Mitch

• Mitch not only strips Blanche of her romantic pretensions of youth, refinement and virginal innocence but also symbolically divests her of her illusions, hopes and dreams of magically transcending the corrupt past
• Just as Blanche was 'deluded' by Allan, Mitch feels 'a fool...to believe you was straight'.
• His rejection of Blanche 'You're not clean enough to bring in a house with my mother' parallels precisely Blanche's own contemptuous rejection of Allan and his sexuality 'You disgust me'
• He is often interpreted as a comic foil to Stanley. He appears childish, his stage directions containing 'awkward fumbles', and he lacks experience to see through Blanche's affected demureness
• He represents a pallid possibility, hope of future happiness or security for Blanche makes her catastrophe more poignant
• scene 3- 'sensitive look' - puts up the paper lantern- symbolic of Blanche's constructed reality and object he 'tears' down when her secrets are revealed in scene 9.
• cigarette case- sonnet 43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, a gift from a previous romance showing their alignment
• awkwardness- 'awkward courtesy' 'moves in an awkward imitation like a dancing bear'- 'awkward' only used to describe Mitch
• Blinded by Stanley- Mitch blames poker 'should not be played in a house with women' WEAK xxx Masculine pursuit of poker. 'They're crazy about each other'- Blanche's reaction to blunt realism of Elysian Fields
• They are practical for eachother- 'I need kindness now' mutual need of companionship. Dim hope, 'Could it be me and you Blanche?

  Pur
• lack of compatibility- Blanche's willful self dramatisation and role playing. Speaking French 'voulez vous couchez avec moi ce soir'- formal register highlights their class differences. 'unhand me sir'. Can allow her mythicised stature of the lily white southern belle.
• Prospect of Blanche's relationship with Mitch acts as catalyst for Stanley to uncover her sordid past
• 'You're goddamn right I told him!' 'Let my best friend get caught' - Stanley's self proclaimed best friend
• Mitch appears in scene 9 at her birthday party- rapid feverous varsouviana poker shows foreboding anticipation. Blanche uses formal register around Mitch again but appears 'unshaven' and in 'work clothes'. HE NO LONGER REPRESENTS IMAGE OF ROMANCE 'utterly uncavalier' intrusion of harsh unvarnished reality. Polka stops when Mitch arrives showing the hope but it soon increases intensity
• Scene 9- 'tears the paper lantern off the light bulb' 'No, just realistic'- the realism, literalism of harsh world of Elysian Fields catching up with Blanche, her lies catching up with her. 'What I've been missing all summer' ' I don't think I want to marry you anymore
• When he tries to exert masculinity he still 'fumbles to embrace her' 'clatter awkwardly' incapable. His attempt to take sexual advantage of Blanche is weak. He doesn't 'think' he wants to marry her ,diction of uncertainty WEAK
• Scene 10-'it was foolish for me to ever think that we could ever adapt ourselves to each-other- Blanche's lies 'box of roses to beg for forgiveness' 'we have to be realistic about such things' to Stanley- IRONY hollow defence before climax of play. 'Not guilty of deliberate cruelty'- lies because of Allan.
• final scene- dogged by shame and impotent fury- INACTION IMPOTENCE x 'bone-headed crybaby- demeaning. Can't even bear to look at her, blocked by Stanley when he tries to rescue her. 'I'll kill you!'- masculinity triumphs
• Sonnet 43- 'And if God choose, I shall but love thee better- after death'
• too morally weak to defend Blanche or confront Stanley- Pathetic figure