Contrast- blanches fantasy world with stanleys accusations and understanding of her
real nature
Repetition- Blanches coping mechanism and escapist nature through the song “its only
a paper moon”
Tone of rising tension - exclamations
Stage directions - Stellas instability at realising blanches facade and blanches desperate
measures to deflect from the allegations
Symbolism- the flamingo
.
Scene 7: Stanley reveals Blanche’s past to Stella.
• Start Line: “Sister Blanche is no Lily!”
• End Line: “There isn’t a goddam thing but imagination! And lies and deceit
and tricks!”
STANLEY:
But Sister Blanche is no lily! Ha-ha! Some lily she is!
STELLA:
What have you heard and who from?
STANLEY:
Our supply-man down at the plant has been going through Laurel for years and he knows all
about her and everybody else in the town of Laurel knows all about her. She is as famous in
Laurel as if she was the President of the United States, only she is not respected by any party!
This supply-man stops at a hotel called the Flamingo.
BLANCHE [singing blithely]:
"Say, it's only a paper moon, Sailing over a cardboard sea--But it wouldn't be make-believe If
you believed in me!"
STELLA:
What about the--Flamingo?
STANLEY:
She stayed there, too.
STELLA:
My sister lived at Belle Reve.
STANLEY:
This is after the home-place had slipped through her lily white fingers! She moved to the
Flamingo! A second class hotel which has the advantage of not interfering in the private
social life of the personalities there! The Flamingo is used to all kinds of goings-on. But even
, the management of the Flamingo was impressed by Dame Blanche! In fact they were so
impressed by Dame Blanche that they requested her to turn in her room-key--for
permanently! This happened a couple of weeks before she showed here.
BLANCHE [singing]:
"It's a Barnum and Bailey world. Just as phony as it can be--But it wouldn't be make-believe
if you believed in me!"
STELLA:
What--contemptible--lies!
STANLEY:
Sure, I can see how you would be upset by this. She pulled the wool over your eyes as much
as Mitch's!
STELLA:
It's pure invention! There's not a word of truth in it and if I were a man and this creature had
dared to invent such things in my presence--
BLANCHE [singing]:
"Without your love, It's a honky-tonk parade! Without your love, It's a melody played, In a
penny arcade..."
STANLEY:
Honey, I told you I thoroughly checked on these stories! Now wait till I finish. The trouble
with Dame Blanche was that she couldn't put on her act any more in Laurel! They got wised
up after two or three dates with her and then they quit, and she goes on to another, the same
old line, same old act, same old hooey! But the town was too small for this to go on forever!
And as time went by she became a town character. Regarded as not just different but
downright loco--nuts.
[Stella draws back.]
And for the last year or two she has been washed up like poison. That's why she's here this
summer, visiting royalty, putting on all this act--because she's practically told by the mayor to
get out of town! Yes, did you know there was an army camp near Laurel and your sister's was
one of the places called "Out-of-Bounds"?
BLANCHE:
"It's only a paper moon. Just as phony as it can be--But it wouldn't be make-believe, If you
believed in me!"
STANLEY:
real nature
Repetition- Blanches coping mechanism and escapist nature through the song “its only
a paper moon”
Tone of rising tension - exclamations
Stage directions - Stellas instability at realising blanches facade and blanches desperate
measures to deflect from the allegations
Symbolism- the flamingo
.
Scene 7: Stanley reveals Blanche’s past to Stella.
• Start Line: “Sister Blanche is no Lily!”
• End Line: “There isn’t a goddam thing but imagination! And lies and deceit
and tricks!”
STANLEY:
But Sister Blanche is no lily! Ha-ha! Some lily she is!
STELLA:
What have you heard and who from?
STANLEY:
Our supply-man down at the plant has been going through Laurel for years and he knows all
about her and everybody else in the town of Laurel knows all about her. She is as famous in
Laurel as if she was the President of the United States, only she is not respected by any party!
This supply-man stops at a hotel called the Flamingo.
BLANCHE [singing blithely]:
"Say, it's only a paper moon, Sailing over a cardboard sea--But it wouldn't be make-believe If
you believed in me!"
STELLA:
What about the--Flamingo?
STANLEY:
She stayed there, too.
STELLA:
My sister lived at Belle Reve.
STANLEY:
This is after the home-place had slipped through her lily white fingers! She moved to the
Flamingo! A second class hotel which has the advantage of not interfering in the private
social life of the personalities there! The Flamingo is used to all kinds of goings-on. But even
, the management of the Flamingo was impressed by Dame Blanche! In fact they were so
impressed by Dame Blanche that they requested her to turn in her room-key--for
permanently! This happened a couple of weeks before she showed here.
BLANCHE [singing]:
"It's a Barnum and Bailey world. Just as phony as it can be--But it wouldn't be make-believe
if you believed in me!"
STELLA:
What--contemptible--lies!
STANLEY:
Sure, I can see how you would be upset by this. She pulled the wool over your eyes as much
as Mitch's!
STELLA:
It's pure invention! There's not a word of truth in it and if I were a man and this creature had
dared to invent such things in my presence--
BLANCHE [singing]:
"Without your love, It's a honky-tonk parade! Without your love, It's a melody played, In a
penny arcade..."
STANLEY:
Honey, I told you I thoroughly checked on these stories! Now wait till I finish. The trouble
with Dame Blanche was that she couldn't put on her act any more in Laurel! They got wised
up after two or three dates with her and then they quit, and she goes on to another, the same
old line, same old act, same old hooey! But the town was too small for this to go on forever!
And as time went by she became a town character. Regarded as not just different but
downright loco--nuts.
[Stella draws back.]
And for the last year or two she has been washed up like poison. That's why she's here this
summer, visiting royalty, putting on all this act--because she's practically told by the mayor to
get out of town! Yes, did you know there was an army camp near Laurel and your sister's was
one of the places called "Out-of-Bounds"?
BLANCHE:
"It's only a paper moon. Just as phony as it can be--But it wouldn't be make-believe, If you
believed in me!"
STANLEY:
