ipl-logo

Blanche And Stanley Analysis

698 Words3 Pages

To what extent do the natures of Blanche and Stanley in the opening scene hint at tensions to come in the play?

From the offset of the play, Williams has created a clear juxtaposition between the characters of Stanley and Blanche’s nature. Immediately Stanley is introduced as the alpha male, by throwing “Meat!” at Stella he is portrayed as being both animalistic and brutish. Whereas, Blanche is seen to be innocent and delicate; as at the beginning she is shocked and somewhat scared by the new harsh surroundings of New Orleans “Blanche wearily refers to the slip of paper” in having such a response to Stella’s home it is suggested that she is out of her comfort zone, which in its self can cause tension; but when compared to the contrast between …show more content…

However, it would appear that Blanche puts on a pretence when around others as nothing ever seems genuine “What am I saying? I didn't mean to say that. I meant to be nice about it”. We are constantly changing our opinions of her as we learn more and more half truths about her, therefore we soon become unsure of her intentions and stop seeing her as innocent but rather multifaceted. Blanche’s avoidance of answering any questions, particularly about the plantation (Belle Reve) display how unstable she is emotionally; this is when it would seem that her performance of being a Southern Belle is cut short and the audience begin to see how duplicitous she is in nature, this hints at tensions that may come later on in the …show more content…

Relationships were male dominated and to suit Stanley seeks control within the relationship between himself and Stella, Blanche threatens this. Upon meeting her Stanley bombards Blanche with questions “How long you here for, Blanche?”, perhaps this is paired with stichomythia is an authorial method used by Williams to show quickly Blanche becomes overwhelmed; highlighting her emotional instability and rising tension. Stanley although brutish and animalistic does not seem to be wrong in the way he initially treats Blanche, she has come into his home, insulted him and tried to take away Stella’s loyalties that lie with him. These loyalties that Stanley has can almost be seen as a mark of societal success, as an audience it is not until later we realise his treatment of Blanche is persecutory. Due to such large difference in their social background it would be very difficult for Stanley and Blanche to compromise with one another; hence why Stanley continuously tries to belittle and put down Blanche, and by the end of the play its Stanley’s cruel nature that lead to Blanche’s decent into insanity, but it is this treatment within the opening scene that causes tension to rise, foreshadowing Blanche’s

Show More
Related
1465 Words | 6 Pages

Stanley is a blunt, practical, and animalistic man who has no patience for subtleties and refinement. His animalistic character shows the moment he meets Blanche, when he, moving with “animalistic joy” (24), “sizes” Blanche up with “sexual classifications” and “crude image” in his mind (25). Under his stare, Blanche draws “involuntarily back” (25), a movement that foreshadows their later conflict and her subsequent demise. His practical and straightforward side shows when he interrogates Blanche about the sale of Belle Reve to make sure that his wife is not swindled. His straightforward, practical nature makes him “boom” out of impatience (46) and demands Blanche to cut straight to the point when she tries to talk in an indirect, subtle manner as befit a Southern gentlewoman.

Read More
978 Words | 4 Pages

Stella’s sister, Blanche, sees through the illusion and can see how toxic the marriage really is. Stanley and Blanche come from distinctly different backgrounds, Stanley is from the working class while Blanche comes from wealth. Williams uses these two contrasting points of views on marriage, to show the issues of possessiveness, class, and sexism. When it comes to Stanley’s marriage to Stella, one of the most notable characteristics is how possessive Stanley is. An example of this is when Stanley found out that Blanche and therefore Stella, lost their estate.

Read More
1129 Words | 5 Pages

Ever since the early 1940s, young men across the country have been forced to enlist in the selected services. Regardless of these men’s plans for the future, it was expected of them to lay down their lives for their country. While the military draft was intended to strengthen the American army, it also strengthened the arguments made by antiwar protestors. Why should people have to die for a cause they do not believe in? This was the question numerous American citizens were asking themselves throughout the entirety of the Vietnam War.

Read More
1554 Words | 7 Pages

Blanche is only trying to escape the trauma of her past and present. As Blanche's mental state continues to deteriorate, those around her make attempts to help. This is where the most striking contrast between Sethe and Blanche is found; those around Blanche do not offer the same support as those around

Read More
783 Words | 4 Pages

In the play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, the main characters, Blanche Dubois and Stanley Kowalski, share a great dislike and distrust towards one another, ultimately becoming the basis for the story’s conflict. Their common contemption stems from their contrasting personalities and backgrounds, their incompatibility of being able to function under the same environment, and inability to adapt to the situations they find themselves in. Although Blanche detests Stanley and the manner in which he behaves in, she realises that he is a necessary part for Stella’s life in New Orleans, an environment that greatly differs from the southern aristocracy that Stella and Blanche once lived in. Blanche expresses this idea by stating, “Oh,

Read More
741 Words | 3 Pages

In Blanche and Stanley’s initial interactions, there was an air of sexual tension. This tension dissipates completely as the play progresses, and their relationship turns into a resentful and hateful one. Throughout the play, Stanley has several violent outbursts towards Stella that worry Blanche. This allows Stanley to assert dominance over both women. At the end of the play, Stanley releases his pent up anger and frustration toward Blanche through a sexual attack.

Read More
1507 Words | 7 Pages

The Eccentric Personality of Seikichi, the Protagonist, in Sunichio Tanizaki’s “Tattoo” In “Tattoo” by Junichiro Tanizaki written in 1910, the story takes place in Japanese society. From the story, beauty and power cannot be separated. As a result, Tattoo which is considered to be an important tool to express the beauty for Japanese people as people tend to choose men whose bodies are beautifully tattooed to be candidates on an important day. And in the story there is one famous tattooer whose name is “Seikichi”.

Read More
1886 Words | 8 Pages

In A Streetcar Named Desire, there is an ongoing power struggle between Stanley and Blanche, which propels the narrative. Stanley has the power of masculine physicality and mentality whereas Blanche only has the power of her background, of which she feigns to be her class. As the battle between the two is predominantly over Stella, we begin to witness in scene 2, where Stanley openly accuses Blanche of hiding “legal papers connected with the plantation”. His aggressive nature, towards her, motivates the idea of his resentment towards her, as

Read More
778 Words | 4 Pages

In Scene 10, she deviously claims that she has just received a telegram from the millionaire, Steph Huntleigh, to explain why she is dressed up. At first, Stanley plays along, but once Blanche musters up the audacity to say that Mitch returned to their apartment seeking repentance, Stanley draws the line. He calls her out for her fictitious tales of her past, and states, “We’ve had this date from the start,” just before he maliciously rapes Blanche. Their natures root in primal, animalistic instincts, Stanley like a dirty hog, open and free concerning his sexuality, Blanche like a fox, sly and deceitful. Despite her incessant attempts to destroy her past, Blanche is unable to stop their sexual connection as she has had so many other men.

Read More
903 Words | 4 Pages

In other words, Stella is very aware that her sexual relationship with Stanley can help her sort out any problems between them. Also, shortly before Stanley rapes Blanche, Williams says in the stage directions that there were “inhuman voices like cries in the jungle” (399; sc. 10). Blanche, which means white wood, is out of her element in this jungle of Stanley’s and it is she, who once called Stanley “bestial” (322; sc. 4) and “sub-human” (323; sc. 4), who has now found herself being stalked and charged like prey being hunted by an animal. With his sister-in-law present, Stanley has been unable to fulfill his sexual desires and so he releases them out on Blanche.

Read More
1697 Words | 7 Pages

These rumors were a threat to what she has created in order to help her with the chaos in her life. Although she tried to build a new life with Stella, Stanley never gave in to her act and was constantly suspicious of her actions. Stanley's constant investigations and interrogations on Blanche’s old life. This is a representation of reality is starting to creep in of Blanche's newly created life. From the beginning Stanley has doubted Blanche, this is seen as he went through Blanche's things with Stella, questioning her belongings, “has she got this stuff out of teacher's pay?”(2.33).

Read More
757 Words | 4 Pages

As she was kissing him and reached into his back pocket, took the money for herself and then tucked it in her bra. I found their relationship very affectionate throughout the movie where I did not picture this when reading the play. However, I think that the director was very clever when incorporating their passionate relationship between Stella and Stanley. I believe this because it proved how sexually driven and aggressive Stanley was which almost had a foreshadowing affect on the end relationship between Blanche and Stanley. I also think this portrayal of raw emotion was an extremely important aspect of the film because inner emotion and motives drove every characters actions throughout the play.

Read More
1245 Words | 5 Pages

Not only has Tennesse Williams portrayed Stella and Blanche to be seen as delicate and dependent, our own society has created this image but this not only affects how individuals see themselves but affects relationships immensely. Tennessee Williams reinforces the stereotype in which women are often the victims of unfortunate fate within the usage of the character Blanche. Throughout the whole play, we have witnessed Blanche being on the bitter end of life's miseries as she has encountered the tough loss of Belle Reve, dealing with her ex-husband's suicide and the loss of her relationship with Mitch. Arguably, the expectations and beliefs of women were either to be a housewife or a mother, whereas Blanche shows neither, as a result of automatically feeling out of place possibly leading to her downfall. Blanche was constantly fantasizing about the traditional values of a southern gentlemen, proving her dependence on this sex.

Read More
698 Words | 3 Pages

This is made clear through Stanley’s insecurities about inferiority to women and his prolonged struggle to defeat Blanche. Again, this is evident with Blanche and even Stella. Stella is perceived as a static character with no real individuality, and Blanche, who is seemingly more independent, is characterized mostly by her sexuality. Tennessee Williams demonstrates society’s need for the superiority of men to women through the interactions of Stanley and Blanche in the play, their struggles, and their ultimate

Read More
1000 Words | 4 Pages

In the play, Blanche loses her family 's estate, and goes to stay with her sister Stella.  Stella lives with her husband Stanley.  From the start of the play, the audience begins to notice Blanche and Stanley’s contrasted personalities. Williams uses symbolism to allow his characters to represent something stronger than themselves. Past and present are intertwined in A Streetcar Named Desire through Blanche and Stanley; Blanche represents the past: the Old South, aristocracy, and former sensitivity, while Stanley represents the present: the New South, the industrial class, and modern straightforwardness.

Read More

More about Blanche And Stanley Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document