Mitch (Harold Mitchell) key quotes

“I told you already I don’t want none of his liquor and I mean it. You ought to lay off his liquor. He says you’ve been lapping it up all summer like a wild-cat!”

scene 9

themes of masc and physicality, sexual desire + interior and exterior apperances

symbols of alcohol and drunkness

beasts and animal metaphors common to refer to lust and raw sexuality so the “wildcat” for blance foreshadows the later “tiger” pre-rape while also symbolically removing blanche from the magical realm to the real one.

Mitch differentiates himself from stanley as he’s declaring himself to be a sexual partner worthy of blanche, attempting to claim the sexual energy of stanley.

“not a natural gentlemen”

scene 6

blanche’s description of him as he does not conform to the values and ideals of hegomic masculinity demonstrated by his devotion to his mother and how he’s kinder than the other poker players.

“I’ll kill you! (He lunges and strikes at stanley)”

scene 11

stagecraft

only one internally destroyed/moved by blanche’s removal with the verbal and physcial violence mirroring stanley’s alpha male tendacys- only does it out of grief and respect not desire for dominance.

“You’re not clean enough to bring into a house with my mother”

Scene 9

Mitch disilluisoned; this one sentence expresses how he’s condemning blanche and expressing love/respcet for his mother. 

age is not a issue, but her past is showing how he also shares the traditional hegemonic views of feminity; that he’d like her to be as ‘innoncet’ as she pretends to be. 

“Poker shouldn't be played in a house with women”

scene 3

shows how his attidues to stanley’s violence is dismissive and victim blaming Stella as she stayed in the house.

implying that its normal for stanley to hit Stella

“I was a fool enough to believe you were straight”

scene 9

he’s disillusioned and trcked by blanche to think she was acceptable to mainstream society.

“You need somebody. And I need somebody, too. Could it be- you and me, Blanche?”

scene 6

mitch’s practical approach to romance indicative of how he cares for her.

“Not my place- my mothers still sick”

scene 1

the home was the dominant masculine sphere where the breadwinners took position as most dominant person there

so for mitch to acknowledge, or factor in, his mum’s emotions and opinion makes him seem like a softer male- and for blanche who feels sensitive about ownership after belle reve- a better match

“is he a wolf”

scene 2

blanche says it, reinforcing how mitch doesn’t conform to traditional views of masculinity

also proves how she’s attracted to danger as they have strong and violent imagery; reveals another layer of hypocrisy as she condemns Stella for finding the danger in stanley attractive, when she is inquiring about the danger levels of mitch.

“laughs uncomfortably”

scene 3

stage directons

putting on a performance of a ultra masculine man, or at the very least one who is confident in his sexuality/masculinity.s

“moves in a awkward imitation like a dancing bear”

scene 3

stage directions describing dancing- a typically feminine activity- but shows how he’s in touch with his more feminine side.

bears also have the potential to be violent so its foreshadowing the later switch and his reaction to blanche’s promiscuous past.

“But don’t take it serious”

scene 3

regarding the domestic abuse, implying that he has complicat masculinity and doesn't hold his friends accountable for the questionable attidues and actions againist women.