rachelgrimesstreetcarblog: John Mcrae

John Mcrae

Elysian fields- Heaven in Greek mythology
Play is set through May to September- it goes through summer so it is very hot
Presence of characters- represents whole of society- music in background, people walking up and down stairs etc
Integration of white and black people- New Orleans is a very developed state compared to what Blanche is used to
Therefore, it is a multi-cultural and multi-cultural
"Red hot! Red hots!" and "Blue Moon cocktail"- colours clash and could represent Stanley and Blanche
"Money"- right at the start, Mitch is characterised about money
Stanley represents movement but Blanche is a static character- binary pair
"incongruous to this"- Blanche can immediately be identified as a fish out of water
"moth"- Blanche is described as a moth which is delicate but also drawn to flame so it destroys itself.
Moths also destroy clothes so she could be seen as destroying everything around her
Eunice "we own this place"- Blanche owns nothing
The French society of the past contrasts with the multi-cultural New Orleans
There is a complex and sympathetic relationship between the audience and Blanche- the audience knows her secrets like how much she likes to drink though she pretends the opposite to the other characters

The paperwork symbolises the past and how it is catching up with the future
Blanche's past is represented by the documents and how her Southern society has faded/ been sold off
Stella's baby represents the future and how the modern American society is progressing forward, even without money
Some critics say Blanche is childless in the way gay people cannot have kids
However, Blanche is not childless in a tragic way, it is because she is the end of the line
Blanche says "epic fornications" which shows it runs in the family and this has lead to two very different sisters with very different career paths
Stella is seen in a positive light- she will stick with Stanley but is loyal to Blanche
Is Blanche a lost cause already? She goes past Cemetaries in Scene One so is she alive but dead
How dead is Blanche? At the end she latches onto the doctors as a last hope for survival
Napoleonic code links to French background
Property- Blanche does not own anything so her body is very important to her
She is constantly bathing and washing her hair but she is fading
She tells Stella up front "I was flirting with your husband"- This is the only thing she knows how to do and thinks that is what all men want
She is irresponsible- she does not know how to be responsible so she makes up for it by flirting with men
It becomes tragic because she is noble in her own way

The poker game is exclusive and is all about masculinity and violence
When Steve tells a joke it's a male joke and it is about sex. A rooster gives up sex for food which means this is centred around priority
What priorities are there in the play? Priority of sex over food, sex over money...
Male rivalry- Mitch goes away from poker game to Blanche
Blanche refers to the toilet in front of Mitch as the "Little Boys' Room" because she is playing on her femininity which contrasts with the men who have all been drinking beer
Mitch and Blanche's relaationship begins with a physical need
Mitch lives alone with his mum and many critics say he symbolises stability- I don't think he does
Alan, Blanche's husband is gay, Mitch is not
The tragedy for Mitch is that he will be disappointed with Blanche's past
Mitch and Blanche talk about "gallantry" which is old fashioned
There is an echo of 'Gone with the Wind' in the film as Blanche is played by the same actress who played Scarlett O'Hara- this is symbolic as it was set in the American Civil War
The play is about how America grows up- though Blanche does not
The poker game explodes with violence- it is a clash of masculine egos and values that are at stake
Mitch tells Blanche that "There's nothing to be scared of. They're crazy about each other"
But Blanche cannot connect with their rough relationship as she is used to gallantry

This scene runs straight on from the previous
"There is a confusion of street cries like a choral chant"- Williams likes the idea of a choral chant where everything outside like sound, movement, light and dark creates a choral commentary like a Greek tragedy
This symbolises that life goes on- even for Blanche
So how much is it a tragedy? Is it because she survives or the fact that she keeps going? Is it someone else's tragedy?
Mitch becomes the emblem of unfulfilled desire
The key word in this scene is "desire"
There is the idea of Blanche being a moth again
Blanche always has the dream of finding a nice guy who will help her out
Shep Huntleigh could be seen as imaginary as he is the perfect escape for Blanche as he is very rich
"that is your job not mine"- Blanche's view on how to live with men
However, she says "job" and not role so it makes it sound like a money transaction
Blanche talks about flags which is a sign of identity- the Confederate flag is still flown in some states in America