Here is our final post for Dramatic Action and Character by Hannah, Camden and Sloane
DRAMATIC ACTION: A Streetcar Named Desire
Inciting incident- Blanche's arrival
Scene 1:
Part 1: What a snob!: Blanche is shocked to see Stella's new life and she and Stella reconnect.
Part 2 (when Stanley enters): Be Comfortable: Stanley briefly questions Blanche about her past.
Scene 2:
Part 1: It's all in the Details: Stanley tries to get Stella to side with him over the idea that Blanche has swindled them.
Part 2 (When Blanche enters): Nothing to hide: Stanley confronts Blanche about Belle Reve.
Scene 3:
Part 1: Poker Face: Mitch explains how he's different and how he'll be alone when his mother dies while the men play poker.
Part 2 (When Blanche and Stella enter): Rose colored glass: Mitch and Blanche get acquainted while Stanley gets more annoyed by Mitch's absence from the game.
Part 3 (When he throws the radio through the window): Off again on again: Stanley's frustration gets the best of him then he repents.
Scene 4:
Part 1: Intentional misunderstanding: Blanche tries to convince Stella to leave Stanley, but Stella resists.
Part 2 (when Stanley enters scene to speak): Stanley deserves a hug: Stella demonstrates to Blanche her unconditional love of Stanley.
Scene 5:
Part 1: A beautiful day in the neighborhood: Blanche imagines an ideal neighborhood but is interrupted with reality.
Part 2 (after Steve exits): Gossip: Stanley eludes to things he's heard about Blanche's past and Blanche denies them.
Part 3 (after Stanley exits): Wishful thinking: Stella reassures Blanche that her future will turn out all right.
Part 4 (after Stella exits): Dangerous liaisons: Blanche gives in to her desires in kissing a young man just before she goes on a date with Mitch.
Scene 6:
Part 1: Getting to know you (Blanche and Mitch): Blanche and Mitch come to the conclusion that they could be a couple.
Scene 7:
Part 1: The cat's out of the bag: Stanley reveals to Stella the truth about Blanche's past and plans to force her out of their lives.
Scene 8:
Part 1: King of the house: Stanley asserts his power over both the women.
Scene 9:
Part 1: Turn on the light: Mitch admits he no longer has a desire to marry Blanche.
BD: BD wonders
M: M identifies
BD: BD forgives
M: M complains
BD: BD humors
M: M rejects
BD: BD defends
M: Mitch questions intent
BD: BD pretends
M: M expresses skepticism
BD: BD relaxes
M: M accuses
BD: BD chides
M: M admits
BD: BD delays
M: M implies
BD: BD boasts
M: M mocks
BD: BD flirts
M: M rebukes
BD: BD deflects
M: M realizes
BD: BD suspects
M: M assembles argument
BD: BD defends
M: M confronts
BD: BD fears
M: M highlights
BD: BD worries
M: M distinguishes
BD: BD reprimands
M: M specifies
BD: BD admits
M: M resents
BD: BD reproaches
M: M justifies
BD: BD discounts
M: M contends
BD: BD mocks
M: M demands
BD: BD gives in
M: M distills
BD: BD begs
MW: MW offers
BD: BD escapes
MW: MW provokes
BD: BD crumbles
BD: BD reflects
BD: BD pleads
M: M admits
BD: BD appeals
M: M resolves
BD: BD challenges
M: M reasons
BD: BD lashes out
(There were a few short lines that had the same gist in this breakdown so we combined them. Only once or twice though.)
Scene 10:
Part 1: We've had this date from the beginning: Stanley forces Blanche to accept the reality she is living.
Scene 11:
Part 1: Taken: Everyone comes to an agreement that Blanche must go for their lives to become stable again.
CHARACTER:
Blanche:
Desire: To live a dream like life.
Will: Strong
Moral Stance: If no one knows it happened then it didn't.
Decorum: appearance is important, wears extravagant outfits, clean (bathes a lot), accessorizes, older, very feminine, proper speech, noticeably intoxicated sometimes, Blue jacket at beginning
Summary Adjectives: intense, on the verge of lunacy, nervous, hysterical, attractive, lovely, frazzled, fresh, adaptable, excitable, soft, morbid, sensitive, proper, alone, old-fashioned, anxious, solemn, nice, unlucky, deluded, cultivated, destitute, desperate, caught, wonderful, not respected, famous, refined, particular, flighty, refreshed, rested, tender, trusting, hoity-toity, empty, unfit, prim, a liar, name means "white woods," smoker, French, bohemian, fading, morbid
Stella:
Desire: To have normalcy in their home again.
Will: Strong
Moral Stance: The relationship between a husband and wife is the most important
Decorum: Pregnant, shabby, simple/plain appearance, visibly content
Summary Adjectives: dainty, precious, insane, good, quiet, child, baby, "little woman," matter of fact, indifferent
Stanley:
Desire: To have a relationship with Stella where nothing gets in their way of happiness
Will: Strong
Moral Stance: lives by the Napoleonic Code, friends tell friends the truth
Decorum: was in the military (built), very sexual/manly, comfortable, silk pajamas, sweaty and a little dirty, noticeably intoxicated sometimes, collared bowling shirt, in first scene his sweat makes it stick to him, Master sergeant in the engineers corps (salesman, he's on the road a lot)
Summary Adjectives: unrefined, simple, straightforward, honest, primitive, animal, ape-like, whelp, lamb, stinker, bestial, common, forceful, dynamic, rude, American, cruel, fantastic, lucky, Polish, €˜different species,' civilian, an ape
Mitch:
Desire: To not be alone
Will: Moderate
Moral Stance: relationships should be based on honesty
Decorum: 6' 1 1/2" 207 pounds, heavily built, perspires a lot, can't wear light weight clothes, Blanche calls him €˜Samson'
Summary Adjectives: Alone, superior, sensitive, doubtful, anxious, solemn, imposing, natural gentleman, sincere, uncavalier, uncouth, fantastic, realistic, lucky, kind
CONCLUSION:
Having completed our portions of analysis, dramatic action and character, we have come to the conclusion that this play is about the acceptance of reality. We go on a journey with the main characters throughout the play in which every one of them must accept reality to live in harmony. Up until Stanley and Mitch force Blanche to really look at reality, she has been living a dream like life. Her home is called Belle Reve (beautiful dream) and in scene nine she blatantly states: "I don't want realism, I want magic!" Which implies that she is being taken away from the magical life she desires to live. We see a battle inside Blanche throughout the whole production between a realistic life and a dream, but ultimately in the end when she agrees to leave the house with the gentlemen doctor, she is accepting her reality; maybe not consciously, but by leaving she is accepting her future.
The same type of journey is seen with Stella and Mitch as well. Mitch has this ultimate desire to not live alone, he is in need of a companion, but after scene nine we see a transformation in Mitch when he realizes that not just anyone can fill that desire (Blanche). He could marry her, she in no way stops him from moving in that direction but we see him come to terms with reality when he says "I don't think I want to marry you any more" to Blanche. He has let all of her foolishness and lies slide by until he realizes that he could not live with someone like her and accepts his reality that he must continue to live alone.
Stella is another example of acceptance. She spends the whole play trying to be a mediator between Blanche and Stanley when it is only making her unhappier. For her life to return to something bearable either Stanley or Blanche must leave, but because she loves Stanley so much, Blanche is the one who is forced to go. Stella, like Blanche, roughly accepts this reality in the last scene of the play. Stella struggles with it, but in the end she does not stop it from occurring. She must cleanse herself of Blanche so her and Stanley can go back to being normal and live the marriage they had been living until Blanche showed up.
Stanley serves as a realistic ground throughout the play because he does not let Blanche put anything in front of his eyes. He sees through everything she has said and does and in a sense continually forces the play back down to reality. When he comes in, it is all business. There is no dream, there is no reason to appeal to both parties, life is what it is and Stanley knows that living in a dream is not going to change reality. He is the most continually realistic character throughout the play and sends the driving force of realism through his actions and desires.
All of the dramatic action leads up to these characters accepting reality and tossing out a life of dreams. It is their resistance from reality that drives the play, but their acceptance of reality that resolves it.