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Write a commentary on Blanche’s monologue in Scene four (page 54,
Heinemann) of the play “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee
Williams.
Teacher’s Analysis
Blanche’s monologue in Scene 4 is premised by a tumultuous evening whereby Stanley strikes Stella
and the later escapes to her upstairs neighbour, Eunice. Surprised to see her sister back in her
abusive husband’s arms, Blanche takes the opportunity to share her true feelings about Stanley and
their marriage. Unbeknownst to Blanche, the man in question overhears her entire speech.
It is suggested that this monologue reveals more about the reason behind Staley’s actions than it
does about Blanche’s state of mind while saying it. It is perhaps here that Stanley’s dislike for Blanche
truly grows into outright resentment of the worst sort. By use of the dramatic effect of one character
accidentally eavesdropping on another as they speak ill of them, Williams ensures that the audience
is aware that the relationship between Stanley and Blanche is doomed from the start, leaving
Blanche – the victim – cruelly out of the loop. It may even be said to be the instigator for Stanley’s
revenge in scene 10.
In her monologue, Blanche calls Stanley all manner of offensive titles including ‘animal’, ‘ape’ and
‘creature’, effectively dehumanising him. It is not too difficult for the audience to accept this
description considering Stanley’s violence the night before. The diction used here is also echoed in
scene ten, with the ‘jungle sounds’ and ‘sinister’ shadows superimposed against Stanley’s deplorable
and – indeed – animal-like act against Blanche. This further makes it plain to the audience that
Stanley has always been capable of such behaviour and it was only a matter of time before he acted
on it.
Blanche’s use of the descriptor ‘sub-human’ and likening Stanley to something that could be
observed in ‘anthropological studies’ presents Stanley as something not to be interacted with, but to
only be observed like a wild animal. It is likely that Stanley takes Blanche’s words literally, which is
ironic considering that she basically calls him unintelligent, thus spurring into motion his plot to
‘dehumanise’ her in the worst way. In trying to get his revenge against her, Stanley confirms the truth
of Blanche’s condemnation of himself. There is no doubt that this is intentional considering his words
just before he rapes her “We’ve had this date with each other from the beginning.”
Again, in the monologue, the writer reminds the audience of their first encounter with Stanley, when
he threw a package of raw meat at his wife through the phrase ‘bearing the raw meat.” This
introduction painted a picture of the alpha-male and breadwinner who literally brings home the
bacon. A man such as Stanley who always presents himself as a bold, straight-talking and masculine
figure would not stand to be insulted in this way, especially in the presence of his wife, over whom
he holds some inexplicable power.
Besides the revelation about Stanley’s motives, Blanche’s monologue also gives us insight into the
inner workings of her troubled mind. She is a woman who values the fantastical, the beautiful. She
values poetry and music and art, which we see throughout the play in her reference to Poe and
Rosenkavalier. In this way, Blanche’s Romantic outlook on life is juxtaposed starkly against Stanley’s
‘swilling and gnawing and hulking’ behaviour. They are polar opposites. And, although she doesn’t
say it outright here, she believes that Stanley is of a lower class; one that neither understands nor
values what she does.
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Prepared by K. Molotsi, Gaborone, Botswana
Towards the end, Blanche refers to life as a ‘dark march’, revealing her views about death as an
unavoidable, mysterious and rather unpleasant thing. Her acceptance that life will come to an end
reveals her as a very deep thinker and someone who understands that death is a finality that is part
of life. On the other hand, the words ‘dark and ‘whatever it is we’re approaching’ may indicate quite
the opposite – that she is afraid to face death and actually sees it as a horrible thing that she cannot
avoid. She speaks about death as though she is doomed to encounter it whether she likes it or not.
In a dramatic end to her rant, Blanche exclaims – warning Stella - ‘don’t hang back with the brutes’. It
is suggested that she never intended to insult Stanley. In fact, her monologue is not about him at all
but rather about people like him. She is perhaps trying to warn her sister, Stella that she should cling
to the beautiful things in life and not waste any moment of it with even an ounce of unpleasantness.
Ultimately, Blanche’s monologue offers great insight into her philosophy of life and what she values,
which helps the audience not only understand her but also sympathise with her as a tragic heroine
by the end of the play.
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Prepared by K. Molotsi, Gaborone, Botswana
Analysis from online source
Source:
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https://www.yorknotes.com/alevel/english-literature/a-streetcar-named-desire2017/study/studying-the-play/01040102_scene-four
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/s/a-streetcar-named-desire/summary-andanalysis/scene-4
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/streetcar/section4/
Blanche's view of Stanley, that he is common and bestial — a survivor of the stone age bearing home
the raw meat from the kill — does characterize the essential nature of Stanley. It should be
remembered that the first scene showed Stanley bringing home a package of raw meat and tossing it
to Stella. And Blanche's description also serves to illustrate how utterly different he is from the type
of man Blanche has known.
Even though Stanley feels victorious in this encounter, we must remember that he has overheard
himself referred to as common, bestial, and vulgar. Blanche has called him a savage and a brute. This
has occurred in his own home. Therefore, his resentment of Blanche and desire to be rid of her is
quite justifiable. Later when he rapes her, the rape will be partially motivated by his resentment of
her attitude toward him.
Scene Four also contains one of Blanche’s most famous speeches, in which she describes how
humankind has evolved too far past the beast that Stanley represents for Stella to reduce herself to
his level. This passage best articulates Williams’s examination of the widely held belief among
plantation owners and their descendants that the end of the South’s agrarian culture led to a decline
of American civilization. He depicts Blanche as an antiquated relic of a dead society, while Stanley
epitomizes the new type of American, who lacks refinement, education, and spirituality. Yet,
although Williams gives voice to Blanche’s nostalgia and exposes her fears, he does not necessarily
share her belief that the new Americans are lesser beings on the evolutionary scale.
When Stanley overhears Blanche’s melodramatic condemnation of him as an ape-man, he has even
more reason to dislike her and want to be rid of her. His triumphant grin at the close of the scene
promises ill for Blanche.
Stanley’s overhearing Blanche’s condemnation of him (a time-honoured dramatic device)
strengthens his dislike of her and gives him good reason – in his view – to try to get rid of her.
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