‘In A streetcar Named Desire, Stella’s final betrayal off her sister is impossible to forgive.’ Examine
this view. (25 marks)
INTRODUCTION
There is much evidence to support the view that In A streetcar Named Desire, Stella’s final
betrayal off her sister is impossible to forgive.
Blanche needs Stella, the only family she has left, watching everyone die at Belle Reve but
Stella is loyal to her new life in the New South and Stanley.
Sisterly bond is not as it used to be and they clash on their viewpoints.
AO5: Stella is a victim of domestic abuse and is pregnant-so of course she is going to be
dependent on Stanley, especially financially , so her loyalties may rest with him because he
has all the authority-he is the head of the household not Stella.
POINT 1
Blanche fears solitude-‘I want to be near you, got to be with somebody, I can’t be alone!
Because-as you must have noticed-I’m not very well... [Her voice drops and her look is
frightened] [Blanche begins to shake again with intensity] = inability to adapt to new
America.
Requires constant help from Stella –does not want to stay in a hotel and in her eyes Stella
did not only abandon Belle Reve but also her sister.
Omniscient audience feel pathos for Blanche she needs stability in her life and her sister
Stella should naturally offer that to her but her betrayal says other wise.
AO5: Stella has changed-Blanche: “I won’t have you cleaning up for him!” Stella: “Then
who’s going to do it?” accepting of her role as housewife, represent American society
accepting the patriarchal society they lived in she became part of Stanley’s life,
remembering less and less of her old life, accepting Stanley’s standards; reading a “book of
coloured comics” is symptomatic of this. Stella has forgotten ‘much of [her] upbringing’ at
Belle Reve.
POINT2
Stella doesn’t believe her won sister-no trust in their relationship=“I couldn’t believe her
story and go on living with Stanley” uses “her” to refer to Blanche and Stanley’s name to
refer to her husband – shows her choice through language
Calls the rape a “story” – thinks it’s simply a product of her imagination and “couldn’t”
suggests it’s a choice=so naive.
Susan Koprince: “[Stella] is essentially a submissive, self-deprecating wife who tolerates and
excuses her husband’s behaviour”
AO5: Cannot blame Stella for the predicament she is in, not only is she pregnant but is also a
victim of domestic abuse. She is trapped in the cycle of abuse that was introduced by Lenore
Walker – tension building, acute incident, and loving contrition.
this view. (25 marks)
INTRODUCTION
There is much evidence to support the view that In A streetcar Named Desire, Stella’s final
betrayal off her sister is impossible to forgive.
Blanche needs Stella, the only family she has left, watching everyone die at Belle Reve but
Stella is loyal to her new life in the New South and Stanley.
Sisterly bond is not as it used to be and they clash on their viewpoints.
AO5: Stella is a victim of domestic abuse and is pregnant-so of course she is going to be
dependent on Stanley, especially financially , so her loyalties may rest with him because he
has all the authority-he is the head of the household not Stella.
POINT 1
Blanche fears solitude-‘I want to be near you, got to be with somebody, I can’t be alone!
Because-as you must have noticed-I’m not very well... [Her voice drops and her look is
frightened] [Blanche begins to shake again with intensity] = inability to adapt to new
America.
Requires constant help from Stella –does not want to stay in a hotel and in her eyes Stella
did not only abandon Belle Reve but also her sister.
Omniscient audience feel pathos for Blanche she needs stability in her life and her sister
Stella should naturally offer that to her but her betrayal says other wise.
AO5: Stella has changed-Blanche: “I won’t have you cleaning up for him!” Stella: “Then
who’s going to do it?” accepting of her role as housewife, represent American society
accepting the patriarchal society they lived in she became part of Stanley’s life,
remembering less and less of her old life, accepting Stanley’s standards; reading a “book of
coloured comics” is symptomatic of this. Stella has forgotten ‘much of [her] upbringing’ at
Belle Reve.
POINT2
Stella doesn’t believe her won sister-no trust in their relationship=“I couldn’t believe her
story and go on living with Stanley” uses “her” to refer to Blanche and Stanley’s name to
refer to her husband – shows her choice through language
Calls the rape a “story” – thinks it’s simply a product of her imagination and “couldn’t”
suggests it’s a choice=so naive.
Susan Koprince: “[Stella] is essentially a submissive, self-deprecating wife who tolerates and
excuses her husband’s behaviour”
AO5: Cannot blame Stella for the predicament she is in, not only is she pregnant but is also a
victim of domestic abuse. She is trapped in the cycle of abuse that was introduced by Lenore
Walker – tension building, acute incident, and loving contrition.
