Character Analysis Of Blanche In 'A Streetcar Named Desire'

Vocabulary

Narcotize- Verb- Stupefy with or as if with a drug. (Pg 70)

Gossamer- Noun- A fine, filmy substance consisting of cobwebs spun by small spiders, which is seen especially in autumn. (Pg 98)

Bestial- Adjective- Savagely cruel and depraved. (Pg 82)

II. Discussion Questions

When Blanche kissed Stella’s hand, do you think it was because she loved her sister dearly or did she have something else going on in her head that had caused her to show an overwhelming amount of affection?

Why do you think Blanche is so persistent on saying that Stella wants to get out of her current condition? Is that a reflection of the hardships that she is going through herself?

Blanche had feelings for Mitch and still went along to kiss the newspaper boy. Do you think Blanche gets sudden urges of desire or did she just find the newspaper boy attractive for that one incident?

III.

Literary Device- Dramatic Irony

In Scene 4, Stanley enters from outside and while he does that Blanche is stating her negative opinions about him. The narrator says “Under cover of the train’s noise Stanley enters from outside. He stand’s unseen by the women, holding some packages in his arms, and overhears their following conversation”. The reader knows that Stanley can hear the conversation between Blanche and Stella, but they do not know themselves.

The use of this dramatic irony is made to give a hint of suspense to the reader because they are aware that Stanley is around meanwhile Stella and Blanche do not. Blanche continues to speak her mind about Stanley saying that he appears to be “sub-human” and have animal like qualities. Stella lets Blanche have her time to rant about Stanley even though she does not have a problem with him. When Stanley finally enters the room, he grins through the curtains at Blanche and stares at her. Blanche now realized that he was listening to her whole conversation meanwhile the audience had known the whole time.

IV.

Summary
Stanley, Mitch, and Pablo werr playing poker together and Stella and Blanche arrived home at two thirty in the morning. Blanche spots Mitch and cannot seem to take her eye off of him. When Blanche had asked Stella about Mitch, she said that Stanley had a drive that he did not. When Blanche was sitting on the chair, Mitch entered and she asked him for a cigarette. The cigarette case had an inscription which said “And if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death”. Blanche knew exactly that it was a sonnet from Mrs. Browning and he had told her a girl who was dying gave it to him. While Blanche and Mitch were talking, Stanley who was drunk entered and threw the radio out the window. Stella got angry and asked all of the men to leave her house and then she left herself. When Stanley went to go look for Stella, Eunice had told her that she was not coming back especially because she was having a baby. Blanche was surprised how Stella went back to bed with Stanley after what happened that night. Blanche had claimed that Stella was married to a madman. Stella denied that accusation and Blanche went on to say that they need to get a hold of some money in order to get out. Blanche was going to call her friend Shep Huntleigh who owned oil wells all over Texas and ask him for some financial help. Blanche was very concerned about Stella and thought she was in a relationship that she wanted to get out of even though she did not. Stella had told Blanche that there was something that happens between men and women in the dark that makes everything else seem unimportant. Blanche had went to say that was desire and that was what brought her to this place where she was not wanted. Blanche wanted to speak her mind about Stanley and had told Stella that she thought that he was “sub-human” and had qualities that were still not fully developed.
Stanley had asked Blanche if she knew someone named Shaw because he said he had met her at Hotel Flamingo in Laurel. Blanche said she had been by there, but had never met him before. Blanche was very paranoid and asked Stella if she had heard any gossip about her. Stella was made aware that after Belle Reve was gone, Blanche had made some bad decisions. Blanche kissed her sisters hand and told her that she loved her even though Stella did not like when she showed physical affection. While Stella and Stanley were out, the newspaper boy came to collect the funds and Blanche ended up kissing him soon to find out that Mitch was walking down the block with rose