3.1.3

The Dynamic Between Blanche & Stanley

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The Dynamic Between Stanley and Blanche

Blanche finds Stanley primitive and repulsive. Stanley is suspicious of Blanche. They are attracted to each other.

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Blanche's view of Stanley

  • To Blanche, Stanley appears "primitive" and a relic from the Stone Age.
  • She regards him as animal-like in his behaviours and her disapproval of his apartments reflects her disapproval of his entire environment.
  • Stanley uses his physicality to express emotion - either by lashing out or throwing things.
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The threat of Blanche

  • Stanley has established a world in New Orleans and when Blanche enters it, he sees it threatened.
  • He is worried because she is a strong woman operating in this world.
  • Many observers see Stanley Kowalski as a kind of tragic villain: a brute who is clearly abusive to women. He is sometimes seen as arrogant, patriarchal, violent and sexist.
  • He also recognises that he finds her strangely attractive – even though her superiority over him and her attitude towards him is a threat.
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Suspicions arise

  • When Blanche informs him and Stella that Belle Reve is lost, he begins his investigations.
  • We start to see Stanley’s intelligence as well as a detective- like sense. He has concerns that Blanche has cheated him and his wife out of their inheritance.
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Blanche's abusive behaviour

  • Blanche does not reveal the truth and continues to be abusive towards him. What angers him is that Blanche continues to live in his property, drink his alcohol and eat his food. She also spends too much time in his bathroom. Stanley is no longer the "Lord" of his own castle.
  • Because of this, Stanley tries to find evidence about Blanche to try to convince Stella she is lying. In essence, both Stanley and Blanche are seeking Stella’s approval.

Stanley's Investigation and Rape of Blanche

Stanley operates as an investigator and finds out all he can about Blanche’s past. His frustration culminates in him raping Blanche.

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Stanley the detective

  • Stanley operates as an investigator and finds out all he can about Blanche’s past.
  • He discovers things which allow him to ascend in moral superiority. Blanche’s past is not white and innocent.
  • He therefore unsubtly buys Blanche a bus ticket back to Laurel and reveals his findings to Mitch – who he now knows has become close to Blanche.
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The rape

  • The rape scene in the play is very shocking.
  • Stanley probably views this as some kind of revenge for Blanche having put him through too much. He has been made fun of and demeaned by Blanche, and now he will do the same to her.
  • This makes Stanley a villain.
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Animalistic behaviour

  • Stanley’s behaviour may be read as Darwinian – it is about the survival of the fittest.
  • Once threatened, he will do what is necessary to survive. He appears to have achieved this because at the end, Blanche is carted away, whilst Stella seems subservient to him in their new family arrangement.
  • Williams seems to suggest that the patriarchal order is easily resumed.

Jump to other topics

1Context & Overview

2Scene Summaries

3Character Profiles

4Key Ideas

5Writing Techniques

6Critical Debates

7Ideas About Tragedy

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