Outline - A Streetcar Named Desire

Résumé du document

Plan détaillé d'un extrait du livre A Streetcar Named Desire, page 27 à 30 (scène 3).

Extraits

[...] This extract is the beginning of the third scene of A Streetcar Named Desire, a play written by Tennesse Williams and first played on Broadway in 1947. This play follows the life of Blanche DuBois, a Southern lady who left her aristocratic life to stay with her sister Stella and her brother-in-law Stanley in New Orleans. In this scene, Blanche and Stella are coming home and interrupt the poker game that was going on there. What is most striking about this excerpt is that it seems that it is entirely built upon contrast, between characters, tones and images used in the scene. [...]

[...] At the end of the excerpt, he is the only one who is seduced by Blanche. All of this is confirmed by the sisters' judgement: "That one seems - superior to the others", thought he had a sort of sensitive look". The evolution of the excerpt oo A solemn beginning: the scene starts with the words "The Poker Night.", making it important and official. This impression is emphasized with the vivid description of the room and the players in it, compared to a picture of Van Gogh. [...]

[...] An opposition between the masculine and the feminine Archetypal images of masculine versus feminine oo The masculine world is described with an analogy to primary colours - it is harsh and vivid oo Physical description of the players: "at the peak of their physical manhood"; "coarse and direct and powerful". Traditional masculine attributes: "cards, chips, and whisky". Stanley represents the keeper of this image of masculinity: he is violent, he wants to stay focused on the game, he rejects the two women. oo The two women are preoccupied by their appearance ("How do I look?" and "Do I look done in only a few sentences). [...]

[...] A contrasted encounter between these two worlds: between clash and romance oo Rejection: Stanley is rude to the women and refuses to let them play, trying to keep the poker game as a manly universe oo Violence: Stanley striking his wife oo The romantic encounter between Blanche and Mitch strongly contrasts with the violent that precedes it: it is courteous and sensitive ("How do you "thanks", "Excuse me, please", "coughing a little shyly", "embarrassed laugh"). It is the only moment when men and women actually have a real conversation. [...]