Being that this is the second time I have read A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, there were details that I was able to review in greater detail. When we read the play out loud in Mrs. Bertero’s English class, I faithfully read the part of Blanche DuBois every day. In attempting to become her and feel her emotions, I was able to grasp the kind of person I thought she was. Although I didn’t notice as much the first time I read it, the second time I read this play I noticed that in the first few pages when Blanche was introduced, she was very curt in the way she spoke to Eunice; she used the least amount of words possible. Through these curt actions that Bla nche displays, Tennessee Williams is deceiving his audience by making readers believe Blanche is a shy and quiet woman, who for the most part keeps to herself. We soon realize that Blanche is quite the chatter box. However, she does not exactly have nice things to say. One of the first things Blanche discusses is how disgusting Stella’s living conditions are. Offended to say the least, Stella immediately tries to defend her home. “Aren’t you being a little intense about it? It’s not that bad at all! New Orleans isn’t like other cities.” It is in these short sentences that I can sense how much love Stella has for Blanche. If someone were to have insulted my home so blatantly, I would not have been as polite in my response as Stella was to Blanche. Only when you love someone do you take such offensive words so lightly. After reading this, I knew that Stella’s love for Blanche would be a main theme of the play.
Reading the beginning of the play again reminded me of how kind Stanley was to Blanche when they first met. Stanley was a perfect gentleman, asking typical questions about her profession and how long she’d be staying. As soon as Blanche mentioned h ow tired she was, Stanley told her to take it easy. If I hadn’t already read the book once before, I would have thought they were going to form a relationship, possibly even one of a romantic nature. On another note, at the very end of the scene when Stanley asked about Blanche’s ex-husband, I was confused as to why she was going to be sick at the thought of him. This caught my attention. There was clearly a story behind “the boy” to whom she was once married. At the time, I honestly had no idea how the boy could fit into any kind of story, but I was only 81 pages into the play and really anything could have happened. I made several false assumptions while reading the first scene of the play.
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Felice, as I have previously commented on Fred’s post, I have not read A Streetcar Named Desire before this point in time. Yet, after having read a large portion of the play I feel as though I may have read the plot thousands of times throughout my life. I certainly feel as though I’ve read books, plays, or watched movies where a possible romance blossoms from a weary friendship. You say that you performed the role of Blanche in 11th grade English, in order to “become her and feel her emotions”, I can certainly understand the desire to do so whilst reading any play, but to me Blanche is a character I would want no part of! I truly feel she is a heartless woman, who at best may have an ounce of sympathy for others. You also refer to Blanche’s fragmented conversation with Eunice, whom I believe is a black woman (correct me if I am wrong, Eunice is not a very significant character and I do not currently have the play in front of me). One suggestion as to why she is so short with Eunice may be just because of the fact that she is black. During the time this play was written, race relations were obviously still an issue. Now if I were Stella, Blanche would have been out of my house within a few moments just because of the terrible comments she made about Stanley, the house and the relationship Stella and her husband share. I agree with you that you must truly love someone in order to accept the harsh criticisms Blanche bestowed upon Stella. I do also look forward to learning more about the boy whom Blanche speaks so fondly and sadly about.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I made the same assumptions as you did the first time reading A Streetcar Named Desire . I was convinced Blanche and Stanley were going to form a relationship- one of a romantic nature. However, I was more suspicious of her, than of him. I thought she was going to seduce Stanley as we continued on with the scenes in the playwright.
ReplyDeleteUnlike you, I didn't think Stanley was being polite, or a perfect gentleman. I thought he was dissecting Blanche, and trying to understand why she was there, invading his life. Stella and Blanche came from a wealthy background, and I'm sure Stanley feels threatened, as well as defensive around people like Blanche. The moment I think he got really suspicious was when he found out Belle Reve was lost.
Stella does have a lot of love for her sister. The reason I think Stella didn't get too defensive when Blanche insulted her lifestyle was because Stella understands how her sister was brought up- wealthy, and disillusioned from how majority of the world lives. I think Stella wanted Blanche to open her eyes, and see things differently. After all, Blanche was extremely lucky her sister took her in, and is offering her a temporary place to live for free.
I didnt get the same feeling when Blanche first arrived to Stellas' house. If anything i found Blanche very blunt. Like Josh said Blanche probably acted that way towards Eunice because she was a black woman and Blanche most likely felt superior towards Eunice.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about how the love Stella has for Blanche shows throughout the entire play. If Stella did not have that kind of bond with her sister, Blanche would have been out on the streets at the very begining. I could relate with Stella because I have a sibling and I know if my brother came to me in a time of need I would not put him out on the streets.
I did not feel like Stanley was being kind towards Blanche. I felt more as if he was obligated to be nice to her in order to understand her better. From the moment Blanche arrived Stanley was suspicious about her. There was a point where I thought that something was going to happen betweenStanley and Blanche but then I realized that Stanley loves Stella too much.
Josh. Kristina.
ReplyDeleteEunice is a white woman. Just to clarify that.