Blanche quotations Flashcards
(12 cards)
“incongruous…
to the setting” establishes her outsider status in elysian fields
“dressed in a white suit…
and fluffy bodice”
“stands in the…
light through the portieres” uses the light in a masculine way to her advantage.
“the music is in her…
mind. She is drinking to escape.” important stage direction, Williams confirms her insanity.
“a woman’s charm…
is fifty percent illusion.” shows full awareness of her manipulative ways
“I have always depended…
on the kindness of strangers.” full of terrible irony, strangers have never shown her kindness, reveals her reliance on others has let to this downfall.
“That man will…
destroy me.” Blanche is very aware that Stanley can and will hurt her. Tries to escape her fate, elements of Aristotelian tragedy, running from fate only confirms it further.
“Thank you for being…
so kind! I need kindness now.” To mitch, scene 3. Her statement to the doctor reveal this is not part of her facade, she genuinely desires kindness.
“I like the dark…
“I don’t want…
The dark is comforting to me.”
realism, I want magic”
Scene 9 Mexican Woman, “flores para…
los muertos”, ‘flowers for the dead’, works contrapuntally with Mitch leaving Blanche, mixing of the inner and outside worlds - reflects William’s style of social changes and their impacts - Blanche is being drowned by the changing values of the New South.
Scene seven - sound
- Blanche’s singing works contrapuntally with Stanley’s exposing her lies, ‘It wouldn’t be make believe if you believed in me’, symbolically occurring when Mitch is mentioned. Mitch being her final chance at life, her singing almost works as a Greek Chorus, singing her own demise. Adds to tragic elements.
“It was like you suddenly turned a…
blinding light on something that had always been in half shadow.” S6, Blanche describes her love for Allen as blinding, “the searchlight that was turned on… was turned off again… since then there has never been a light stronger than this - kitchen - candle…” her life is forever tainted by the event, can’t only not face her aging but also the truth of Allen’s death.
