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Madness/ Mental illness (Chris) (Things left uncertain (What is causing…
Madness/ Mental illness (Chris)
Character
Blanche
p29. "These are thousands of papers... put it plainly!" - Blanche gets mad at Stanley for accusing her of losing Bella Reve
p19. "I'm going to try to keep Blanche.. give me some money" - evidence of her mental illness (sc2)
p9. "You hear me? I said stand up!... don't you?" (sc1) - n Blanche’s eyes, Stella irresponsibly left Blanche alone to deal with their family in its time of distress.
p11. "I want to be near you.. I'm not very well" (sc1) - Blanche admitting that she is mentally ill
p13. "You left! I stayed and struggled.. burden descended on my shoulders" - Blanche's emotionally unstable. (sc1)
p19. "she is going through such an ordeal" -
p14. "I, I, I took the blows in my face.. in your bed with your - Polack" - Blanche’s breakdown here diverges from her confident manner when speaking to others. This gives the reader insight into her broken psyche, having witnessed and experiences events that others would hardly dare to speak of. It also contrasts with the manner in which Blanche describes the loss to Belle Reve to Stanley, taking a much more casual tone with it in Scene Two. (sc1)
p14. inside the monologue "Funerals are quiet, but deaths – not always." all these deaths – of her family members and also her husband – are really at the source of Blanche’s madness.
Alcohol
p8. "pours herself a number of whiskeys and tosses it down" - her addiction to Alcohol. Maybe has something to do with her Madness
p9. "while I look around for some liquor! Where could it be I wonder? Oh I spy!" - Blanche drinks heavily possibly to hide her madness
p9. "your sister hasn't turned into a drunkard" - Blanche avoids telling Stella she is a heavy drinker
p46. "utters a moaning cry... hysterical tenderness" - Blanche being emotionally unstable (sc4)
p47. "I've been half crazy, Stella! ..." (sc4)
p49. "Oh, let me think, if only my mind would function!" (sc4)
p52. "I have to plan for us both, to get us both - out!" - Blanche is fixed on the past of Bella Reve and is going crazy over trying to start a new business (sc4)
p63. "hard knocks my vanity's been given... enough to make him want me" (sc5)
p55 "Don't - don't hand back with the brutes!" (sc4)
p69 "We are going to be very bohemian... understand French?" (sc6) - dreamlike descriptions, potential look into her mental illness and her delusional state of mind
p51 "You never get anywhere with direct appeals!". Blanche decides to lie about their situation to Shep Huntleigh, once again a symptom of her slow regression into a delusional world.
p62. "I– I don't know why I scream!"- abnormal behavior and hints towards a potential split of mind.
p83. "When she was young.. killed her illusions!"
p91. "I take hot baths for my nerves... what anxiety feels like!" - Blanche admitting she has mental illness
p93. "She is. She was... forced her to change" - Stella implies that something happened that changed Blanche
We find out about Blanche's history on Pg 81, which gives insight
into the reasons for her mental illness
p83. "But when she was young, very young, she had an experience that– killed her illusions!" - once again illustrates how badly Allan's incident has affected her
Blanche wants Stanley to tell her a story, and gets immersed into telling a story herself– does her love for fantasy indicate her mental illness, in which it may represent her delusional state of mind? (sc8)
"Coughing, gagging sounds are heard." Blanche's reaction to going back to Laurel suggests she is deeply affected by her past there. (sc8)
"She is. She was. You didn't know Blanche as a girl. Nobody, nobody, was tender and trusting as she was. But people like you abused her, and forced her to change." Reveals Blanche's past that contributes to her current deteriorating state of mind. Perhaps it also hints at Stanley's future ultimate contribution to her ultimate mental breakdown (sc8)
p97. "That - music again... The 'Varsouviana'?" "I can't hear what you're saying and you talk so little that when you do say something." (sc9)
p99. "I don't want realism" - Blanche is avoiding reality (sc9)
p99. "I'll tell you what I want. Magic!.. Don't turn the light on"
p103. "Go away, then. Get out of here before I start screaming fire!" (sc9)
p105 "She catches her breath and slams the mirror face down with such violence that the glass cracks" (sc10).
p108. "Beauty of the mind and richness of the spirit and tenderness of the heart - and I have all of those things (sc10) - Blanche is being delusional.
p109. "I want to get in touch with Mr Shep Huntleigh of Dallas" - Blanche continues to be delusional as this person does not even exist. (sc11)
p115. "Please close the curtains before I come out" - Blanche is terrified of what happened and it caused her to be insecure (sc11)
p116. "I'm anxious to get out of here - This place is a trap!" - Blanche is starting to spiral. Mental illness deteriorating. (sc11)
p121. "I don't know you - I don't know you. I want to be - left alone - please!" - Blanche is starting to panic, continuing to spiral. (sc11)
Stella
p16. "When he's away for a week I nearly go wild!" - blinded by her love for Stanley
p15. "You seem a little bit nervous or overwrought or something"
p48. "pull yourself together and face the facts" – Blanche reminding Stella of her delusional state of mind with regards to her husband. This is where we first see Stella's retreat into her illusional world, just as Blanche is.
Stanley
p22. "Some people rarely touch it, but it touches them often" - Stanley references how alcohol can be an escape from reality
P43. "Stell-lahh"
p47. "Stanley's always smashed things.. lightbulbs with it." - Stanley's madness is starting to appear
p58 "Aries people are forceful and dynamic... such a fury" - Stella once again talks about Stanley's madness of smashing things around
p78. "Set down... Stella" - Stanley talking to Stella fiercely
p84. "You're goddam right.. get caught! - Stanley is trying to sabotage Blanche's relationship with Mitch
p85. "Hey, canary bird.. BATHROOM"
p89 "That's how I'll clear the table.. you want me to clear your plates? - Stanley starting to smash plates and yell at Stella
p92. "QUIET IN THERE..." - Stanley getting mad again
p94 "wasn't we happy together.. Till she showed here" - Stanley blames Blanche for everything going wrong in his life.
p112. Stanley raping Blanche
Mitch
p70. "I'm ashamed of the way I perpire"
Tone
p3. "A cat screeches near the window. " A cat represents many negative themes, as they are typically associated with mysteriousness and regarded as sinister and selfish.
p29. Various diction "Dreamily" "blue piano" all make Blanche seem detached from reality
(sc1) The short replies Stanley has for Blanche's long and intricate questions make the scene seem incredibly tense and reflective of the start to something terrible
p3. "she is daintily dressed... avoid strong light" - The imagery of "summer tea" and "cocktail party" directly contrasts her appearance not only with the people around her (mentally sane people), but also contrasts with the turmoil that is going on within her mental state. The delicate show that she puts on with her dress gives the readers an impression of fragility– at any moment in time, her artificial facade may shatter, revealing the corrupted inside.
p62 "(hysterically) I won't, I promise, I'll go!" - Blanche starts crying and going out of control. (sc5)
p63. "The music from the four..." - the music is slow and blue which fits Blanche's mood. (sc5)
Diction "I-I'm fading now!" ==> "fading" comparable to mental illness, slow descent into madness (sc5)
p63. "Steve bounds after her with goat like screeches" "dusk settles in" – diction of "goat", "bound", and "screeches" describe animals, giving the audience a sense of dread. Perhaps this emphasizes the danger that Blanche is in (and somewhat foreshadows the end of the play) (sc5)
p86. "Distant piano goes into a hectic breakdown" just like the facade that Blanche has been putting up all this time
Stella's role in this scene is to build up the tension– she constantly begs Blanche to not try and find out what people know about her, which in contrast emphasizes the foreboding doom that will come onto Blanche. (sc8)
Stella goes into labor at the end of the play escalates the tension building up in this scene to a maximum. It may signify the peak of Blanche's beginnings into a complete mental breakdown. (sc8)
Scene 8 begins with Blanche's birthday party brings forth even more tension and is fitting for the scene in which Blanche's past is revealed– the birthday party signifies a beginning of Blanche's journey to madness. (sc8)
Things left uncertain
What is causing Blanche to be emotionally unstable? (sc1)
What ordeal is Blanche going through? Why did Stella say she will act out in the party? (sc2)
Blanche mentioned death of her family. Could that be a source of her madness? (sc1)
What is the importance of the specific titles of the songs that the author chooses for Blanche's radio and for the ones that Blanche sings? (sc3)
what is the significance of the blue piano? it seems to play in scenes of all sorts of emotions– both sinister and relaxing ones (sc3)
Why is Stanley so suspicious of Blanche? (sc2)
What about Mitch makes him so appealing towards Blanche? Is it only their shared past, or is there something more? （sc3)
It is clear that Blanche is disgusted towards New Orlean's unsanitary environment.Does her backstory help explain her mental insanity? (sc2)
Still unsure of her history with her previous husband and why she tried to hurt him (sc1)
What is the significance of Stanley smashing things? Is it just to impress Stella, or is there something wrong with Stanley (sc4)
Blanche seems to have a lot of hatred towards Stanley. Why is that? (sc4)
Does Blanche's age have anything to do with her madness/mental illness? (sc5)
What is the significance of the blue piano? It seems to appear quite often. (sc5)
Is the purpose of this scene to bring light to Stella's altered perception of her and her husband's relationship, or is it to tell the audience of the hopelessness of the situation that they are in (Stella would never leave this relationship)? (sc4)
Why did Stanley suddenly bring up Flamingo, and why would Bella lie about it? (sc7)
Did the song Blanche was singing have any significance to the story? (sc7)
Did Blanche's old marriage cause Blanche's madness? (sc7)
Stella implied that Blanche was a normal girl before. What happened that caused her to have mental illness? (sc8)
We are still confused about why she did what she did after Allan died– is it another means of escaping from her trauma with Allan?
Why is Stanley so desperate for Blanche to leave the house? Why is he so desperate to uncover Blanche as a sinister character?
Why did Stanley suddenly want to rape Blanche?
Who is Mr. Shep Huntleigh of Dallas? Could he be someone in Blanche's imagination?
Setting
The bath within Stella's house is a good place for Blanche to hide away from reality, which reflects her delusional mental state. (sc2)
p1. "...which invests the scene with a kind of lyricism and gracefully attenuates the atmosphere of decay" - "decay" accurately describes a mind slowly descending into madness– just like Blanche's. The setting therefore sets up the theme of mental illness.
p41. "The kitchen... vivid green glass shade" - Description of the kitchen gives the entire scene a supernatural sense of sinisterness and primitiveness, which may link into schizophrenic people's tendency to hallucinate and retreat into their own fantasy world. (sc3)
p55. "An indistinguishable... blue piano plays for a brief interval" - The eerie sound of the blue piano outside casts the scene in a dreamlike manner, which may tie into the key trait of schizophrenia in that it causes the patient to retreat into their own fantasy world similar to a dream (sc3)
Blue piano once again plays at the end when Stanley and Stella embrace, casting the play into an ominous light and giving the reader a sense of foreboding due to their dangerous relationship. (sc5)
Morning with city life happening in background– may help emphasize the clarity behind Blanche's image of Stanley and contrast with her unwell state of mind. (sc4)
With Blanche staying in the bathtub for the entire scene 7 while her past is slowly being revealed, the setting of scene 7 creates a contrast to show how the scene marks the beginning of Blanche's breakdown.
"A locomotive is heard approaching outside. She claps her hands to her ears and crouches over. The headlight of the locomotive glares into the room as it thunders past." This particular description– highlights the turmoil Blanche is going through because of her loss (sc8)
p99. "Mitch crosses to the switch. He turns the light on and stares at her. She cries and covers her face." (sc9)
p110. "The bathroom door is thrown open and Stanley comes out in the brilliant silk pyjamas. He grins at her as he knots the tasselled sash about his waist"
p5. A light goes on behind the blind, turning it light blue"
Symbols
Bella Reve - means "beautiful dream." It is the name of the plantation that Stella and Blanche used to live at. It represents the entitled and, to them, nostalgic life they used to enjoy in the old South. Blanche no longer enjoys this privileged life. It also represents the illusion of the "good life" she wants back.
shower- The shower is used by Blanche to retreat from the real world, it brings Stanley back to this world by waking him up
Chinese lamp - p39. "I can't stand a naked light bulb anymore than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action" - Symbol for her delusion and her cover up of reality
Her perfect appearance– "starts dancing to the music with romantic gestures"– contrasts with her ongoing mental turmoil and brings light to the theme
Perfume– constantly covers herself in it, which is similar to how her dressing covers her grim reality.
Alcohol - p22. "Some people rarely touch it, but it touches them often" - Stanley references how alcohol can be an escape from reality
p19. Bathtub- she is constantly in the bathtub to "calm her nerves" which appears to be her attempt at escaping reality– mental illness
light and darkness - (sc4)
Streetcar - (sc4)
The blue piano once again plays as Stella choses to withdraw into her world with Stanley, despite Blanche's warnings. (sc4)
Blanche's appearance - Blanche's appearance is contrasted with Stella's on page 46, in which Stella appears to be "serene" and "her eyes and lips have that almost narcotized tranquility". Stella, however, is the one who is acting delusional in this act, whereas Blanche is the one who is able to directly face reality and bring her sister's attention to Stanley's abusive nature. (sc4)
p61. "Paper lantern over the light" – compares her delusional state with the lamp once again (sc5)
Coke – immediately brings Blanche back from her dark history to "gaiety". May be a symbol for her retreat into illusion and her inability to face reality (sc5)
p78. Blanche has been soaking in a hot tub for all afternoon - bathtub conveniently appears when Blanche's dark history is revealed, showing her escape from her past
"Polka music sounds. In a minor key faint with distance." music- once again is used to highlight Blanche's frantic state of mind
"Goddam, it's hot in here with the steam from the bathroom." alluding to the bathtub as a symbol for Blanche's retreat from reality. The steam perhaps represents something that helps her cover up her inner turmoil. (sc8)
Birthday parties celebrate a beginning– but in this case, the birthday party could signify the beginning of Blanche's doom, as this is the scene where she realizes that her past is revealed to everyone. (sc8)
Light and Dark p98 "I've never seen you in the afternoon" - Blanche never lets Mitch see her because she is ashamed of her age (sc9)
Once again, in scene 10 the blue piano appears - showing the emotional feeling and sexual desire of people.
badly Allan's incident has affected her