Streetcar 2 Flashcards
Blanche bathing
- 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)
‘I’m taking Blanche…’
‘I’m taking Blanche to Galatoires’ for supper’ - Stella
- shows some level of control, she is telling him not asking
‘How about my…’
‘How about my supper, huh? I’m not going to no Galatoires’ for supper!’ - Stanley
- childish resentment
- a problem she has to fix
‘and you’d better…’
‘and you’d better give me some money.’ - Stella
- again showing control, but also comfort with Stanley
‘[vaguely] Oh, it had to…’
‘[vaguely]: Oh it had to be - sacrificed or something’ - Stella
- deliberately avoiding the details
Stella tries to gloss over the Belle Reve information
‘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
Stanley becomes interrogative
‘So?’ repeated then ‘huh?’ also repeated
- domineering and impatient
‘Yeah. I get the…’
‘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)
‘So that’s the deal…’
‘So that’s the deal, huh? Sister Blanche cannot be annoyed with business details right now!’ - Stanley
- accusatory
- undertone of anger/frustration
‘Uh-hum…’
‘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
‘Shhh…’
‘Shhh! She’ll hear you.’ - Stella
- attempt to deescalate
‘I don’t care…’
‘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
‘There weren’t any…’
‘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
‘Have you heard of…’
‘Have you heard of the Napoleonic code?’ - Stanley
- legal terms, knowledge over stella
- repeats ‘Napoleonic code’ lots from here onwards
‘No, Stanley, I haven’t heard…’
‘No, Stanley, I haven’t heard of the Napoleonic code’ - Stella
- dismissive of it, tired of him (can almost hear her sighing)
‘My head..’
‘My head is swimming!’ - stella
- stopping the conversation
‘It looks to me like…’
‘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
‘you don’t know how…’
‘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
Stanley becomes aggressive and angry (SD)
‘[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]’
what are some of the clothes Stanley pulls out and comments on?
- ‘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!’
‘Where are your…’ (repeated)
‘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
‘The treasure…’
‘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
what do the clothes and Stanley’s misjudgement show?
- 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?)
‘What’s rhinestone?’
- class distinction
- antagonism
‘You have no idea how stupid…’
‘You have no idea how stupid and horrible you’re being!’ - Stella to Stanley
‘The Kowalskis and…’
‘The Kowalskis and DuBois have different notions’ - Stanley
- sees class as the problem
- which does Stella belong to?
‘Indeed they have…’
‘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)
‘Since when do you…’
‘Since when do you give me orders?’ - Stanley to Stella
- he has become angry and the dynamic has changed
‘You’re damn…’
‘You’re damn tootin’ I’m going to stay here.’ - Stanley
- wants to argue, impulsive
‘[Blanche comes out…]’
‘[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
‘Hello, Stanley…’
‘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
‘all freshly bathed…’
‘all freshly bathed and scented, and feeling like a brand-new human being!’ - Blanche
- idea of baptism
- drawing attention to her next to nudity
‘Excuse me while…’
‘Excuse me while I slip on my pretty new dress!!’ - Blanche
- again, drawing attention to nudity
‘[ominously]: Yeah?’
‘[ominously]: Yeah?’ - Stanley
- waiting to strike
‘I’m going to…’
‘I’m going to ask a favour of you in a moment.’ - Blanche
‘What could that be, I wonder?’ - Stanley
‘Some buttons…’
‘Some buttons in back! You may enter!’ - Blanche
- nudity again, finding reasons
‘[He crosses through…’
‘[He crosses through the drapes with a smouldering look.]’ - SD
- sexual/anger
Blanche’s flirting
- 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’
‘You men…’
‘You men with your big clumsy fingers. May I have a drag on your cig?’ - Blanche
- flirting
- masculinity
Stanley is dismissive of Blanche’s flirting
‘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’
‘I can’t do…’
‘I can’t do nothing with them.’ - Stanley (buttons)
- double negative (difference in education vs Blanche)
‘Why, thanks…’
‘Well, you certainly…’
‘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