After finishing the play for the second time, I felt as though Williams did a great job with the play. He wrote it in such a fashion that led you to predict what was going to happen next. Towards the end, I had the feeling that something was going to happen to Blanche. I could see that she needed help. The “Varsouviana” playing in her head all the time, and in scene ten, when she was wearing the dress along with the tiara on her head, made her seem as though she was insane. It was also obvious that Stanley and Blanche were going to get into some kind of a fight. However, I was surprised that Stanley had the urge to rape. Not once, while reading the play, did it cross my mind that Stanley felt enough anger to rape a person, especially Blanche.
All and all, Tennessee Williams was very clear throughout the play. However, I have a question about the last line he writes. After the doctors leave to take Blanche to the hospital, Stella cries for Blanche and Stanley cries for Stella. Then, Steve says, “This game is seven-card stud”, and the play ends. What was Williams’ reasoning for ending the play with the start of a new game of poker? I don’t understand how this pertains to the rest of the play. To me, the last line of a novel or a play usually relates somehow to a situation happening in that moment. It seems very vague to end a play with a poker game when one of the main characters just left to go to a mental facility. If I were Tennessee Williams, I would’ve given Stanley or Stella the last line because of the situation they’re in. It’s not Steve who’s dealing with a conflict; it’s Stanley and Stella.
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When you said it seemed insane that she was wearing the tiara on her head, I was thinking the exact same thing. No normal person would do this on any given day if it weren't a birthday or Halloween. In addition I also agree that Tennesse Williams did a great job with writing the play. I loved the drama that took place.
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