Stella & Blanche

• Paragraph One

  • Unwilling to give up her love to stanley, whist also wanting to protect and care for Blanche she exists in a liminal space between them
  • First scene seems to fall into previous sister dynamic like back at belle reve ('Miss Stella!')
  • She laughs at her antisemitic joke
  • HOWEVER - blanche clothes and white collar
  • Shows from beginning of play Blanche is opposed to Stanley, developing into stella being forced to pick between them damagin the sisterly relationship Blanche expected them to fall back into
• Paragraph Two

  • Attempts to remain in liminality as choosing one means ruining relationship with other
  • BUT - scene 4 makes definitive choice of defending Stanley against Blanche after making direct comments towards him
  • In turn - pushes away Blanche, indirectly? looking at blanche whilst hugging him, direct,
  • Scene 5 this direct push away from blanche is ostensibly fixed, Stela gone back to liminality. call backs to belle reve - but undercurrent of damage with way Blanche feels she has to defend herself fro Stanleys accusations
  • Foreshadows ultimate decision of Stella, same music etc
• Paragraph Three

  • Despite Stella's illusion of choice, she could've never chose Blanche over Stanley
  • Shown from how whenever defending Blanche and moving towards their relationship instead of liminality - she is reminded of how she is tethered to Stanley
  • Scene 3 - violent outburst of stanley after she shouts at him for throwing radio Blanche switched on
  • Goes into labout when repeatedly questioning him why he hurt her
  • Whilst ay be a shock to mordern audience with the contextual factors in her choice - no means of income - single mother - heavy victim blaming of rape - its unsurprising
• Conclusion

  Sisters relationship is permanently altered by partiarcal norms of the time influencing Stella to choose the safety of Stanley over the risk of believing her sister and defending her.

  But, she still attmepts to protect Blanche in the end 'i will go with you' ' 'what have i done with my sister', her last line in the play shouting after blanche
• Stella love for Stanley and the love she has for her sister is presented by Williams as completely contradictory, and that this love cannot co-exist forcing her to choose between them
• Blanche reminding Stella of time in Belle Reve

  'Miss Stella!'
• Blanche questioning Stella on Stanleys accusations

  'Stella! what have you heard about me?'

  'What have people been telling you about me?'
• Scene 5 - Stella's call back to home

  'Like to wait on you, Blanche. It makes it seem more like home.'
• 'i will go with you'
• 'what have i done with my sister'
• 'Blanche! Blanche, Blanche!'