Scene 6

• Scene Summary and Analysis

  Blanche and Mitch return from a date at the carnival. Blanch is visibly exhausted from the evening out, Mitch seemingdejectedas he believes Blanche did not have a good time. Blanche blames herself for the evening, putting him at ease.Blanche is physically exhausted which reflects her mental state as well, as keeping up the facade is taking a toll on her.
• Scene Summary and Analysis

  Mitch requests Blanche for a kiss. Blanche asks him why he does not go ahead and kiss her without asking. This pushes Mitch to reveal that the last time he tried kissing her she pushed him away. Blanche tells Mitch that it was not the kiss but the “familiarity” she objected to as a girl must be cautious from getting “lost” on the first date. Mitch marvels at not knowing anyone like Blanche.Blanche's deception is at work here, she is typing to portray herself as a “virgin” because she believes that is what is expected of her.
• Scene Summary and Analysis

  Blanche then invites him in for a drink, they proceed to flirt and Mitch shows off his physique that impresses Blanche as he lifts her.This is a light moment in the play, an immature moment that is comical, a shift away from the darkness that is increasingly seeping into the play.She also speaks to him in French and pretends to be in France.Blanche’s fantasy and delusion makes an appearance here as well, the dull evening brightens when she takes Mitch into her fantasticalworld.
• Scene Summary and Analysis

  Blanche asks Mitch if Stanley has said anything to him about Blanche, claiming that Stanley hates her and her difficulties in living with her sister.Blanche is anxious that her past will catch up to her and ruin the hope she has in her life with Mitch.Mitch asks about Blanche’s age but she maneuvers around it.
• Scene Summary and Analysis

  They talk about Mitch’s mother who is terminally ill, this leads to Mitch tearing up but controlling his emotions.Mitch is a sensitive man, unlike the other men in the play. Williams frequently depicts this using Mitchs’s live and caring for his aged mother.
• Scene Summary and Analysis

  Blanche then speaks about Allan Grey, her husband who died bysuicide. She reveals that they married young and she loved him dearly but felt like she was lacking in some way. She then describes when she walked in on him havingsexwith anolder man.They pretended it didn't happen, carrying on with the night and going dancing. However, when they were dancing, Blanche expressed herdisgustin Allan which led him to shoot himself in the head shortly after.This part in the play is vital because the audience finds out the morose episode that affected Blanche so deeply, changing the course of her life. Blanche’s guilt and loneliness afterAllan’s death was the catalyst to her downward spiral.
• Scene Summary and Analysis

  She begins to hear the Polka music again and sobs as Mitch holds her, telling her that they both need someone, suggesting that they could be there for each other.The Polka music finally has an explicit context and reflects the horrible incident that broke the once innocent Blanche.
• Scene Summary and Analysis

  Mitch’s comfort and touch aid in having the Polka fade away. Blanche also recognises this with the audience who now realise that Mitch is her hope for redemption.
• Key Quotes


  BLANCHE: But honey, you know as well as I do that a single girl, a girl alone in the world, has got to keep a firm hold on her emotions or she’ll be lost

  Blanche is painting her picture ofinnocenceand caution. Herfaçadeis important to her because of the “old-fashioned” ideals she was raised with.
• Key Quotes


  BLANCHE: I guess it is just that I have – old-fashioned ideals! [She rolls her eyes, knowing he cannot see her face].

  Her rolling her eyes is important because it shows that shedoesn'tbelieve in them and is tired of depicting them. Blanche carriesvirilityin her true self. She asks to play poker, approaching the young man being outspoken and bold, something attributed to masculine energy. It is this energy thatunnervesStanley.
• Key Quotes


  BLANCHE: He hates me. Or why would he insult me? Of course there is such a thing as hostility of – perhaps in some perverse kind of way he – No! To think of it makes me…[She makes a gesture of revulsion. Then finishes her drink. A pause follows.]

  Blanche here insists that Stanley feels a strong emotion towards her. She calls it hate but also considers... what? Somethingperverse? This reflects her considering that Stanley is attracted to her but she is alsorepulsedby it.
• Key Quotes


  When I was sixteen, I made the discovery—love. All at once and much, much too completely. It was like you suddenly turned on a blinding light on something that had always been half in shadow, that’s how it struck the world for me.

  Blanche compares her love for Allan as a“blinding light”, something thatunpleasantlystrikes one’s eyes leaving them unable to see for a moment. Thismetaphoris important because the blinding light held her back from seeing Allan’s sexuality.
• Scene Summary and Analysis

  Blanche and Mitch return from a date at the carnival. Blanch is visibly exhausted from the evening out, Mitch seemingdejectedas he believes Blanche did not have a good time. Blanche blames herself for the evening, putting him at ease.Blanche is physically exhausted which reflects her mental state as well, as keeping up the facade is taking a toll on her.
• Scene Summary and Analysis

  Mitch requests Blanche for a kiss. Blanche asks him why he does not go ahead and kiss her without asking. This pushes Mitch to reveal that the last time he tried kissing her she pushed him away. Blanche tells Mitch that it was not the kiss but the “familiarity” she objected to as a girl must be cautious from getting “lost” on the first date. Mitch marvels at not knowing anyone like Blanche.Blanche's deception is at work here, she is typing to portray herself as a “virgin” because she believes that is what is expected of her.
• Scene Summary and Analysis

  Blanche then invites him in for a drink, they proceed to flirt and Mitch shows off his physique that impresses Blanche as he lifts her.This is a light moment in the play, an immature moment that is comical, a shift away from the darkness that is increasingly seeping into the play.She also speaks to him in French and pretends to be in France.Blanche’s fantasy and delusion makes an appearance here as well, the dull evening brightens when she takes Mitch into her fantasticalworld.
• Scene Summary and Analysis

  Blanche asks Mitch if Stanley has said anything to him about Blanche, claiming that Stanley hates her and her difficulties in living with her sister.Blanche is anxious that her past will catch up to her and ruin the hope she has in her life with Mitch.Mitch asks about Blanche’s age but she maneuvers around it.
• Scene Summary and Analysis

  They talk about Mitch’s mother who is terminally ill, this leads to Mitch tearing up but controlling his emotions.Mitch is a sensitive man, unlike the other men in the play. Williams frequently depicts this using Mitchs’s live and caring for his aged mother.
• Scene Summary and Analysis

  Blanche then speaks about Allan Grey, her husband who died bysuicide. She reveals that they married young and she loved him dearly but felt like she was lacking in some way. She then describes when she walked in on him havingsexwith anolder man.They pretended it didn't happen, carrying on with the night and going dancing. However, when they were dancing, Blanche expressed herdisgustin Allan which led him to shoot himself in the head shortly after.This part in the play is vital because the audience finds out the morose episode that affected Blanche so deeply, changing the course of her life. Blanche’s guilt and loneliness afterAllan’s death was the catalyst to her downward spiral.
• Scene Summary and Analysis

  She begins to hear the Polka music again and sobs as Mitch holds her, telling her that they both need someone, suggesting that they could be there for each other.The Polka music finally has an explicit context and reflects the horrible incident that broke the once innocent Blanche.
• Scene Summary and Analysis

  Mitch’s comfort and touch aid in having the Polka fade away. Blanche also recognises this with the audience who now realise that Mitch is her hope for redemption.
• Key Quotes


  BLANCHE: But honey, you know as well as I do that a single girl, a girl alone in the world, has got to keep a firm hold on her emotions or she’ll be lost

  Blanche is painting her picture ofinnocenceand caution. Herfaçadeis important to her because of the “old-fashioned” ideals she was raised with.
• Key Quotes


  BLANCHE: I guess it is just that I have – old-fashioned ideals! [She rolls her eyes, knowing he cannot see her face].

  Her rolling her eyes is important because it shows that shedoesn'tbelieve in them and is tired of depicting them. Blanche carriesvirilityin her true self. She asks to play poker, approaching the young man being outspoken and bold, something attributed to masculine energy. It is this energy thatunnervesStanley.
• Key Quotes


  BLANCHE: He hates me. Or why would he insult me? Of course there is such a thing as hostility of – perhaps in some perverse kind of way he – No! To think of it makes me…[She makes a gesture of revulsion. Then finishes her drink. A pause follows.]

  Blanche here insists that Stanley feels a strong emotion towards her. She calls it hate but also considers... what? Somethingperverse? This reflects her considering that Stanley is attracted to her but she is alsorepulsedby it.
• Key Quotes


  When I was sixteen, I made the discovery—love. All at once and much, much too completely. It was like you suddenly turned on a blinding light on something that had always been half in shadow, that’s how it struck the world for me.

  Blanche compares her love for Allan as a“blinding light”, something thatunpleasantlystrikes one’s eyes leaving them unable to see for a moment. Thismetaphoris important because the blinding light held her back from seeing Allan’s sexuality.