"THE GLASS MENAGERIE & A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cliff Notes)

Blanche's attack on Stella suggests the intensity of her feelings about the loss. On the other hand, she could be covering up the facts, possibly to protect herself, possibly because she can't face the truth. Unable to accept responsibility, she may be casting blame on the dead people in her family and ultimately on her little sister, all characters, take note, without the capacity to defend themselves.

NOTE: It takes a particularly skillful actress to play Blanche. She possesses many villainous qualities. In this scene you have observed her being cruel, bossy, hypocritical and dishonest. Yet, the actress who portrays her must preserve the goodwill of the audience. If you didn't like Blanche at least a little, her struggle with Stanley, which is about to begin, would be far less compelling than it is.

When Stella runs to the bathroom in tears, Stanley and friends, Steve and Mitch, return from bowling and plan a poker game for the following evening. You see that Stanley easily lives up to Stella's description. He is crude and animal like, but he knows his sexual attractiveness and uses it unsparingly.

Notice how Stanley treats Blanche during their first encounter. Is there any apparent reason for him to be nasty to her? Does he simply lack grace? Or has he just taken an instant dislike to Blanche? Perhaps her airs annoy him. Perhaps he can't tolerate Blanche's prattling about looking fresh and powdering her face. Because Stella has told him about her sister, Stanley may long ago have made up his mind to dislike her. It's also possible that Stanley, like an animal smelling danger, senses that Blanche may come between him and his mate in their small living quarters.

Finally, when Stanley asks about her marriage, Blanche cannot talk about it with him. Is the subject too painful? Or does she have something to hide? You'll find out later, but for the moment, she feels too sick to continue.

^^^^^^^^^^A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE: SCENE TWO

It's poker night at the Kowalskis. Stella plans to take Blanche on the town to get her out of the house while Stanley and his cronies drink beer and play for modest stakes.

While Blanche soaks in the tub Stella urges Stanley to be kind to Blanche. Stanley ignores Stella's pleas. He wants to know more about the loss of Belle Reve. He can't understand that the place is just--gone! He wants to see a bill of sale or papers of some kind to confirm Blanche's story. He cites the Napoleonic Code that says what belongs to the wife also belongs to the husband and vice versa. If Belle Reve is gone, it's his loss as well as Stella's.

NOTE: Stanley is right. Because the Louisiana Territory was owned by France before President Thomas Jefferson bought it for the United States, French civil law, the so-called Code Napoleon, was used for a long time to govern Louisiana's civil affairs. In the Code you find rules about inheritance and property. In recent years, however, the Code has gradually been superseded by new laws and court decisions.

Stanley suspects that Blanche used the money from Belle Reve to deck herself in furs and jewels and costly dresses. In defense of Blanche, Stella tells him that the furs are cheap and the jewelry is fake, but Stanley refuses to let the matter rest.

Taking Blanche's side could not be easy for Stella, yet she stands up for her sister. She may believe Blanche's story. Or perhaps Blanche's nervous condition has aroused Stella's sympathy. In either case, Stella is caught in the middle. Before Blanche emerges from the bathroom, Stella escapes to the porch, leaving Stanley to face Blanche alone.

Not suspecting what is in store, Blanche comes out of the bathroom and banters cheerfully with Stanley. She plays the role of coquette, flaunting her helplessness and fishing for compliments. But he is wise to her flirtatious antics, and she is not impressed with his brutishness. Considering his sexual power, he may also be testing the water. Does she have the strength to resist him? He probably would like to find out.

Blanche could probably go on all day, but Stanley grows impatient with the chatter. Suddenly he booms out "Now let's cut the re-bop!" He wants to know the truth about Belle Reve. When he cites the Napoleonic Code to Blanche, she taunts him, "My, but you have an impressive judicial air!" She sprays him with perfume, teasing him some more. Her seductive manner drives him to say that he'd get the wrong ideas about her if she wasn't Stella's sister. The remark sobers her a little. She grants that while she may fib a little, she wouldn't lie about something as important as Belle Reve. She'll show the papers to Stanley if he wants to see them.

Impatient for the papers, Stanley grabs for them inside Blanche's trunk. What he finds is a packet of love letters and poems written by Blanche's late husband, Allan. Blanche refers to her husband as a "boy." It's a curious usage. Blanche and he were married when both were very young. Allan died before he reached manhood. In another sense, Allan lacked the qualities to be considered a man in the fullest sense of the term. You'll find out why further in the play. In any event, Blanche treasures his letters and vows to burn them now that Stanley's hands have touched them.

Finally, she hands Stanley a towering pack of legal papers that span the history of Belle Reve. This time, Blanche attributes the loss of the plantation not to the numerous deaths that occurred there, but to the "epic fornications" of generations of DuBois men. Stanley is befuddled by the mass of papers. Perhaps Blanche was telling the truth after all. He explains his interest in Stella's welfare, especially now that she's going to have a baby.

The news of Stella's baby stirs Blanche. She rushes out to find Stella and to tell her that she and Stanley have settled their differences. Blanche brags that she conquered Stanley with wit and a bit of flirting. But you'll notice that her triumph over Stanley is mostly wishful thinking. If he were to retell what happened during this scene, the story would probably be a lot different.

NOTE: You might think of A Streetcar Named Desire as a modern equivalent of a classic tragedy, in which you follow the suffering and gradual defeat of a person who probably doesn't deserve it. As the hero fights to survive he cannot keep from sinking further into hopelessness and despair. It seems as though his fate has been predetermined. As you continue the play, try to discern other similarities between Blanche and a typical tragic hero.

^^^^^^^^^^A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE: SCENE THREE

The poker game is still underway when Blanche and Stella return from their night out. Stanley, on a losing streak, lashes out at Mitch for wanting to go home. He also snaps at Blanche, whacks Stella on the thigh, and orders the two women to leave the men to their game.

Alone with Stella in the other room, Blanche observes that Mitch had seemed noticeably more courteous and sensitive than the other men. When Blanche and Stella laugh aloud, Stanley shouts, "You hens cut out that conversation in there." But Stella protests. In her house she'll do as she pleases.

Does it seem as though a row is about to begin? When Blanche turns on the radio, Stanley demands that it be turned off. When she refuses, he does it himself. The poker players, like nervous animals before a storm, become restless with Stanley's antics. When Mitch drops out of the game, Blanche seizes the chance to talk with him. Observe Blanche in conversation with Mitch. She's a study in deception. She knows just how to charm him. She talks of the beauty of sick people. (Stella has told her that Mitch is devoted to his sick mother.) She playfully slurs some words, pretending to be slightly drunk. She tells him that Stella is her older sister (a lie), and that Stella's need for help has brought her to town (another lie).

Blanche asks Mitch to cover a naked light bulb with a colored paper lantern, bought earlier that evening. Mitch obliges, unaware of Blanche's intention to hide her real age and, when you consider her other deceptions, perhaps a lot more than that. At any rate, Blanche's wiles work on Mitch. He is won over instantly, hypnotized by her charm.

Blanche clicks on the radio. You hear a beautiful waltz. Caught up in the music, Blanche dances gracefully. Mitch imitates her awkwardly, like a dancing bear.

NOTE: The waltz, Wien, Wien, nur du allein, is a sentimental expression of love for old-time Vienna, the city of dreams. The song conjures up images of elegance and splendor that contrast with the run-down apartment of the Kowalskis. Ironically, at the time A Streetcar Named Desire was written the beauty of Vienna existed only as a memory. The city lay in ruins from heavy bombing during the war. Watch for other discrepancies between reality and illusion in the play.

Stanley, in a rage, stalks into the room, grabs the radio and throws it out the window. Then he charges Stella and strikes her. Before he can land another blow, the other men rush forward and pin his arms behind him. He suddenly becomes limp, as though exhausted by his tantrum. To sober him up, his friends drag him to the shower.