Scene 2 Flashcards
“Next door to glass”
A sense of class antagonism is built as Stanley ‘pulls open’ Blanche’s trunk and ‘jerks out an armful of dresses’. A greater resentment is visible as Stella corrects Stanley’s assumptions about these ‘diamonds’ that are actually rhinestones. she knows this as a woman from a wealthier background.
“I have an accquaintance that works….”
It becomes increasingly clear that Stanley does not possess any knowledge about jewellery and fashion himself. This foreshadows his friend that informs him about Blanche’s history at the Hotel Flamingo. Stanley uses the knowledge of others to facilitate his actions?
“The Kowalskis and the DuBois have different notions”
said by Stanley - emphasises B.O between Stanley and Blanche. This also raises the question of Stella’s position - is she a Kowalski or a DuBois? Although her position is ambiguous for the vast majority of the play, the ending establishes her as a Kowalski.
“I like an artist who paints in strong, bold, primary colours”
a reference to one of Williams’ working titles for the play. There is an irony in this: Blanche uses a metaphor herself in an attempt to say she likes people who are direct and candid, like “primary colours”.
‘[playfully sprays him with it. He seizes the atomizer and slams it down]’
this stage direction highlights Stanley’s brutal nature that overpowers Blanche’s flirtatiously charming facade. He is determined to make everyone see her for who she really is.
The main function of this scene is to set the tragedy in motion. Stanley’s smouldering rage against Blanche’s dangerously misguided playfulness. - Tensions between the past and present.
Blanche’s baths
a new, recurring motif is introduced in this scene: Blanche’s passion for taking long baths. While on a practical level, Blanche’s regular baths heighten tensions between those living there as the bathroom is always occupied, a symbolic significance may be discerned - Blanche’s obsessive habit may reflect her yearning to wash away her guilt for her husband’s death and her regular sexual encounters. this symbolic meaning may be more apparent to those reading the script rather than watching the play, as amidst all of the other action, Blanche’s baths may go unnoticed.
the perpetual ‘blue piano’
the ‘meaning’ of the blue piano is not necessarily clear-cut: providing a musical background with no specific message in this scene, it remains neutral
