A Streetcar Named Desire Study Notes Scene 2 PDF

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A Streetcar Named Desire- Study Notes: Scene 2 _scripted_ on TES Quotation

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“ Jumps up and kisses him which he accepts with lordly composure.”

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“I put you a cold plate on ice… you’d better give me some money.”

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Character/Setting How is the character portrayed? Image created depending on descriptors/dialogue Stella and Stanley:  Stella’s physical relationship with Stanley acts as a microcosm to convey the physical aggression of the new world. 

“Soaking in a hot tub to quiet her nerves… She’s been through such an ordeal… we’ve- lost Belle Rève!” (16)

Stanley holds power within the relationship, in both sexual and financial terms.

Analysis Language or structural techniques? Effect? Perceptive points?

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“Let’s skip back a little… country place was disposed of.” (17)

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“Napoleonic code… what belongs to the wife belongs to the husband and vice versa.”

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“Feathers and furs… solid-gold dress” (18)

Stanley:  Blanche’s influence forces Stella to slowly reform back to her oldself and Stanley is quick to shut down any hopes of gaining power.

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Stanley’s greed and simplistic nature is immediately identified as he is drawn towards Blanche’s materialistic goods. Although he despises the old hierarchy, his jealousy towards Blanche’s lifestyle is apparent.

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“Jumps up and kisses”- Stella’s actions almost adopt a primal nature when Stanley is present, to convey how she is drawn by her infatuation with Stanley’s aggression. “Accepts… lordly composure”- Word choice of “accepts” almost provides an approving tone, further emphasising his dominance. The word choice of “lordly composure” exposes his vulgar and macho attitude. “Cold plate…ice”- Semantic field around “cold” and “ice” are reflective of Stanley’s crude and brutal persona, which foreshadows his violent actions towards Blanche. “Give me… money”- The fact that Stella depends financially on Stanley already entraps her, akin to how Blanche is trapped by the past. However, she does not realise it until the last scene. “Soaking…hot”- The oxymoron of cold and hot immediately confirm the opposition of Blanche and Stanley, establishing the house as a battleground between conflicting ideals. “We’ve- lost Belle Rève!”- Hyphenation detaches Stella from her past. The exclamation mark contrasts this effect by echoing her grieving tone of voice. “Country place was disposed of”- Word choice of “country place” dilutes the importance of Belle Rève, suggesting that Stanley deems Blanche’s lifestyle pointless. Connotations of “disposed” appear negative, highlighting the broken and decaying nature of Belle Rève. It also foreshadows how Blanche will be “disposed” of. “Napoleonic code”- Symbolic of references to Napoleon reflect upon Stanley’s mind-set; he is small-minded, proud and arrogant. The word choice of “code” followed by the capitalised “Napoleonic” further restricts Stella, almost as if she is bound by patriarchy. “Belongs to the wife belongs to the husband and vice versa”- Use of “vice versa” almost dilutes the importance of women in a relationship. The careless nature of the alliteration of ‘v’ suggests how Stanley overlooks a sense of equality in the marriage. “Feathers and furs… solid-gold”Fricative language through the alliteration of ‘f’ echo Stanley’s anger at Blanche for financially abandoning Stella. The symbolism of “solid-gold” suggests

Contextual/Thematic Significance What aspects of the context does it link to in relation to themes? 

Masculinity: The rigid 1950s’ gender roles seem to pressurise those like Stanley; when Stella threatens his position by placing a “cold plate” of food, his immediate anger is indicative of a reaction fuelled by fear that he is losing power.

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Marriage and Sex: Gender roles of the time are explored by Stella’s character; her hyperbolic actions as she “jumps up” is suggestive of how women were unable to control their sexual desire.

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Marriage and sex: Inequality of gender as a result of the pressures of obtaining power in the patriarchy.

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Masculinity: In order to impose his macho attitude, Stanley enforces the “Napoleonic code”, capitalising its importance to convince Stella of his importance where Blanche has made his power redundant.

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Society and class: Stanley is noted as a lower class compared to Stella by his reactions toward Blanche’s possessions, further justifying his thirst for power.

A Streetcar Named Desire- Study Notes: Scene 2 _scripted_ on TES

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“[Pulls up a fistful of costume jewellery]/ Treasure chest of a pirate.”

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“Here’s your plantation, or what was left of it…”

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Stanley vs. Blanche:  A battleground is set up between B+S by their opposing actions and backgrounds.

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“Kowalski’s and the DuBois have different notions… Since when do you give me orders?” (19)

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“All freshly bathed and scented, and feeling like a brand-new human being!” (20)

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“Never met a woman that didn’t know if she was good-looking or not…”

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Stanley vs. Blanche:  Blanche seems to go along with Stanley’s opinions, as part of her act to please those around her. 

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“Simple, straightforward, a little on the primitive side…”

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“I like an artist who paints in strong, bold colours, primary colours… I never cared for wishywashy people.” (21)

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“If I didn’t know that you was my wife’s sister, I’d get ideas about you… legal papers… Connected with

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Blanche does not directly insult Stanley, however her dialogue adds weight to his feeling of powerlessness

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Blanche:  Blanche’s past is slowly revealed in the presence of Stanley; sexual tension is developed by Stanley’s dialogue and

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Blanche’s comfortable living as opposed to Stella’s. “Pulls… fistful…costume jewellery”The juxtaposed word choice of “fistful” and jewellery” hint at the fact that Stanley, despite being aware of Blanche’s fragility, continues to shatter her illusion. The word choice of “costume” is symbolic, almost reflective of how Blanche puts on an act in order to maintain her composure. “Kowalski’s and Dubois…different notions”- The word order of the two opposing names confirm where Stella’s loyalty lies; Blanche’s downfall is therefore inevitable and it is Stanley who fuels its process. “When do you give me orders?”- The rhetorical question echoes Stanley’s shock as Stella challenges his position in the relationship. His shock is emphasised by the word order of “you” and “me;” Stanley is clearly threatened by Stella’s confidence. “Freshly bathed…scented… brandnew”- The motif of bathing highlights how she wishes to escape from reality. In a sense, she wants to cleanse herself of the past however, the fact that she “scented” and masked herself almost alludes to the fact that she wishes to hide from the truth. The word choice of “brand-new” suggests her desire to get another chance to love, further accentuating her guilt. “Simple, straightforward… primitive”Sibilance echoes a snake-like atmosphere; Blanche seems to invite her own selfdestruction with open arms as she taunts and threatens Stanley through insults. Fricative use of “primitive” is contrasting; its connotations are insulting yet the tone of the phrase creates an illusion of positivity around it. “Artist who paints in strong, bold colours, primary colours”- The reference of an “artist” could allude to her husband, thus enveloping her grief. The semantic field of the verbs “strong” and “bold” are contradictory to the fact that she must avoid a “strong light,” thus the reader is able to break through her illusion and lies, further revealing the extent of her fragility. The repetition of “colours” makes her seem mentally unstable, almost as if her thoughts are cyclical as she is lost in her fantasy. “I’d get ideas about you”- This phrase forewarns Stanley raping Blanche; Williams provides Stanley an opportunity from the start; the fact that he decides to lure Blanche out is the utmost act of cruelty. “Love letters, yellowing with

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Society and class: Stanley is noted as a lower class compared to Stella by his reactions toward Blanche’s possessions, further justifying his thirst for power.

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Fantasy and Reality: Her mental instability is masked by her illusion; the reader can get a sense of the stigma surrounding mental instability at the time, through Blanche’s character. She is forced to hide her fragility.

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Masculinity/ fantasy and reality.

A Streetcar Named Desire- Study Notes: Scene 2 _scripted_ on TES immediately shunned by Blanche’s remembrance of her husband.

the plantation.” 

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“Love letters, yellowing with antiquity, all from one boy. [He snatches them… She speaks fiercely]”

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Her maturity seems stunted, almost as if her husband’s death acted as a trauma that she cannot escape. 

“The touch of your hands insults them. [Blanche snatches them… they cascade to the floor]” (23)

“Poems a dead boy wrote. I hurt him the way you would like to hurt me… I’m not young and vulnerable…” (23) “Thousands of papers, stretching back over hundreds of years… as piece by piece, our improvident grandfathers and father and uncles and brothers exchanged the land for their epic fornications…” (24) “Now that she’s going to have a baby… [The ‘blue piano’ sounds louder.] “He’s what we need to mix with our blood now that we’ve lost Belle Rève… How pretty the sky is! I ought to go there on a rocket that never comes down.” “The blind areleading the blind.” (25)

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Blanche and her past:  Blanche has been continually let down by the men in her life and she faces the consequences for it. When she tries to adapt and survive her circumstance, Stanley yet again shuns her for her actions. 

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Her lack of direction in this world catalyses her downfall. 

Stanley and Stella vs. Blanche:  Stanley’s announcement of Stella’s pregnancy immediately detaches Blanche from the new world; even its mere presence in the form of dialogue slowly shatters her illusion. 

In a world with the baby in true existence, Blanche cannot survive, as it is the confirmation of the progression of the new world and the death of the old.

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antiquity”- The symbolism of “yellowing” connotes bruising and in a sense, a decaying atmosphere. Akin to her mental deterioration, thoughts of her husband also haunt her. The word choice also suggests how her love life has been tainted by the trauma she experienced. Blanche distances herself from her past through “antiquity, almost labelling it something otherworldly. “Touch of your hands insults them”Blanche’s prejudices are exposed by the word choice of “insults” and “touch,” mirroring the racism of her time. “Blanche snatches… cascade to… floor”- The action of snatching echo how she pushed her husband to his death as he “cascaded” out of this world. Her sudden animalistic nature seemed to have driven out the person she worshipped, further evoking a sense of pathos. “Hurt him… way you… like to hurt me”- Her guilt is apparent through her dialogue but Williams’ gives way for Blanche to introduce her self-destruction, amplifying a sense of pathos. “Not young and vulnerable”- Her inability to let go of the past contradict this phrase; the fact that she feels the need to mention her invulnerability makes her all the more vulnerable. “Thousands of papers, stretching back over hundred of years”- Hyperbole emphasises the extent of consequence Blanche carries on her shoulders; in fact, she is destroyed by it. “Improvident grandfathers and father and uncles and brothers”- The syndetic listing of male figures highlights the importance of men in a patriarchy whilst the negative tone created by the weary connective “and” also aims to shun them, for abandoning Blanche. “Improvident” is used in an ironic way, considering Blanche’s situation. “Blue piano sounds louder”- The fact that the piano is used in areas of heightened emotion reveal Blanche’s fear in the evolving society. The music gets “louder” to echo her overwhelmed state, suggesting her feeling of being suffocated, perhaps. “Mix with our blood now that we’ve lost Belle Rève”- Her prejudices ironically suggest the justification for her death. The word choice of “mix” almost connotes a negative image, as her distaste for Stanley is heightened. Although she realises that Stanley’s world is her only hope of survival, her prejudices restrict her from entering his world. “I ought to go… on a rocket… never comes down”- Blanche’s need to escape reality is heightened through her metaphorical and poetic language; she

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Society and Class: Regardless of class, both Stella and Blanche face opposing social pressures. Where Blanche was crippled by the social expectations of the upper class, Stella faces the imbalance of power within gender roles.

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Masculinity: Although she relied on the men in her life, they only taught women like Blanche to be brought up in a certain way, leaving her directionless once they lost their possessions.

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Society and Class/ Fantasy and reality: Blanche has been pushed away from society so far that she has to resort to a fantasy world, in which she feels secure.

A Streetcar Named Desire- Study Notes: Scene 2 _scripted_ on TES completely immerses herself in a fantasy that she cannot get out of. In a sense, it may be the only world where she is free....