Lecture notes
A Streetcar Named Desire - Conflict between Stella & Blanche quotes and analysis
- Module
- A Streetcar Named Desire
- Institution
- OCR
A Streetcar Named Desire - Conflict between Stella & Blanche quotes and analysis
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Facade“[she laughs nervously]” - repeated shows Blanche is struggling to maintain facade - seems
false - she’s openly talking about her insecurity and & “laughs” it off - Blanche still looks at Stella
for “reassurance” - a lot goes unspoken as if Blanche is trying to gage whether her facade is
fooling Stella or not. The whole play centres around Blanche being able to control & maintain
this facade & if she doesn’t, then that’s the end of her. “[dutifully]” - Stella is also playing a role -
Stella knows what to say to Blanche to please her - due to Stella being “wear[y]”, the
compliments she gives Blanche are no longer as sincere & just part of the job Stella seems to
have been doing since childhood.
“Yes, it is, it is or I wouldn’t say it!” when commenting on how Stella has gained weight. The
exclamative & interruption shows that Blanche doesn’t want to be accused of lying by Stella
(she wants to seem open & truthful) - this is similar to how she portrays herself to Stanley when
they talk about how Belle Reve was lost - “Well, life is too full of evasions and ambiguities, I
think”. “You hear me?” - question seems patronising & exclamations builds tension
(contrasts with when Blanche is telling the truth and she speaks in long monologues where she
doesn’t use exclamatives - exclamatives show how she is forcing the facade. Stella is treated
like a child by Blanche as Blanche feels superior through class, age and perhaps understanding
of the world due to her claiming to know what desire looks like.
Control
“[During the pause, Blanche stares at her. She smiles at Blanche.]” - verb “stares” seems
intense following a disagreement between the sisters (Blanche may be trying to read whether
she has insulted Stella too much as Stella is Blanche’s last hope - trying to maintain control of
Stella). Paralanguage shows an unspoken interaction - Blanche is the dominant sister who
seeks support & acceptance from Stella & Stella gives her that support. Earlier in scene 1 - “For
a moment they stare at each other.” when they first see each other - up to directors & actors
with the length of this look - could be love, tension, confusion. “She feared for either of them to
stop and think” - contrast with “stares” - Blanche knows that there is a tension between the
sisters & wishes to hide this reality with the hysterics of seeing each other. “[She laughs but her
glance at Blanche is a little anxious]” - adjective “little anxious” (doesn’t want to worry Blanche /
question her - both sisters try to almost read each other's minds without speaking. “[She smiles
at him radiantly]” - shows contrast between sisters - Stella’s smile was supportive & loving
however Blanche’s seems flirtatious. Adverb “radiantly” shows Blanche has pretending to be
realistic (she later says that she likes bold colours and not wishy-washy people) - light usually
symbolises realism therefore Blanche is setting herself up to be truthful about Belle Reve to
Stanley. However, it could be used to show that that the real Blanche is flirtatious & that when
she is using her sex as a form of power, she seems radiant & full of life. When the young man
leaves in Scene 4, Blanche is described as looking “dreamily” which reinforces the idea that
when she is using her sexual power, she is a complete contrast to when she is “nervously
tamping” & sitting “stiffly”. Similarly, at the beginning of scene 4, after Stella has slept with
Stanley - “Her face is serene in the early morning light” - which shows that she too is
empowered by sex however she is far more traditional - sex between a husband & wife only.
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