Poker In A Streetcar Named Desire

INTRODUCTION:

Poker is very enticing; it captures the essence of a fun card game, the curiosity of your deal versus others, the desire to win and get the jackpot, and the necessary component, a poker face. A poker face is a figure of speech alluding to the ability to place an emotionless mask over-top one’s face. This is a necessary part of poker as it allows people to see only what you wish for them to see; a straight face gives the other players no indication of winning or losing deals. At the beginning of the play, we are introduced to Stanley Kowalski, the embodiment of the American Dream. A veteran recently returned from war and works as a salesman to help provide for his wife Stella and a baby on the way. Stanley applies poker tactics,

Throughout scene one, many people become drawn to Blanche and offer any aid they can provide her. “What’s the matter honey? Are you lost?” (sc. 1) Eunice asked; this can be seen as an act of mere kindness, but we see a shift in the focus from Stanley to Blanche. Blanche’s infiltration in Elysian Fields transforms the attention from Stanley onto herself. Eunice asks if she needs help figuring out where she needs to go and who she needs to see, allowing Blanche to become dependent on her, even just for a moment. Once Blanche finds Stella at the bowling alley with Stanley, she immediately draws Stella in as though she were tethered to a rope and attached to Blanche’s hip. “I am going to try to keep Blanche out…I don’t know how she would take it” (sc. 2). Stella becomes overwhelmingly worried about Blanche and her mental state and decides to put all her effort into Blanche. Stella brings her sister places and almost acts as a motherly figure to Blanche. “Now close that trunk before she comes out of the bathroom” (sc. 2). Stella’s train of thought steers towards how Blanche would feel and her reaction, and Stella tries to avoid anything that would affect her well-being. She even sides with Blanche regarding the loss of Belle Reve rather than her intelligent and loving husband, saying that she wanted to leave before Stanley would stay and “insult her” (sc. 2). Stanley’s temper begins to rise as Stella leaves. In his chats about the loss of land with Blanche, he becomes aggravated that it could have been his because the ‘Napoleonic code’ has been lost at the hands of a woman. That something that had the potential to add any perks to his life has been stolen and taken away from him. Stanley realizes that his wife’s eyes focus on Blanche rather than himself. Another individual that allows their attention to