT the metaphor goes over Mitch’s head - unable to grasp deeper layers of her psyche
barrier in their communication - creates mystique around herself that Mitch can’t penetrate - maintain control

Answer 4

“Is that streetcar named desire still grinding along the tracks at this hour”

Question 5

Blanche’s superfluous, metaphorical lines vs Mitch’s straightforward utterances
clear difference/incompatibility

Answer 5

“I don’t know whether you wanted me to or not”
“obeying the law of nature”

Question 6

subtle, nuanced stage directions - eviscerates any genuineness in her actions
carrying out these mannerisms for herself, antagonistic behaviour, upper hand in the relationship
reveals her motivations as security and respite from constantly evading her past instead of genuine affection/attraction

Answer 6

“bursts into laughter”
“claps a hand to her mouth”
“she rolls her eyes knowing her cannot see her face”

Question 7

consistent melodrama in her speech
she finds sanctuary in the surreal
undercurrent of manipulation - deliberately presenting as aloof - creating allure and charm

Answer 7

“all in a bunch going home from their little bridge party”

Question 8

condescending, patronising
looks down on him
perverse infantilization - sees him as incompetent/ below her
student/teacher dynamic

Answer 8

“good boy”

Question 9

portray herself as chaste, pure virgin persona
dramatic irony - just kissed the paper boy
stage directions juxtapose her statements, aware of the extent of Mitch’s oblivion

Answer 9

“that I felt obliged to discourage”
“I guess you are used to girls that like to be lost”
“old-fashioned ideals”

Question 10

contradicts her domineering acts - needs control of her environment for stability
subtle reminder of her deceit and lengths she will go to cover it as well as her overall insecurity surrounding her ‘true self’

Answer 10

“let’s leave the lights off”

Question 11

Blanche’s affluent upbringing, cultural elitism, refined taste contrasts Mitch’s working-class, parochial background
constructs a fantasy world which is a direct manifestation of her need to project an image of refinement

Answer 11

“sitting in a little artist’s café on the left bank of Paris

Question 12

novel by Alexander Dumas
upper class courtesan ostracized by society - direct parallel to Blanche
doomed love with Armand due to her own illness + society
surface level - romantic idealism, fantasy of Mitch as her young courteous lover
deeper - book ends in tragedy + Marguerite’s death
foreshadowing their relationship’s demise, but first hint that perhaps Blanche already knows this and is, again, living in delusion until her eventual demise

Answer 12

“je suis la Dame aux Camellias! Vous etes - Armand!”

Question 13

she has power - manipulating the meaning behind this encounter
language and class = tool for asserting dominance
outward mystique + enigmatic persona
reveals internal longings - poignant moment where Blanche’s raw, sexual drive mirrors that of the rest of the characters in the play - theme of human nature
sexual desperation underneath the facade

Answer 13

“Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir?”

Question 14

projecting his masculinity and also working-class identity
unashamed pride in his hard work and how it has payed off

Answer 14

“membership to the New Orleans Athletc Club”
“now my belly is hard”
“207 pounds and I’m 6”1 and a half inches tall in my bare feet”

Question 15

conversation is strained and uninteresting
Blanche’s sarcasm and Mitch’s embarrassment highlights their incompatibility

Answer 15

“Oh, my goodness me! It’s awe-inspiring.”

Question 16

speaks to society he is in - used to physical resolutions eg. violence, sex
working-class, primal passion

Answer 16

“just give me a slap whenever I step out of bounds”

Question 17

cannot underestimate power of camaraderie and platonic fraternity

Answer 17

“we was together in the two-forty-first”

Question 18

Blanche starts to have an epiphany, but doesn’t allow it to come to fruition
writer’s craft - carefully foreshadows events to come

Answer 18

“perhaps in some perverse kind of way he”

Question 19

commenting on his unwavering and blind loyalty
acute ability to read people

Answer 19

“you have a great capacity for devotion”

Question 20

overwhelming illumination that ultimately warped her perception - couldn’t see that Alan was gay
his presence indicates the first intense realisation about her passions

Answer 20

“suddenly turned a blinding light on something that had always been half in shadow”

Question 21

Blanche’s treatment of Alan Grey was as a result of societal conceptions of homosexuality
uses Blanche as a mouthpiece to expose how misunderstood gay people were
idiosyncrasies of her metaphors expose level of guilt - although this monologue serves as a confession, she still uses poetic lexis to euphemise the events that took place

Question 22

on multiple occasions the locomotive/train interrupts Blanche’s monologues
symbolises the destruction of Blanche’s old life and identity - it undermines her speech and literally dominates over her
appears at times of emotional turmoil to increase tension in the scene
Blanche cannot cope when she does not have full control of her environment - symbolises her loosening grip on her sanity

Answer 22

“a locomotive is heard approaching outside”
“she claps her hands to her ears and crouches over”

Question 23

moment of pathos for Blanche from the audience, her actions from this point are more understood

Answer 23

epicentre of climax

Question 24

Blanche’s emotional release, acts as the beginning of an emotional cleansing, allegorising Mitch as a trajectory of hope

Answer 24

small cathartic moment