Scene Three: The Poker Night

Scene Three, commonly known as the poker night, intensifies the poker scene masculine and feminine character conflict. This scene vividly illustrates the separation between the masculine and feminine spheres within the play.

The setting is crucial in emphasizing this divide. Williams uses a Van Gogh painting, "Night Café," with its harsh colors to underscore the raw masculinity of the poker players. This artistic reference adds depth to the scene's atmosphere and characterization.

Example: The harsh colors of Van Gogh's "Night Café" painting mirror the harsh masculinity of the poker players, creating a visual representation of the gender divide.

The dialogue further reinforces this separation. Mitch's line, "Poker should not be played in a house with women," succinctly captures the prevailing attitude and the clear delineation between male and female spaces.

This scene serves multiple purposes:

1. It showcases Stanley's dominance, as he controls all aspects of the poker game.
2. It reveals Stanley's jealousy towards Mitch's interest in Blanche.
3. It exposes Stella's passionate relationship with Stanley, despite his violent outburst.

A key moment occurs when Stanley, in a drunken rage, throws a radio out of the window and strikes Stella. Despite this violence, Stella's return to Stanley underscores the intensity of their passion and the complexity of their relationship.

Highlight: Stella's return to Stanley after his violent outburst reveals the depth of their passionate, albeit troubled, relationship.

Blanche's character development continues in this scene. Her purchase of a "little colored paper lantern" symbolizes her refusal to confront the harsh realities of her life. This prop becomes significant later in the play when Mitch becomes disillusioned with her.

Quote: "Thank you for being so kind! I need kindness now!"

This line from Blanche is designed to evoke sympathy from the audience and foreshadows the play's conclusion, where the concept of kindness becomes crucial.

Scene Four: Contrasting Sisters

Scene Four delves deep into the contrast between the two sisters, Stella and Blanche, highlighting their differing perspectives on love and desire. This scene is crucial in understanding the complex dynamics between the characters and their conflicting worldviews.

The scene opens with a discussion between Stella and Blanche that reveals their fundamentally different experiences of love and passion. Stella has found true physical passion in her relationship with Stanley, while Blanche is repelled by what she perceives as brutal desire.

Quote: Blanche: "What you're talking about is brutal desire - just desire! The name of that rattle-trap streetcar that bangs through the Quarter."

This dialogue introduces the powerful metaphor of the streetcar, which serves multiple purposes in the play:

1. It literally represents the vehicle that brought Blanche to Stella's home.
2. Symbolically, it represents the sexual desire that has led to Blanche's downfall.

Symbolism: The streetcar named Desire is a metaphor for the destructive power of unchecked sexual desire in Blanche's life.

Stella's response to Blanche's criticism is equally telling:

Quote: Stella: "Haven't you ever ridden on that streetcar?"

This question implies that Stella has embraced the passion that Blanche fears and condemns, further highlighting the sisters' contrasting attitudes towards desire and relationships.

A significant dramatic device employed in this scene is Stanley's overhearing of the sisters' conversation. This use of dramatic irony - where the audience knows something the characters don't - serves to heighten tension and advance the plot:

1. It strengthens Stanley's dislike for Blanche.
2. It provides Stanley with motivation to get rid of Blanche.
3. It foreshadows future conflicts between Stanley and Blanche.

Highlight: Stanley's eavesdropping on the sisters' conversation is a pivotal moment that drives the plot forward and intensifies the conflict between characters.

This scene effectively sets the stage for the escalating tension in the household and the eventual confrontation between Stanley and Blanche. It deepens our understanding of the characters' motivations and the underlying themes of desire, reality versus illusion, and the clash between different ways of life.

Scene Five: The Unraveling Begins

Scene Five marks a critical turning point in "A Streetcar Named Desire," as the tension that has been building throughout the play begins to reach a breaking point. The scene is characterized by a pervasive threatening undertone, signaling the beginning of Blanche's unraveling.

The scene opens with a violent argument between Eunice and Steve, immediately establishing an atmosphere of hostility and conflict. This is quickly followed by a tense interaction between Stanley and Blanche, further emphasizing the growing animosity in the household.

Highlight: The opening of Scene Five sets a tone of hostility and impending conflict, foreshadowing the drama to come.

A crucial element in this scene is Stanley's hint that he has information about Blanche's past. This revelation creates a palpable sense of fear in Blanche, as she realizes her carefully constructed facade may be crumbling.

Quote: Stanley: "This somebody named Shaw is under the impression he met you in Laurel, but I figure he must have got you mixed up with some other party."

This subtle threat from Stanley serves multiple purposes:

1. It increases the dramatic tension.
2. It puts Blanche on the defensive.
3. It foreshadows the eventual revelation of Blanche's past.

In response to this growing pressure, Blanche begins to reveal aspects of her past to Stella. Her confession provides insight into her fragile emotional state and her desperate need for admiration and protection.

Quote: Blanche: "I've run for protection, Stella, from one leaky roof to another because it was storm - all storm, and I was caught in the center... People don't see you - men don't - don't even admit your existence unless they are making love to you."

This poignant admission reveals several key aspects of Blanche's character:

1. Her vulnerability and emotional fragility.
2. Her dependence on male attention for self-worth.
3. Her history of seeking refuge in relationships.

The scene also includes a symbolic moment when Stella accidentally spills Coke on Blanche's white skirt. Blanche's extreme reaction to this - a piercing cry - can be interpreted as a symbol of her lost innocence or a reminder of her dead husband.

Symbolism: The staining of Blanche's white skirt symbolizes her tarnished reputation and lost innocence.

The arrival of a young man collecting for a newspaper provides another revealing moment for Blanche's character. Her interaction with him demonstrates her inability to control her sexual impulses and hints at potential past indiscretions.

Quote: Blanche: "I want to kiss you - just once - softly and sweetly on your mouth."

This moment is significant because:

1. It reveals Blanche's sexual desires and her struggle to control them.
2. It contradicts her cultivated image of refinement and propriety.
3. It foreshadows potential revelations about her past behavior.

Scene Five effectively deepens our understanding of Blanche's complex character while ratcheting up the tension in the household. It sets the stage for the eventual confrontation between Blanche's illusions and the harsh reality represented by Stanley.

Characterization of Blanche

The final section of the play provides a deep dive into the characterization of Blanche, revealing the complexities and contradictions that define her character. This portrayal is crucial to understanding the themes of illusion versus reality and the struggle between desire and propriety that run throughout "A Streetcar Named Desire."

Blanche's physical appearance and behavior are carefully crafted to present a specific image. Her efforts to attract men and her preference for soft colors recall her initial "moth-like" appearance at the beginning of the play. This consistent imagery reinforces Blanche's fragility and her desperate need for admiration and protection.

Highlight: Blanche's carefully cultivated appearance, with its soft colors and delicate nature, serves as a visual representation of her fragile emotional state.

The episode with the young newspaper collector is particularly significant in revealing the contradictions within Blanche's character. Despite her hopes for a future with Mitch and her stated aversion to Stanley and Stella's passionate relationship, Blanche is willing to risk everything to flirt with a young boy.

This incident serves multiple purposes in the characterization of Blanche:

1. It demonstrates her inability to control her sexual impulses.
2. It reveals her hypocrisy, as she condemns others for behavior she herself engages in.
3. It foreshadows potential revelations about her past indiscretions.

Quote: Blanche: "I've got to be good and keep my hands off children."

This line, spoken after her interaction with the young man, is particularly revealing. It suggests that Blanche is aware of the inappropriateness of her behavior and hints at possible past warnings or incidents.

The contradictions in Blanche's character are further emphasized by her simultaneous desire for admiration and her need to maintain an image of propriety. She craves male attention and validation, yet she attempts to present herself as refined and morally upright.

Analysis: Blanche's character embodies the conflict between desire and societal expectations, a central theme of the play.

These contradictions in Blanche's character serve to:

1. Create a complex, multi-dimensional character.
2. Highlight the themes of illusion versus reality in the play.
3. Set up the eventual conflict between Blanche's fabricated persona and the truth of her past.

As the play progresses, these aspects of Blanche's character become increasingly important. Her inability to reconcile her desires with her self-image, combined with the mounting pressure from Stanley's investigations into her past, drive the plot towards its dramatic conclusion.

The characterization of Blanche in these final scenes effectively sets the stage for the play's climax, where the tension between illusion and reality, desire and propriety, finally comes to a head. It underscores the tragedy of Blanche's situation and the broader themes of the destructive power of unchecked desire and the difficulty of maintaining illusions in the face of harsh reality.

Blanche's Complex Character

The final section reveals the contradictions in Blanche's character through her interaction with the young newspaper collector.

Quote: "I want to kiss you-just once-softly on your mouth."

Highlight: The episode with the young man demonstrates Blanche's internal conflicts and hypocrisy regarding sexuality and propriety.

Scene Two: Growing Antagonism

Scene Two marks the escalation of antagonism between Stanley and Blanche. As the protagonist, Blanche reveals the truth about Belle Reve to Stanley, the antagonist. This disclosure fuels Stanley's anger, as he feels cheated out of Stella's potential earnings from the estate's sale.

The scene introduces a significant Stanley and Blanche sexual conflict analysis. Their interaction becomes charged with sexual tension when Blanche emerges from the bathroom in a red satin robe. This moment is pivotal, as Stanley explicitly acknowledges the sexual undercurrent, saying, "If I didn't know that you was my wife's sister, then I'd get ideas about you!"

Highlight: The sexual tension between Stanley and Blanche becomes explicit, foreshadowing future conflicts.

An important symbolic element introduced in this scene is the symbolism of Blanche's baths for purification. Blanche's frequent bathing creates tension in the household and serves a deeper purpose.

Definition: Symbolism - Blanche's baths represent her need for purification from guilt, particularly related to her husband's death.

The use of the atomizer further emphasizes Blanche's character, as she playfully sprays Stanley with it, leading to a confrontational moment when he seizes and slams it on the dresser. This interaction encapsulates the growing tension and power struggle between the two characters.