Stella and Stanley are a married couple who live in Elysian Fields. Unexpectedly Stella’s older sister Blanche arrives at their apartment to stay for a while. She goes to stay with them because their family estate, Belle Reve, has been lost due to no payments. Blanche needs somewhere to stay and so she stays with the Kowalski family. Since Blanche arrived at Stella’s house, Stanley and Blanche clashed because he did not trust her. He did not believe that Blanche had lost the estate, but that she had sold it and the Kowalski’s did not receive any profit from the sell. From the time that Blanche met
6.03.2009
Plot Summary
Character Analysis
Stella: Stella is a submissive woman, but at the same time she is not aware of the kind of man that
Blanche: Blanche represents the kind of woman that likes to take a stand for what she believes. She wants to have the equality between males and females, especially in a relationship, but at some points she cannot have that control and equality she wishes for. She hates that Stella is still with
Mitch: Mitch began to like Blanche, but once he discovered facts from her past at Belle Reve, he lost interest in her. Blanche was somewhat a promiscuous woman, but Mitch’s attitude toward her situation shows the double standard between women and men. Men are able to see many women at once and be praised for it, on the other hand, women are seen as a disgrace when they see many men at once. This is an example of the inequality between the sexes, and the hatred towards women’s relationships.
Detailed Analysis
Reality and Fantasy: Blanche’s world is all fantasy. She cannot live in reality because of her painful past. She is unable to confront the pain that her past has left her with and so she finds comfort in making herself seem pure and innocent. Blanche thinks that by taking long showers, she will be cleansed of all evil. But Blanche is not that innocent and pure. She makes up stories that a millionaire will pick her up and take her away. Her reliance on men’s attention makes her vulnerable to being controlled by others.
Sexuality: Sexual relations and passion are at the core of Stella and Stanley’s relationship. Stella openly speaks about
The feminism and misogyny that is shown in the play is represented by the characters of Blanche and Stanley.