Stella Quotations Flashcards
“Can I…
come watch?” implies her place as a woman in society, finds entertainment in just watching, not playing. Williams open with establishing her as the perfect wife for the 40s nuclear family.
“Indeed they have…
thank heavens!” exposes the growing rift between Stella and Stanley, their backgrounds getting in the way of the ‘American Dream’ relationship.
“Stella…
for star!” Williams crafts Stella’s character as one that carries the motif of light, the thing that Blanche stays away from. Symbolises how Stella is able to fully embrace the New South, and Stanley, she sees the light. Exactly what Blanche tries to be but cannot.
“Precious…
lamb” plays upon Stella’s innocence and fragility, biblically concerning a sacrificial lamb, she evidently sacrifices her own self for Stanley and Blanche, the perfect submissive nuclear wife.
“narcoticized
tranquillity.” symbolises her addiction to Stanley like that of a drug, also connoting that the relationship provides her with an unreliable view, cannot get out.
“I’m not in anything…
I want to get out of.” asserts a dominance over Stella, could be said that this is a positive, sexually liberating and committed to her husband (20th century) , 21st would view this as a symptom of her abuse, self-oppressing.
“That’s much more…
practical!” her joking tone her suggests the commonplace of violence in Elysian Fields, shows Williams’ sordid view of society.
“Mr Kowalski was too busy…
making a pig out of himself to think of anything else.” complexity of the relationship starts to resurface
“I couldn’t believe her story…
and go on living with Stanley.” the verb ‘couldn’t believe’ implies an act of choice on Stella’s part, choosing to disbelieve her sister. This presents similarities between the sisters, both use fantasy as a way in which to help them survive.
“Don’t let them…
do that to her, don’t let them hurt her” the repetition of ‘don’t’ sees Stella wrestling with her consciousness, presents that it was just as difficult for her. Potential element of pathos for both audiences, seeing her in such distress.
“Nobody was tender and…
trusting as se was. But people like you abused her, and forced her to change.” Suggests her tragic flaw is being too trusting, harsh men like Stanley created the Blanche that we see in the play, because of their abuse.
“Your fix…
is worse than mine.” Blanche, Scene 4, calls out Stella for also not being able to face reality.
“(she sobs…
with inhumane abandon)” the animalistic connotations show her complete with regret and sorrow upon losing Blanche.
“People have got to…
tolerate each other’s habits, I guess.” (S5) Stella speaks all too casually about Stanley’s abuse, comparing his insane behaviour to her love of movies. The final ‘I guess’ dismisses Blanche’s warning, she runs away from the reality of her situation actively.
