Allan Grey Flashcards
Who is Allan Grey?
Blanche’s ex-husband (happens to be gay)– unseen, omnipresent character; Never seen therefore highly symbolic figure.
What is the impact of his death on Blanche?
His death ends the innocent and naive young bLanche and begins the downward spiral of her life as her guilt haunts her and changes her to what we see in the play.
Blanche searches for Grey in all the young boys she beds.
What is the importance of the Varsouviana polka music in relation to Grey and Blanche?
Plays when Allan kills himself - due to stress. This then haunts Blanche – only the audience and Blanche hear (dramatic irony) - serves as a reminder of her past and deteriorating state of mind.
What did he leave Blanche to desire for?
Desire to be desired by men
What could he represent/be emblematic of?
Represent the Old Southern ideals she desperately tries to cling onto - but also how these aren’t the reality - CHASING A LOST DREAM
“It was like you suddenly turned a blinding light on something that had always been in half shadow”
Describing her love with Grey.
light motif -
She is constantly trying to restore this light - this feeling - within her, yet cannot fully seem to do this. – pure love as overpowering - got shattered and never recovered from it.
S6, SIMILE/METAPHOR:
- motif of light: love gave Blanche clarity and a new worldview. It gave her liberation.
- “blinding”: love blinds people (Stella and Stanley)
- “struck”: abruptness and extremely effecting, the impacts of love and the trauma she’s suffered.
“The search lights had been turned off again and never for one moment since has there been any light that’s stronger… kitchen candle”
scene 6 - part of a monologue
- Alan’s death = her mental death; never seen light again
- Explain’s why Blanche wants to avoid light. She associates bright lights with exposing the truth, as her experience with the death of he rex-husband involved brightly shinning search light after he shot himself. Now Blanche avoids bright lights as she is scared that now to will exploit the truth of her fading beauty.
- Also hides because there is no longer any light inside her to match - death as inevitable?
S6, METAPHOR:
- “searchlight”: Allan had been her saftey and hope. Her guidance. Now that it was “turned off” she no longer is able to have a clear view of reality (“blind”). The lack of light allowed her to live out a lie.
- “kitchen candle”: weak and common, represents the death of the South while also showcasing how nothing in life excites her anymore - it’s all been extinguished.
Before, we saw that when there was too much light, it had deluded her into a ‘fantasy’ of a perfect life. However, we also see that too little light can also cause delusion as wallow in their beautiful dreams.
After her husband’s death, the great amount of shock from the impact has also caused Blanche’s ‘blinding light’ to disappear with no light stronger than a ‘kitchen candle’. Blanche has experienced only two different extremes of lights and as we can see, both can distort our perception of reality.
How does the death of Allan Grey critique hegemonic masculinity and sexuality?
identifying it’s many casualties.
victim of hegemonic masculinity and sexuality ; if you do not conform, you are ignored - even marginalised and ostracised.
Analyse the choice of his name being “Grey”
Allan’s difference is signalled by his name “Grey” - contrasts Stanley’s “lurid” colours, also signals need to camouflage in order to survive – hegemonic masculinity and sexuality.
In the 1940s, how was homosexuality viewed? What evidence backs this up?
Largely seen as a mental illness to be homosexual - hence the description of him as “beautiful and talented” then to a “degenerate” (Stella) - to reference his sexuality.
What connects Blanche and Allan?
-Both are rejected due to their sexuality
- those who do not embody masculinity
-both die literal / symbolic deaths
