A Streetcar Named Desire: Scene Notes – Scene 8
Summary:
●
Stanley, Stella and Blanche are at home
having a what has become “a dismal birthday supper”. for Blanche. Mitch, although expected has not arrived.
●
The mood is somber, and to attempt
to lighten it Blanche attempts to tell a ‘funny story’ about a parrot and a
preacher. It is apparent that Stanley is not
amused and when Stella and Blanche join together in insulting him, Stanley throws his plate
to the floor to reassert his control over the two other characters shouting that “Every Man is a King! and I’m the king around here.” (pg.195).
●
Blanche attempts to call Mitch but is
unable to get through so she leaves a number hoping he will call back. The next
time the phone rings, it is for Stanley
and he gloats at Blanche while talking to his friends.
●
Stanley tries to comfort Stella as
she cries - He tells her “It’s gonna be all right
again” (pg.196) after
Blanche leaves and, after a further argument Stanley gives her a ‘Birthday
Remembrance’ which is in fact a ticket on the Greyhound bus back to Laurel
●
Blanche bolts out of the room as Stanley gets ready to go
bowling. Stella begins to argue with him at which point Stella appears to go
into labour and asks Stanley to take her to the hospital.
●
Blanche Blanche is left alone, and the scene ends
in fading light, the ‘Varsouviana’ playing with
“sinister rapidity”, and Blanche whispers the words “El pan de mais, el pan de mais, El pan de mais sin sal” over and over.
These nonsense words (corn bread, corn bread, unsalted corn bread) show signs
of her impending insanity.
Themes:
Conflict – Blanche vs Stanley
Regarding Blanche’s desire to hear a
funny anecdote, Stanley
says that he “don’t know any refined enough for [her] taste” (pg.193). Stanley is simply
refusing to comply in order to try and upset Blanche. There is a sense that he
is mocking Blanche’s ‘upper-class’ background and this reflects the conflict
between the two classes which they represent. This scene displays less conflict
between the two characters, and more simple spite from Stanley. For instance he “pays no attention
to the story” (pg.194). This act of rudeness shows Stanley’s contempt for Blanche and thus the
animosity between them. In addition to representing the conflict that exists at
a basic level between these two characters, Blanche and Stanley’s hostile
relationship also reflects the conflict between the fading upper classes of the
American elite and the burgeoning, urban, immigrant working class who are
replacing them as the driving force behind America.
Conflict – Male vs
Female
(pg.194) “Mr. Kowalski is too busy
making a pig of himself to think of anything else!” Stella tries to assert some
power over Stanley
while agreeing with her sister. Stella does this again in the next line “Your
face and fingers are disgustingly greasy. Go and wash up and then help me clear
the table.” where she tries to establish a sense of power over her husband by
commanding him to follow her instructions. This undermines Stanley status as the dominant figure in the
house and here we Stella at her most assertive, which
creates tension between the two, a tension which this time echoes not a tension
between the classes but a tension between the genders.
(pg.194) [He hurls a plate to the
floor.] “That’s how I’ll clear the table!” [He seizes her arm.] Don’t ever talk
that way to me!” Stanley,
being the dominant powerful male quickly reasserts himself against his wife reflecting
the stereotypical balance of power in a working class husband and wife
relationship. This is reinforced when Stanely says
(pg.195) “Remember what Huey Long said - ‘Every Man is a King!’ And I am the
king around here, so don’t forget it!”. The conflict
between men and women is based on this simple structure - that men have the
need to be powerful over women, although some women strive to be more powerful.
(pg. 197) After his violent smashing
of the plates Stanley’s
control seems to have been firmly re-established. When the phone rings he
prevents Blanche from answering it by saying “I’m not sure. Keep your seat.” In
addition, during the conversation he is smug and when he says (pg.197) “QUIET
IN THERE! - We’ve got a noisy woman on the place.” Stanley is revelling in his freshly reconquered dominance. He shouts at Blanche from the phone
and exaggerates the noise level she is making in his comment to Mac. This is a
tool to help him illustrate his power over the women in the household.
Stanley’s confidence and strength is
finally demonstrated on (pg.198) when ‘[He crosses into the bedroom, ripping
off his shirt, and changes into a brilliant silk bowling shirt. {and Stella} follows
him.] Here, Stanley
asserts his power by doing as he pleases even though Stella tries to stop him
when she says (pg.198) “You’re not going bowling”.
Loneliness & Longing for love
The theme of loneliness is made
apparent at the start of the scene, where “there is a fourth place at the table
which is left vacant” (page 193). This place was obviously set for Mitch, and
his absence upsets Blanche greatly. When she calls and fails to reach Mitch,
the idea of loneliness is further reinforced. This is made even more apparent,
when the subsequent phone call is not once from Mitch but actually for Stanley, then his
‘present’ of a ticket back to Laurel – all of this makes Blanche feel even lonelier
and more unwelcome. Blanche is left alone with only her insanity to accompany
her at the end of the scene, really hammering this point home.
The Destructive nature of Desire, Sex
& Passion
This is something which Stanley and
Stella’s relationship is built upon. Stanley
reminisces about “them nights [he and Stella] had
together” and making “noise in the night the way that [they] used to and get the
coloured lights going” (pg.196). Stanley
longs for Stella in this way and Blanche’s presence makes this impossible,
possibly feeding his desire to get rid of her, asking “wasn’t it all okay till
she showed here?” (pg.199)
Motifs:
Inside / Outside
·
In
this scene, Blanche remains inside, where Stanley
is able to go outside and smoke a cigarette. Blanche remaining inside is
significant because it reflects the idea of entrapment – that she is somehow
trapped in the apartment (she only ever leaves the apartment accompanied). It
also places Stanley
in a position of dominance as he is able to go inside and outside of the house
at will.
Insanity
·
(pg.194) [Blanche throws back her
head and laughs.] after her funny story about the Pastor and the Parrot.
Blanche is the only one who is laughing, and while this joke essentially
represents her desperation to maintain the illusion that everything is alright
and Mitch might be arriving any second, the way she laughs by throwing her head
back, carries with it an air of insanity.
·
(pg.198) [Blanche tries to smile.
Then she tries to laugh. Then she gives both up and springs from the table and
runs into the next room. She clutches her throat and then runs into the
bathroom. Coughing, gagging sounds are heard.] Her inability to know what
to do suggests that she is overwhelmed by what has happened, almost to the
point of insanity as she tries to do many contradicting things at once and is
unable to control herself.
·
[Pg 199] [Blanche comes out
twisting a wash-cloth. She begins to whisper the words as the light fades
slowly.] “El pan de mais, El pan de mais, El pan de mais sin sal.” This
is the most obvious section where Blanche’s actions suggest insanity.
Light
·
Blanche
says that “candles aren’t safe, that candles burn out in little boys’ and
girls’ eyes, or wind blows them out and after that happens,
electric light bulbs go on and you see too plainly…” (page
196). This is a reflection upon her life – her distaste for electric light
bulbs (harsher more penetrating light) reflects her active avoidance of the
truth. She prefers the softer light of candles as this
allows more room for ‘magic’ and romance. This may also be interpreted as a
warning about candles which may be a metaphor for the message
that fantasy and dreams are dangerous as after they are taken away, the harsh light of realism reveals the ugly truth of
reality. This is directly linked to the theme of ‘Pleasant Dreams vs. Ugly
Reality’
·
(pg.196) “… The way that we used
to get the colored lights going…” Stanley
is speaking to Stella, trying to persuade her that things “gonna be all right again” after Blanche leaves. There
are sexual connotations to his reference of “colored lights” as he also mentions “Them nights we had together”. One interpretation
of this is that lights, when related to Stanley,
are associated with more positive images such as vibrancy, life and excitement
in contrast to Blanches’ association of lights with the idea of a stark and
harsh reality.
Violence
·
(pg.194)[He
hurls his plate to the floor] This is an act to express power, strength and
control. Here, Stanley
asserts his control over Stella and provokes fear from Blanche.
·
(pg.194)
[He seizes her arm.] “Don’t ever talk that way to me!” Again, Stanley uses physical violence/strength to
assert power and authority over the women, namely Stella. Through this motif,
we see how males use physical acts, usually of violence and strength, to
attempt to declare power and supremacy over the women.
Characters:
At this point in the play, the
characters are merely fulfilling the roles which they have already been
assigned. We do not discover much that is new or unexpected about any of them.
The only clear diversion from their previous roles is where Stella attempts
(ineffectually) to assert herself over Stanley,
ordering him to “go and wash up and then help [her] clear the table”
Stanley
Stanley continues to be the strong, boastful,
dominant male. He constantly has the need to be in power over all the other
characters, male and female alike. This is shown when he criticises others,
(pg.194) “What do you think you are? A pair of queens?”, so that he has the
upper hand in the struggle for power. He fits into the stereotype where men do
not tolerate the behaviour of assertive women. However, there is also another
side to Stanley’s
character. (pg.195) [Stanley
turns slowly back towards his wife and takes her clumsily in his arms.] “Stell, it’s gonna be all right…” which
suggests that he does care. Although, particularly in the light of his
subsequent comments about making noise in the night this might suggest that he
is only really interested in Stella as a means of fulfilling his sexual
desires.
Stella
At points Stella attempts to
establish some authority in this scene. For example on (pg.194) she says to Stanley “Your face and
your fingers are disgustingly greasy. Go and wash up and then help me clear the
table.” Here Stella orders Stanley
to wash his hands and clear the table. However, her attempts to command Stanley are not successful and when Stanley physically threatens her (pg.195)
[Stella begins to cry weakly.] Ultimately, her actions reinforce her position
as the subservient and weak wife.
Blanche
Blanche is seen to be a weaker
character in this scene. In the beginning we sense her longing for love, her helplessness
and vulnerability. On (pg.195) she says of Mitch “I’m going to call him!” which
reveals her desperation for Mitch to come and her constant confusion. As a
character, Blanche is first described as a moth, and moths flutter. One
interpretation here is that she is fluttering and unable to stick with
something solidly and despite her attempts to assert herself over Stanley she fails and is
unable to gain either control or power. Instead she is trampled on by Stanley when he surprises her with the ticket back to Laurel, and she ends the
scene a pathetic picture of insanity.
Relation of Part to
Whole:
Scene 8 comes after Stanley reveals the
truth about Blanche’s past and the reason she left Laurel to Stella and we
learn that he has also taken the liberty to inform Mitch. The atmosphere in the
scene is tense and Stanley
is clearly doing his best to further antagonise the situation. Blanche tries to
call Mitch but fails and this foreshadows their awkward meeting in the next
scene. Scene 8 also provides further evidence for Blanche’s descent into
insanity, and Stella goes into labour.