gender Flashcards
(10 cards)
“white suit… pearl, white gloves and hat”
pure white juxtaposing the faded white of the setting (Mississippi versus Louisianna) reflects her looking for a new fresh start, but with impossible expectations of perfection + pristineness (pure white hard to not weather) also allusion to debutante outfit; showing her loyalty to old southern values and desire to live in the past
motif of “poker”
reflects mens ability to manipulate and play with society / women and the power within that
also reflects the acceptance of desire and sin (gambling)
and the recklessness of men with something they dont understand the full value of (money in a society where women’s access to it is limited)
“animal joy”
stanley immediately compared to an animal, reflecting the unevolved nature of man / men and the unassuming danger that creates, civility keeps us safe and polite but zoomorphism keeps us happy and allows desires to be followed
“have you ever heard of the napoleonic code?”
connotations of war, brings lots of glory to france and known for empire + control
uses blanches lack of knowledge of the code to give it power, reflects the knowledge of power and authority even without the authority of the code or the law
man always has the power to alter reality due to the societal belief in their authority
“i have a lawyer acquaintance who will study these out”
reflects the community of men and the threat that they will always protect their own
powerless of blanche due to societal collective authority in men
“poker shouldn’t be played in a house with women”
sees women as something to be protected, audience has to decide whether that makes him more or less moral
is traditional gender roles bad?
“have you ever heard of the napolenoic code?”
establishing equality before the law and introducing concepts like private property and freedom of contract
napoleonic - wartime lanuage, reflecting male violence and desire for power and glory
stanleys own connections to old values, hypocraticial for talking shit about blanches, just because hers are no longer as prevelant in society
no one is exempt for their own prejudices and codes and motivations, and all are harmful without nuance
“i got an acquaintance who deals in this kind of merchandise”
“i have an acquaintance that works in a jewelry store”
stanley has connections due to his masculinity, male connection that women are excluded from
becomes harmful when men are the only ones with power, women are completely excluded from the benefits and unable to join
“a little bit on the primitive side i should think”
animalistic and traditional masculinity intercept
reflecting stanleys judgment of her as lack of understanding or lack of appreciation for anything ‘sophisticated’
^ could be due to context of war, and how that shapes the men who go, for a society so evolved to devolve into that kind of violence
