Streetcar 2 Flashcards

1
Q

Blanche bathing

A
  • key motif
  • happens mostly after she has had a breakdown
  • represents themes of privacy, escape, avoidance, baptism, cleanliness and purity, sexuality
  • shows her as a parasite on Stanley and stella (no job, time, etc
  • allows her to be practically naked in the flat (doesn’t dress in the bathroom)
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2
Q

‘I’m taking Blanche…’

A

‘I’m taking Blanche to Galatoires’ for supper’ - Stella
- shows some level of control, she is telling him not asking

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3
Q

‘How about my…’

A

‘How about my supper, huh? I’m not going to no Galatoires’ for supper!’ - Stanley
- childish resentment
- a problem she has to fix

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4
Q

‘and you’d better…’

A

‘and you’d better give me some money.’ - Stella
- again showing control, but also comfort with Stanley

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5
Q

‘[vaguely] Oh, it had to…’

A

‘[vaguely]: Oh it had to be - sacrificed or something’ - Stella
- deliberately avoiding the details

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6
Q

Stella tries to gloss over the Belle Reve information

A

‘When she comes in be sure to say something nice about her appearance. And, oh! Don’t mention the baby.’ - Stella
- quickly changes the subject after dropping the Belle Reve bomb

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7
Q

Stanley becomes interrogative

A

‘So?’ repeated then ‘huh?’ also repeated
- domineering and impatient

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8
Q

‘Yeah. I get the…’

A

‘Yeah. I get the idea. Now let’s skip back a little to where you said the country place was disposed of.’ - Stanley
- taking command
- begins to engage and speak more (longer sentences)

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9
Q

‘So that’s the deal…’

A

‘So that’s the deal, huh? Sister Blanche cannot be annoyed with business details right now!’ - Stanley
- accusatory
- undertone of anger/frustration

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10
Q

‘Uh-hum…’

A

‘Uh-hum, I saw how she was. Now let’s have a gander at the bill of sale.’ - Stanley
- dismissive of Blanche’s mental state

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11
Q

‘Shhh…’

A

‘Shhh! She’ll hear you.’ - Stella
- attempt to deescalate

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12
Q

‘I don’t care…’

A

‘I don’t care if she hears me. Let’s see the papers!’ - Stanley
- where Stella is more worried about upsetting Blanche than any paperwork, Stanley is the opposite

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13
Q

‘There weren’t any…’

A

‘There weren’t any papers, she didn’t show any papers, I don’t care about papers.’ - Stella
- doesn’t want to upset both Blanche and Stanley - managing both
- dismissing the papers idea
- holding her own even as Stanley becomes angry

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14
Q

‘Have you heard of…’

A

‘Have you heard of the Napoleonic code?’ - Stanley
- legal terms, knowledge over stella
- repeats ‘Napoleonic code’ lots from here onwards

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15
Q

‘No, Stanley, I haven’t heard…’

A

‘No, Stanley, I haven’t heard of the Napoleonic code’ - Stella
- dismissive of it, tired of him (can almost hear her sighing)

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16
Q

‘My head..’

A

‘My head is swimming!’ - stella
- stopping the conversation

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17
Q

‘It looks to me like…’

A

‘It looks to me like you have been swindled, baby, and wen you’re swindled under the Napoleonic code I’m swindled /too/. And I don’t like to be /swindled/.’ - Stanley
- growing resentment for Blanche/Stella’s family
- distrusting of the rich

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18
Q

‘you don’t know how…’

A

‘you don’t know how ridiculous you are being when you suggest that my sister or I or anyyone of our family could have perpetrated a swindle on anyone else.’ - Stella
- diction becomes longer and more traditional
- defends Blanche and their family

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19
Q

Stanley becomes aggressive and angry (SD)

A

‘[He stalks into bedroom]’
‘[He pulls open the wardrobe trunk […] and jerks out an armful of dresses]’
‘[hurls the furs]’
‘[jerks open]’
‘[pulls up a fistful of costume jewellery]’

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20
Q

what are some of the clothes Stanley pulls out and comments on?

A
  • ‘A solid-gold dress, I believe!’
  • ‘Fox-pieces’ ‘Genuine fox fur-pieces, a half a mile long!’
  • ‘treasure chest’ ‘deep-sea diver who brings up sunken treasures?’
  • ‘Pearls! Ropes of them!’
  • ‘Bracelets of solid gold’
  • ‘diamonds!’
  • ‘A crown for an empress!’
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21
Q

‘Where are your…’ (repeated)

A

‘Where are your fox-pieces, Stella?’
‘Where are your white fox-pieces?’
‘Where are all your pearls and gold bracelets?’
‘Where are your pearls and gold bracelets?’
- Stanley

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22
Q

‘The treasure…’

A

‘The treasure chest of a pirate!’
‘What is this sister of yours, a deep-sea diver who brings up sunken treasures? Or is she the champion safe-cracker of all time!’ - Stanley
- becomes fantastical
- story-like and simplistic language

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23
Q

what do the clothes and Stanley’s misjudgement show?

A
  • the divide between the old and new america (with stella as a bridge)
  • stanley sees all these things as real and expensive because he assumes as much
  • Stella points out they are inexpensive fakes
  • Blanche keeps these fake expensive accessories (to fake her southern belle identity?)
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24
Q

‘What’s rhinestone?’

A
  • class distinction
  • antagonism
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25
Q

‘You have no idea how stupid…’

A

‘You have no idea how stupid and horrible you’re being!’ - Stella to Stanley

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26
Q

‘The Kowalskis and…’

A

‘The Kowalskis and DuBois have different notions’ - Stanley
- sees class as the problem
- which does Stella belong to?

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27
Q

‘Indeed they have…’

A

‘Indeed they have, thank heavens! - /I’m/ going outside.’ [She snatches up her white hat and gloves and crosses to the outside door.]’
- reverts to her southern belle, aristocratic side (‘white hat and gloves’ like Blanche’s)

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28
Q

‘Since when do you…’

A

‘Since when do you give me orders?’ - Stanley to Stella
- he has become angry and the dynamic has changed

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29
Q

‘You’re damn…’

A

‘You’re damn tootin’ I’m going to stay here.’ - Stanley
- wants to argue, impulsive

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30
Q

‘[Blanche comes out…]’

A

‘[Blanche comes out of the bathroom in a red satin robe.]’
- bathing will become a quirk Stanley dislikes
- next to naked
- femininity and sexuality
- chooses not to get dressed in the bathroom

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31
Q

‘Hello, Stanley…’

A

‘Hello, Stanley! Here I am, all freshly bathed…’ - Blanche
- ‘Here I am’ is suggestive given her lack of clothing
- wants him to look at her

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32
Q

‘all freshly bathed…’

A

‘all freshly bathed and scented, and feeling like a brand-new human being!’ - Blanche
- idea of baptism
- drawing attention to her next to nudity

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33
Q

‘Excuse me while…’

A

‘Excuse me while I slip on my pretty new dress!!’ - Blanche
- again, drawing attention to nudity

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34
Q

‘[ominously]: Yeah?’

A

‘[ominously]: Yeah?’ - Stanley
- waiting to strike

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35
Q

‘I’m going to…’

A

‘I’m going to ask a favour of you in a moment.’ - Blanche
‘What could that be, I wonder?’ - Stanley

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36
Q

‘Some buttons…’

A

‘Some buttons in back! You may enter!’ - Blanche
- nudity again, finding reasons

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37
Q

‘[He crosses through…’

A

‘[He crosses through the drapes with a smouldering look.]’ - SD
- sexual/anger

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38
Q

Blanche’s flirting

A
  • open and flagrant
  • idea that she seduces him
  • her only known way of interacting with men
    ‘You men with your big clumsy fingers.’
    ‘May I have a drag on your cig?’
    ‘I was fishing for a compliment’
    ‘I cannot imagine any witch of a woman casting a spell over you’
    ‘a little bit on the primitive side’
    ‘cards on the table’
    ‘paints in strong, bold colours, primary colours’
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39
Q

‘You men…’

A

‘You men with your big clumsy fingers. May I have a drag on your cig?’ - Blanche
- flirting
- masculinity

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40
Q

Stanley is dismissive of Blanche’s flirting

A

‘You look all right’
‘I can’t do nothing with them.’
‘Have one for yourself’
‘Your looks are okay’
‘I don’t go in for that stuff’

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41
Q

‘I can’t do…’

A

‘I can’t do nothing with them.’ - Stanley (buttons)
- double negative (difference in education vs Blanche)

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42
Q

‘Why, thanks…’
‘Well, you certainly…’

A

‘Why, thanks! … It looks like my trunk has exploded.’ - Blanche
‘Well, you certainly did a fast and thorough job of it!’ - Blanche
- both aware of the elephant in the room but are skirting around the topic

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43
Q

‘It looks like you raided…’

A

‘It looks like you raided some stylish shops in Paris.’ - Stanley
- sarcastic question

44
Q

‘What does it cost…’

A

‘What does it cost for a string of fur-pieces like that?’ - Stanley

45
Q

‘He must have…’

A

‘He must have had a lot of - admiration!’ - Stanley
- suggestive

46
Q

‘Oh, in my…’

A

‘Oh, in my youth I excited some admiration. But look at me now!’ - Blanche
- fishing for compliments (self-depreciating)
- declining/aging southern belle

47
Q

‘I was fishing…’

A

‘I was fishing for a compliment, Stanley.’ - Blanche
- outward, not subtle
- Stanley is dismissive and even rejecting of her, he allows the convo. to become one-sided

48
Q

‘I don’t go…’

A

‘I don’t go in for that stuff.’ - Stanley

49
Q

‘I never met a woman…’

A

‘I never met a woman that didn’t know if she was good-looking or not without being told’ - Stanley
- targeted at Blanche given her persistent search for compliments

50
Q

‘Some men are…’

A

‘Some men are took in by this Hollywood glamour stuff and some men are not.’ - Stanley
- again, aimed at Blanche (glamour)
- the distinction between her and him

51
Q

‘I cannot imagine any…’

A

‘I cannot imagine any witch of a woman casting a spell over you.’ - Blanche
- conflicting given she appears to be trying to seduce him with all the outward flirting

52
Q

‘You’re simple, straightforward…’

A

‘You’re simple, straightforward and honest, a little bit on the primitive side I should think.’ - Blanche to Stanley
- trying to prove she knows him
- trying to work out how she can appeal to him

53
Q

‘To interest you a…’

A

‘To interest you a woman would have to - [she pauses with an indefinite gesture.]’ - Blanche
‘[Slowly]: Lay… her cards on the table.’ - Stanley
- trying to work out how to appeal to him
- sexuality, suggestive

54
Q

‘Well, life is too full…’

A

‘Well, life is too full of evasions and ambiguities, I think. I like an artist who paints in strong, bold colours, primary colours.’ - Blanche
- ironic given she evades questions about Belle Reve and talks in embellished language
- likes explicit, forward advances
- sexuality and masculinity

55
Q

‘when you walked in…’

A

‘when you walked in here last night, I said to myself - ‘My sister has married a man!’’ - Blanche
- brings attention back to the SIL-BIL grounds (triggers Stanley’s cut back to the Belle Reve topic)

56
Q

‘Now let’s cut…’

A

‘Now let’s cut the re-bob!’ - Stanley
- power struggle
- trying to end the flirtatious lines?

57
Q

‘Stanley! You come out…’

A

‘Stanley! You come out here and let Blanche finish dressing!’ - Stella
- mediator

58
Q

‘Your sister and I…’

A

‘Your sister and I are having a little talk.’ - Stanley
- patronising (“this convo is for grown ups”)

59
Q

‘Honey, do me a…’

A

‘Honey, do me a favour. Run to the drug-store and get me a lemon-coke with plenty of chipped ice in it! - Will you do that for me, Sweetie?’ - Blanche
- patronising
- treats her like a maid or a child (demands things but also like she doesn’t know anything)
- getting rid of her
- feigns innocence ‘[lightly]’

60
Q

‘The poor…’

A

‘The poor thing was out there listening to us, and I have an idea she doesn’t understand you as well as I do’ - Blanche
- ‘Honey’ ‘Sweetie’ ‘little talk’ ‘Will you do that for me’
- treats her like a child or someone to be pitied
- patronising
- make her seem superior to Stella

61
Q

‘All right, now…’

A

‘All right, now, Mr Kowalski, let us proceed without any more double-talk.’ - stanley
- switches to formalities (‘Mr Kowalski’ from the flirting)

62
Q

‘I’m ready to answer…’

A

‘I’m ready to answer all questions. I’ve got nothing to hide. What is it?’ - Blanche

63
Q

‘My, but you have…’

A

‘My, but you have an impressive judicial air!’
- flirtatious
- avoidance

64
Q

Blanche avoiding questions

A

‘I’m ready to answer all questions’ then:
‘My, but you have an impressive judicial air!’
‘[playfully sprays him with it]’

65
Q

‘He seizes the…’

A

‘[He seizes the atomizer and slams it down on the dresser.]’ - SD
- power and masculinity

66
Q

‘If I didn’t know that…’

A

‘If I didn’t know that you was my wife’s sister I’d get ideas about you!’ - Stanley
- suggestive

67
Q

‘Don’t play so…’

A

‘Don’t play so dumb. You know what!’ - Stanley
- frustrated at the fake innocence

68
Q

‘Papers! That…’

A

‘Papers! That stuff people write on!’ - Stanley
- sarcasm

69
Q

‘There /were/…’

A

‘There /were/ some papers.’ - Blanche
‘They probably are, somewhere.’ - B
- ambiguity, still airy (‘life is too full of evasions and ambiguities’ - B)

70
Q

‘Everything that I…’

A

‘Everything that I own is in that trunk.’ - Blanche
- lost everything, permanence

71
Q

‘[shoves it…]’

A

‘[shoves it roughly open]’ - SD (stanley)
- anger

72
Q

‘What’s in the back of that…’

A

‘What’s in the back of that little boys’ mind of yours?’ - Blanche
- contrast to ‘My sister has married a man’

73
Q

‘That I am absconding…’

A

‘That I am absconding with something, attempting some kind of treachery on my sister?’ - Blanche
- hyperbolised

74
Q

‘These are love-letters…’

A

‘These are love-letters, yellowing with antiquity, all from one boy.’ - Blanche
- poetic - trying to be airy
- honour and purity?

75
Q

‘[He snatches…]’

A

‘[He snatches them up. She speaks fiercely.] Give those back to me!’ - SD and Blanche
- sore spot
- power play

76
Q

‘I’ll have a look…’

A

‘I’ll have a look at them first!’ - Stanley
- power, demanding

77
Q

‘The touch of your…’

A

‘The touch of your hand insults them!’ - Blanche
- poetic again, passionate and floral

78
Q

‘[He rips off the…’

A

‘[He rips off the ribbon and starts to examine them. Blanche snatches them from him, and they cascade to the floor.]’ - SD
- power

79
Q

‘Now that you’ve touched…’

A

‘Now that you’ve touched them I’ll burn them!’ - Blanche
- real emotion

80
Q

‘Poems a dead…’

A

‘Poems a dead boy wrote. I hurt him the way that you would like to hurt me, but you can’t!’ - Blanche
- real emotion - guilt?
- but is this true or will he hurt her?

81
Q

‘I’m not young…’

A

‘I’m not young and vulnerable any more. But my young husband was and I - never mind about that!’ - Blanche
- emotional
- regret

82
Q

‘Just give…’

A

‘Just give them back to me!’ - Blanche
- simplified, no flowery language

83
Q

‘I’m sorry, I must have…’

A

‘I’m sorry, I must have lost my head for a moment. Everyone has something he won’t let others touch because of their - intimate nature…’
- regained composure
- archaic ‘won’t let others touch’

84
Q

‘[She now seems…]’

A

‘[She now seems faint with exhaustion]’
- back to pre-bath Blanche

85
Q

‘[puts on a…]’

A

‘[puts on a pair of glasses and goes methodically through a large stack of papers]’
- change in persona

86
Q

‘[touching her…’

A

‘[toucher her forehead]: that must have been what happened.’ - Blanche
- damsel

87
Q

‘I don’t want no…’

A

‘I don’t want no ifs, ands, or buts!’ - Stanley
- she hadn’t said any
- trying to remain angry

88
Q

‘[She hands…]’

A

‘[She hands him the entire box.]’
- submissive

89
Q

‘affecting Belle Reve as,…’

A

‘affecting Belle Reve as, piece by piece, our improvident grandfathers and father and uncles and brothers exchanged the land for their epic fornications’ - Blanche
- shares with Stanley
- ‘improvident’ - not forward-thinking
- ‘epic fornications’ 0 slang, attributing it to the male sex and their sexual natures

90
Q

‘including a graveyard…’

A

‘including a graveyard, to which now all but Stella and I have retreated.’ - Blanche
- death again (monologue)

91
Q

‘Here all of them…’

A

‘Here all of them are, all papers! I hereby endow you with them!’ - Blanche
- dramatic

92
Q

‘I think it’s wonderfully…’

A

‘I think it’s wonderfully fitting that Belle Reve should finally be this bunch of old papers in your big, capable hands!’ - Blanche
- flirty/lightening the tone
- unlike her
- connecting him to the ‘improvident’ and sexual men
- rock bottom

93
Q

‘Present them to…’

A

‘Present them to him with a box of aspirin tablets.’ - Blanche
- comedic

94
Q

‘[becoming somewhat…’

A

‘[becoming somewhat sheepish]: You see, under the Napoleonic code - a man has to take an interest in his wife’s affairs’
- guilt and embarrassment
- defensive

95
Q

‘a man has to take an interest…’

A

‘a man has to take an interest in his wife’s affairs - especially now that she’s going to have a baby’ - Stanley
- lets it slip whilst defending his behaviour (‘don’t mention the baby’)

96
Q

‘[Blanche opens her…]’

A

‘Blanche opens her eyes. The ‘blue piano’ sounds louder.]’ - SD
- returns to present
- rising tension as audience realises

97
Q

‘[Dreamily…’

A

‘[Dreamily.] I didn’t know she was going to have a baby!’ - Blanche
- doesn’t react as expected
- still out of it ‘Dreamily’
- concretes that she’s chosen Stanley’s world
- just been flirting with the father

98
Q

‘Everything is all right…’

A

‘Everything is all right; we thrashed it out. I feel a bit shaky, but I think I handled it nicely. I laughed and treated it all as a joke, called him a little boy and laughed - and flirted!’ - Blanche
- focuses on herself
- immaturity (trying to irritate him)

99
Q

‘Yes - I was…’

A

‘Yes - I was flirting with your husband, Stella!’ - Blanche
- not ashamed
- no empathy or consideration for Stella’s feelings

100
Q

‘I’m sorry he did…’

A

‘I’m sorry he did that to you.’ - Stella
- doesn’t consider herself and the fact her sister flirted with her husband
- guilt over Stanley’s actions

101
Q

‘He’s just not the sort that…’

A

‘He’s just not the sort that goes for jasmine perfume!’ - Blanche
- immaturity

102
Q

‘But maybe he’s just what…’

A

‘But maybe he’s just what we need to mix with our blood now that we’ve lost Belle Reve’ - Blanche
- new start - different to B yet in some ways like her ancestors

103
Q

‘How pretty the…’

A

‘How pretty the sky is! I ought to go there on a rocket that never comes down.’ - Blanche
- innocence, fantasy

104
Q

‘[Blanche utters a sharp…]’

A

‘[Blanche utters a sharp, frightened cry and shrinks away]’
- easily spooked by this new world

105
Q

‘The blind are…’

A

‘The blind are - leading the blind!’ - Blanche to end scene 2