BLANCHE STELLA
Much of Blanche’s behaviour relies on her Stella’s desire for Stanley pulls her away from
perception of herself as an object of male Belle Reve and her past. Stella is drawn to
sexual desire. Her interactions with men always Stanley’s brute, animal sexuality, and he is
begin with flirtation. Blanche tells Stella that drawn to her traditional, domestic, feminine
she and Stanley smoothed things over when sexuality. Even though Stanley is violent to
she began to flirt with him. When Blanche Stella, their sexual dynamic keeps them
meets Stanley’s poker-playing friends, she together. When Blanche is horrified that
lights upon Mitch as a possible suitor and Stanley beats Stella, Stella explains that the
adopts the guise of a chaste lover for him to things that a man and a woman do together in
pursue. Blanche nearly attacks the Young Man the dark maintain their relationship.
with her aggressive flirting with him and kissing
him. Blanche dresses provocatively in red satin, Despite being brought up in an atmosphere of
silks, costume jewellery, etc: she calls attention charm, Southern grace, and sophistication,
to her body and her femininity through her there was little in the way of love or stability
carefully cultivated appearance. Blanche clings for Stella. Both of those qualities are available
to her sexuality more and more desperately as in abundance in her marriage, which, despite
the play progresses. To Blanche, perhaps its numerous imperfections, is a strong one.
motivated by her discovery that her first It's certainly strong enough to withstand the
husband was in fact homosexual, losing her unwelcome presence of Blanche, who tries
desirability is equal to losing her identity and unsuccessfully to pry her sister away from a
man she considers beneath her in every
“Oh, I guess he’s just not the type that “There are things that happen between a
goes for jasmine perfume, but maybe he’s man and a woman in the dark–that sort of
what we need to mix with our blood now make everything else seem–
that we’ve lost Belle Reve.” unimportant.”
- Blanche, Scene Two – Stella, Scene Four
STANLEY OVERALL
Stanley’s sexuality and his masculinity Throughout the play, sexual desire is
are extremely interconnected: he is even linked to destruction. Even in supposedly
described as ‘animalistic’. Stanley’s loving relationships, sexual desire and
sexuality asserts itself violently over bothviolence are yoked: Stanley hits Stella,
Stella and Blanche. Although he hits and Steve beats Eunice. The “epic
Stella, she continues to stay with him fornications” of the DuBois ancestors
and to submit to his force. While Stella is created a chain reaction that has
at the hospital giving birth to his child, culminated in the loss of the family
Stanley rapes Blanche: the culmination of estate. Blanche’s pursuit of sexual desire
his sexual act with Stella coincides with has led to the loss of Belle Reve, her
the tragic culmination of his ‘destined expulsion from Laurel, and her eventual
date’ with Blanche. removal from society. Stanley’s voracious
carnal desire culminates in his rape of
Blanche. Blanche’s husband’s
“unacceptable” homosexual desire leads
“Since earliest manhood the centre of [Stanley’s] life has
been pleasure with women, the giving and taking of it,
not with weak indulgence, dependently, but with the
power and pride of a richly feathered male bird among
hens.”
Much of Blanche’s behaviour relies on her Stella’s desire for Stanley pulls her away from
perception of herself as an object of male Belle Reve and her past. Stella is drawn to
sexual desire. Her interactions with men always Stanley’s brute, animal sexuality, and he is
begin with flirtation. Blanche tells Stella that drawn to her traditional, domestic, feminine
she and Stanley smoothed things over when sexuality. Even though Stanley is violent to
she began to flirt with him. When Blanche Stella, their sexual dynamic keeps them
meets Stanley’s poker-playing friends, she together. When Blanche is horrified that
lights upon Mitch as a possible suitor and Stanley beats Stella, Stella explains that the
adopts the guise of a chaste lover for him to things that a man and a woman do together in
pursue. Blanche nearly attacks the Young Man the dark maintain their relationship.
with her aggressive flirting with him and kissing
him. Blanche dresses provocatively in red satin, Despite being brought up in an atmosphere of
silks, costume jewellery, etc: she calls attention charm, Southern grace, and sophistication,
to her body and her femininity through her there was little in the way of love or stability
carefully cultivated appearance. Blanche clings for Stella. Both of those qualities are available
to her sexuality more and more desperately as in abundance in her marriage, which, despite
the play progresses. To Blanche, perhaps its numerous imperfections, is a strong one.
motivated by her discovery that her first It's certainly strong enough to withstand the
husband was in fact homosexual, losing her unwelcome presence of Blanche, who tries
desirability is equal to losing her identity and unsuccessfully to pry her sister away from a
man she considers beneath her in every
“Oh, I guess he’s just not the type that “There are things that happen between a
goes for jasmine perfume, but maybe he’s man and a woman in the dark–that sort of
what we need to mix with our blood now make everything else seem–
that we’ve lost Belle Reve.” unimportant.”
- Blanche, Scene Two – Stella, Scene Four
STANLEY OVERALL
Stanley’s sexuality and his masculinity Throughout the play, sexual desire is
are extremely interconnected: he is even linked to destruction. Even in supposedly
described as ‘animalistic’. Stanley’s loving relationships, sexual desire and
sexuality asserts itself violently over bothviolence are yoked: Stanley hits Stella,
Stella and Blanche. Although he hits and Steve beats Eunice. The “epic
Stella, she continues to stay with him fornications” of the DuBois ancestors
and to submit to his force. While Stella is created a chain reaction that has
at the hospital giving birth to his child, culminated in the loss of the family
Stanley rapes Blanche: the culmination of estate. Blanche’s pursuit of sexual desire
his sexual act with Stella coincides with has led to the loss of Belle Reve, her
the tragic culmination of his ‘destined expulsion from Laurel, and her eventual
date’ with Blanche. removal from society. Stanley’s voracious
carnal desire culminates in his rape of
Blanche. Blanche’s husband’s
“unacceptable” homosexual desire leads
“Since earliest manhood the centre of [Stanley’s] life has
been pleasure with women, the giving and taking of it,
not with weak indulgence, dependently, but with the
power and pride of a richly feathered male bird among
hens.”
