A LEVEL ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
ELLA 1 Integrated Analysis and Text Production
EXTRACT OF A STREETCAR PRODUCTION TASK
Imagine a brief dialogue between Eunice and Blanche at the end of Scene Three where Blanche returns to Eunice’s after her conversation with Mitch. Stella has returned to the apartment with Stanley.
Text and Commentary
[In Eunice’s apartment]
Blanche: I can’t go in there right now. He’s all over her. [1]It’s disgusting. That animal!
Eunice: That’s alright honey! Can I get you anything, [2]water? A glass of milk? Or something?
Blanche: Thank you. [3]I’m so rattled, my nerves are all shot right now. I don’t suppose you have any liquor around the place do you? [4]I hardly touch the stuff.
Eunice: Yes of course I’ve got some of Steve’s whisky. That should calm you.
[Blanche reaches out for the bottle [5]with both hands – slightly shaking]
Blanche: Thank you for your [6] kindness. [7] I’ll just take one little nip for medicinal purposes, nothing else. I had a drink [8] earlier in the evening but that’s worn off now. And besides this has been such a shock. [9]I’ve never seen such behaviour in a man before…drunk and violent and so passionate. [10]I don’t know how she can bare to spend a moment with him. There must be something I can do to her, especially in her condition. Did you know Stella was pregnant?
Commentary
[1]Blanche articulates her feelings about Stanley. She will use this attitude and this lexis to Stella in the next scene.
[2]Eunice considers Blanche of a higher refined class. She suggests drinks that she imagines a woman of that class might drink. In Elia Kazan's 1951 film Stella asks Blanche if she'd like a soda when they first meet in scene 1.
[3]Blanche’s nerves are a recurrent motif through the play. She uses alcohol and bathing as a way of soothing her nerves. Refer to Sc 1, 2, 3, 5, 7.
[4]Echoes Stanley’s comment in Sc 1. But also supports what Blanche says to Stella in Sc 1 about alcohol. It also shows Blanche to be a liar.
[5]The stage direction shows Blanche’s eagerness or desperation for the bottle. It also highlights her nervousness. It may link to Blanche’s clumsiness – almost dropping a bottle in Sc 5 where Stella has to help Blanche.
[6]Kindness is a key word in the play. She uses it to describe Mitch’s behaviour to her in Sc 3 and Blanche uses it again in the final words at the end of the play.
[7]See the note on [4]
[8] Refers to the opening of Sc 3 the conversation between Stella and Blanche.
[9]She has seen men like this before at the hotel Flamingo referred to in Sc 5 and Sc 10
[10]Blanche is beginning to rehearse with Eunice the speech she is going to make to Stella in Sc 4
