Scene 10 Summary Flashcards
(20 cards)
This scene contains the climax of the play, where…
Stanley rapes Blanche
Blanche’s rape is symbolic of…
The death of the Old South- it has been overcome by the New South
Stella is…
Giving birth to Stanley’s child
Alcohol is utilised by both characters as…
An escape for Blanche and a form of celebration for Stanley
At the start of the scene, Blanche wears…
‘Soiled and crumpled white satin evening gown and a pair of scuffed silver slippers’ (pg 90)
‘Soiled and crumpled white satin evening gown and a pair of scuffed silver slippers’ (pg 90) analysis
‘Soiled and crumpled’- loss of innocence + purity, foreshadows rape, not looked after
‘White satin’- references ‘moth’ at start of play, connotes innocence, connotations of marriage, general Old South
‘Scuffed silver slippers’- loss of wealth, irony that she brought these things to wear
Throughout this scene, Blanche is…
Drunk and not quite connected to reality
‘Slams the mirror face down with such violence that the glass cracks.’ (Pg 90) analysis
‘Slams’- violence, foreshadows rape
‘Face down’- rejects her own reflection / current situation, repulsion towards self
‘Glass cracks’- bad luck, foreshadowing of her own ‘breakage’ after scene 10
‘Vivid green silk bowling shirt’ (pg 90) analysis
‘Vivid green’- contrast to Blanche, life, vivacity, envy, jealousy
‘Silk’- ironic, contrasts satin, wealth
‘Bowling’- masculinity
Blanche claims that…
Shep Huntleigh has sent her an invitation to come on a Caribbean cruise
Stanley gets out…
The pyjamas he wore on his wedding night
Stanley attempts to…
Make friends with Blanche over beer; she refuses
Stanley’s mood in the scene shifts from…
Jubilant to frustrated to malicious / triumphant
Blanche believes that…
She is worth more than Stanley or Mitch, and shouldn’t have tried to pursue them
Blanche lies that…
Mitch returned to beg her forgiveness
Blanche’s mental instability and fear is shown through…
‘Lurid reflections… a grotesque and menacing form’ (pg 94)
‘Inhuman voices like cries in a jungle’ (pg 95)
Outside, a prostitute is…
Pursued by a drunken man, but saved by a police whistle
Blanche attempts to call…
Shep Huntleigh for help, but cannot find him
In an attempt to defend herself, Blanche…
Smashes a beer bottle
‘She smashes a bottle on the table and face him, clutching the broken top’ (pg 96) analysis
‘Smashes’- violent, masculine, subverts the image she has created for herself, first instance of aggression from her
‘Faces him’- back to reality
‘Clutching’- desperate
