Femininity

- stella's femininity: subservience - blanche's femininity: sexuality - there is no winning, each is female entrapment

‘[half to herself]..’

• scene 1, p.10

• Stella

‘[half to herself] I can hardly stand it when he is away for a night.’

→stage direction: reflects her honesty as she talks personally to her herself

‘And when he comes back…’

• scene 1 ,p 10

• Stella

‘And when he comes back I cry on his lap like a baby.;

→ simile: stella allows herself to be infantilised, she is entirely dependent on him

stage directions

[mildly] [faintly]

→ adverbs: demonstrate her passivity

‘Oh stan!..’

• scene 2, p 16

• Stella

‘Oh Stan! [She jumps up and kisses him which he accepts with lordly composure]’

→ verb and exclamative: denotes her excitement to be with him

→adverb: shows how he governs over her, like a lord

‘they come together with..’

• scene 3, p.38

‘they come together with low animal moans [..] her eyes go blind with tenderness’

→ adjective: reflects how she allows her adherence to feminine ideals like ‘tenderness’ blinds her to the abuse she is subject to and allows the vicious cycle to repeat

‘daintily dressed…’

• scene 1, p3

‘daintily dressed […] fluffy bodice, necklace, earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat’

→ feminine imagery: she tries to project an image of herself as a youthful southern belle by dressing in a feminine manner

→ though the fact that she is ‘incongruous to the setting’ foreshadows that her appearance won’t save her here

‘In a red …’

• scene 2, p.20

‘ In a red satin robe’

→ colour imagery: suggests passion and sexuality

→ noun: luxury

‘Have got to be seductive…’

• scene 5, p.53

• blanche

‘ Have got to be seductive […] Make a little- temporary magic just in order to pay for- one night’s shelter!’

→ modal verb phrase suggests she feels she has to adhere to this feminine sexual ideal in order to survive

‘people don’t see you…’

• scene 5, p.53

• Blanche

‘ People don’t see you- men don’t -don’t even admit your existence unless they are making love to you’

→ fragmented sentences reflect the harsh reality, Blanche recognises her place as a woman

‘she sinks to her knees…’

• scene 10, p.97

‘She sinks to her knees. He picks up her inert figure and carries her to the bed.’

→ Stanley is the subject, blanche is the object, shows she is resigned to her fate as a rape victim. she has tried to fight it but is ultimately too weak

‘I couldn’t believe her…’

• scene 11, p.105

• Stella

‘I couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley.’

→ ‘couldn’t believe’ not didn’t believe, suggests her entrapment. she has not choice but to believe stanley because he is her financial security and the father of her child

‘What have I done…’

• scene 11, p.105

• Stella

‘What have i done to my sister? oh god what have I done to my sister?’

→ repetition of rhetorical questions suggest her feelings of regret, heightens the tragedy because it shows stella too has a doomed fate as a woman