A Streetcar Named Desire: Scene 5

Summary
—Blanche is writing a letter to Shep Huntleigh when there is an episode of domestic violence between Steve and Eunice.

—Stanley asks Blanche if she knows someone named Shaw which tells her that he has found some things out about her past in Laurel.

—Blanche explains to Stella her feelings about what happened in Laurel and towards Mitch but Stella doesn’t pay much attention.

—Stella leaves with Stanley and a young man arrives at the house whilst Blanche is alone and she ends up kissing him.

—Suddenly Mitch appears at the house with a bunch of roses.

Key Quotations

—“Have got to be seductive- put on soft colours, the colours of butterfly wings.”

—Blanche describes the colours as being “the colours of butterfly wings” which is an antithesis with Scene 1 where Blanche is described as being a “moth”. This shows that Blanche believes you have to be delicate and attractive to be loved and wanted.

—“And you’ve got to have your existence admitted by someone, if you’re going to have someone’s protection.”

—Blanche desperately craves protection and she believes that in order to get someone’s protection, that person has to find you attractive. However Blanche doesn’t realise that she already has other people’s protection as Stella continuously protects her from things that could upset her and Mitch tries to protect her at the beginning of their relationship. 

—“I don’t know how much longer I can turn the trick. It isn’t enough to be soft. You’ve got to be soft and attractive. And I- I’m fading now!”

—Blanche isn’t sure how long she can keep on pretending that she is young and “proper”. She thinks that in order to find a partner she must be both soft and attractive and that she is expected to maintain this for the rest of her life. She uses a false start and an exclamative which suggests that she is upset about the process of ageing and also quite afraid of it. 

“What  mean is- he thinks I’m sort of- prim and proper, you know! I want to deceive him enough to make him- want me…”

—Because Blanche has put on a façade in front of Mitch she is now under pressure to keep it up. She has made him believe that she is “prim and proper” because she thinks that that is the way you have to be if you want someone to protect you. She says “I want to deceive him enough to make him want me” which shows that she is so desperate for Mitch to like her that she will do anything, including lying to him. 

—“Young, young, young, young- man! Has anyone ever told you that you look like a young prince out of the Arabian Nights?”

—Blanche’s repetition of “young” could be a filler while she thinks of something to say, however she could also be proving to herself that she is still able to appeal to the younger generations. She compliments the young man to make it more likely for him to do what she wants, which is to let her kiss him. Also comparing him to a “prince” shows that she wants to be seen with someone superior so that she appears to be superior herself.