death / past Flashcards
(11 cards)
“the atmosphere of decay”
southern gothic, decay of society or decay of societal expectations depending on point of view- societal change from Mississippi to new orleans
“funerals are pretty compared to death”
symbolism of funerals as the pretty part of tragedy, and the part shown to the outside world- society pushing for repression of tragedy and the dangers of it (madness = blanche + williams sister) both not able to move on from tragedy due to society’s emphasis on digestability and expectations of behaviour
“you were married once, werent you?”
[the music of the polka rises up, faint in the distance]
the music creates overwhelming sense of tension, reflects blanche as genuinely being at risk of slipping back into the past and madness- the past is not in the past for her (same way the past should never be fully in the past for a society shaped by it- importance of history?)
“how lovely it is to have a baby!”
baby motif increases the stakes as it calls for change for the next generation and new beginnnings
reflects stellas stuck in the situation due to her following the traditional role of mother despite the modern surroundings, her situation still hasnt changed
“how pretty the sky is! i ought to go there on a rocket that never comes down”
dreams of escaping but due to realistic impossibility of it, uses magical realism and fantasticism instead
motif of the sky, ideas of heaven or nothing, the true meaninglessness of morality or the epitome of its importance
baby motif
“how lovely to have a baby!”
antithesis of death / the past / decay
symbolises growth / life / the future
reflects the need for change before the next generation
calls for change and urgency
“how pretty the sky is! i ought to go there on a rocket that never comes down”
dreams of escaping, rocket symbol of modernity and human achievement
yet also isolated, journey to no where
blanche wishes to be able to join modern life or completely slip away into the obscure (space) ambiguous on which§
“shimmer and glow”
“i-im fading now”
star imagery
beautiful, but due to their suffering (literally on fire), explode and die long before anyone sees
also her desire for space reflects her inability to survive in the modern world, she is light years away and suffocating
“youve got to be soft and attractive. and i - im fading now”
tragedy of aging in a situation where she relies on her looks to survive
impossible standards women have to live up to - genuinely impossible to stay young forever
also reflects her symbolism of old america and the southern belle identity
“i dont listen to you when you are being morbid!”
stella ignoring blanches cries for help
foreshadowing the ending, where stella choses a life of comfort and desires over blanches wellbeing
- selfish or moral
“[she advances with the bottled coke]”
symbol of blanches violent repression (as well as the rest of characters) - fizzy bottle that will explode when opened
trapped without oxygen to stay fresh - blanche suffocating to stay young, and stella in an abusive relationship due to the ‘thrill’
both sisters are the bottled coke in their own ways
stuck in their roles despite the violence - cannot exit without causing a mess (the fizz, no oxygen)
