Adam and Eve

1. Adam and Eve Christian discourse justifies the patriarchy Mary and Eve occupy two opposite views of woman Eve tempted Adam to SIN and they were hence punished Mary the virgin gave birth to Jesus and so ensured there was no question about the legitimacy of her child

2. Gender Male versus Female Seducers/ Seduced Protector/Protected Breadwinners/ House maidens Warriors/ Child bearers Travellers/ Domestic Independent/Dependence

3. Gendered Identity Consider Blanche’s preferred construction: Dressed in white Avoids strong light Tried to retain Belle Reve – beautiful dream Projects herself as virginal to Mitch After rape by Stanley dons the blue colour of the Madonna

4. Blanche’s past competing identity • Her life at The Flamingo • Signified by the red satin robe she wears in Scene 2 • Standing in the light while she changes on the poker night- pink bra and white skirt- colours symbolise her two constructions • Knows that it must remain a secret but also knows that past thirty she is past her prime • Has to put out enough to Mitch to keep him interested but not enough to make him reject her i.e. Madonna / Whore dilemma • Has to suppress her sexuality –incident with young man- Scene 5

5. Stella: Classic female dilemma Stella stands by her man

6. Survival of the fittestBrute/ Homosexual

7. Stanley • Brutish • Sexually aggressive • Male bird among hens • Seed-bearer – Stella being pregnant fulfils his desire for procreation – continue his line • Classifies women in sexual terms • Expects Stella to occupy the domestic role-How about my supper huh? • Refers to the Napoleonic code- Stella and all that she owns is his

8. Stanley (continued) • Not prepared to grant Stella agency: Since when do you give me orders? • Blanche sees him as ‘a little bit on the primitive side’ ------ “a man”. • Blanche also recognises his power in reference to her dead husband: “I hurt him the way you would like to hurt me” • Yet also recognises his ability to survive – “maybe he’s what we need” • He “stalks” like a predatory animal – survival of the fittest • He assaults Stella to reassert his dominance • He subdues Blanche with sexual violence

9. Stanley: Hound / Lamb • He is constructed as animalistic when he bays like a hound when Stella leaves • His repeated reference to her as his ‘baby’ again constructs his ownership and asserts her need of his protection • Their reunion – reasserts his sexual dominance and their union the supremacy of his line as ‘he presses his face to her belly” • Stella constructs him as a ‘lamb’ when he returns- benign construction means she does not have to examine her own acceptance of his behaviours • Potential danger is underscored

10. Mitch • Desires a woman to take the place of his mother – Oedipus complex • He is seen as weak and derided by Stanley because of his affection for his mother • Blanche knows he wants a virginal bride – hence denies sexual advances • Desires a young female- procreation • Assumes Stanley’s characteristics when he learns of Blanche’s past- “stalks” and demands what he has been missing all summer

11. Primacy of the Male • Pack mentality- the supply man tells Stanley of Blanche’s past • Every man is a King – Stanley • Stanley tells Mitch about Blanche • Mitch’s response : You’re not clean enough to bring into the house with my mother • Rape of Blanche- Stanley sees it as inevitable – ‘we’ve had this date with each other since the beginning” • Blanche has failed to conform, she has asserted her sexuality outside of marriage and thus is punished by the patriarchal society • Stella conforms to the Madonna archetype and thus survives but at a cost to her independence