How can you not feel sympathy for Blanche?
I saw what others wrote here..Manipulative, annoying?! Cmon, she was a fragile woman who was desperately seeking for love from men who brought her only destruction.
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MovieChat Forums > A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) Discussion > How can you not feel sympathy for Blanch...
Why would i feel sympathy for Blance?
Becuase she was manipulative?
Ir because her bahaviuos was erratic?
or becuase her attention span seems to be less than that of a rabit?
Or because she pretty much brought misery everywhere she went?
Or because she gone mad/
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Applied Science? All science is applied. Eventually.
Why would i feel sympathy for Blance?
Becuase she was manipulative?
Ir because her bahaviuos was erratic?
or becuase her attention span seems to be less than that of a rabit?
Or because she pretty much brought misery everywhere she went?
Or because she gone mad/
She may have been erratic, but I bet she could spell. share
Grammar nazi to the rescue!
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Applied Science? All science is applied. Eventually.
Grammar nazi
Nazi is a proper noun and should, therefore, be capitalized. share
"Nazi" is not a proper noun.
shareBlanche could also identify proper nouns, like the Washington Post's style guide does, https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/12/14/sure-call-trump-a-nazi-just-make-sure-you-know-what-youre-talking-about/?utm_term=.380b906450da .
If we were just discussing a generic facist, not one who by definition is a member of a specific political group, the first letter would not be capitalized.
But I bet she could spell...
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Lol! Yes! It was her multiplication tables that bedeviled Blanche!
I thought I was gonna die! - Roseanne Roseannadanna
I was wondering the exact same thing. Blanche is by far the most beautiful figure of the film and of the play. People don't seem to understand the extent of her desperation. It's not just romantic, and this is more felt in the play than in the film, it's material too, she has nothing and nowhere to go. She hates to live with the Kowalskis, she hates what Stanley represents (Stanley sounds like Stain and she is Blanche, immaculate), she likens it to a trap.
If she needs Mitch so badly, it's to get a roof over her head. What she dreams of is Shep Huntleigh, who could provide not only the roof but the wealth she needs to keep up her illusions of grandeur, the only thing that keeps away the pains from her past. But that's only a flimsy facade (paper lantern-thin) protecting her from outside and inside madness, because she is fragile, soft [1][2]. And all that Stanley does is destroying it, he's a wrecker, a brute, exactly what Blanche saw in him.
[1]
Blanche: "I never was hard or self-sufficient enough. When people are soft—soft people have got to shimmer and glow—they've got to put on soft colors, the colors of butterfly wings, and put a—paper lantern over the light... It isn't enough to be soft. You've got to be soft and attractive."
[2]
Stanley: "Delicate piece she is."
Stella: "She is. She was. You didn't know Blanche as a girl. Nobody, nobody, was tender and trusting as she was. But people like you abused her, and forced her to change."
And lastly, my favorite:
Blanche: "Deliberate cruelty is not forgivable. It is the one unforgivable thing in my opinion and it is the one thing of which I have never, never been guilty."
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So shes just using Mitch to get some money until she can get Shep who will give her a lot of money?
shareBlanche is by far the most beautiful figure of the film and of the play.
Wow, I never saw myself as having anything in common with Blanche until I read your post.
Anyway, I totally agree! People who prefer Stanley, can keep all the Stanley Kowalski's of the world. I would much prefer to dominated by the Blanche DuBois' of the world. She does appear extremely eccentric and even uncomfortable to be around, but that's on the surface. Of course, I feel complete sympathy for her as we get to know her.
[1]
Blanche: "I never was hard or self-sufficient enough. When people are soft—soft people have got to shimmer and glow—they've got to put on soft colors, the colors of butterfly wings, and put a—paper lantern over the light... It isn't enough to be soft. You've got to be soft and attractive."
I'm much younger than Blanche, but even I can't stand harsh, glaring lights in my face and do prefer some kind of cover over them.
[2]
Stanley: "Delicate piece she is."
Stella: "She is. She was. You didn't know Blanche as a girl. Nobody, nobody, was tender and trusting as she was. But people like you abused her, and forced her to change."
That is the ultimate tragedy when people are faced with cruelty. I find that people usually reserve this for children (if even that much), but I feel had for everyone who meet these kinds of circumstances and have nothing to protect them from it.
And lastly, my favorite:
Blanche: "Deliberate cruelty is not forgivable. It is the one unforgivable thing in my opinion and it is the one thing of which I have never, never been guilty."
I forgot Blanche said this! It's the one thing I find unforgivable myself. There are plenty of people who aren't wifebeaters or rapists like Stanley (as far as I know), but they are still very capable of "deliberate cruelty" and feel entitled to it, if they are so much as annoyed with any little thing.
I can understand people having pet peeves and being annoyed, but beyond that, like hatred and cruelty- unless there is a very good reason for it (usually there isn't), I don't really understand it. I hope I never do. share
People object to The Tyranny of the Weak.
Blanche is passive/aggressive, too needy, and clearly in a state of denial. Nobody likes anyone who always needs to be rescued because they fear one of the following:
-- becoming responsible for them (bad enough)
-- becoming as weak as they are (the worse of two evils).
The Fabio Principle: Puffy shirts look best on men who look even better without them.
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You ask very relevant questions about Stanley that prove he doesn't have any moral high ground in this story. However, Blanche is not much better.
She does flirt with him and she jokes about it. She flirts with Mitch and is less than honest about herself. Kissing the paperboy is not so innocent in view of her having lost her teaching position because of a sexual affair with a teen boy. No, she doesn't expect more furs, jewels, or anything similar from Stanley and Stella, but her presence adds to their food and utility bills to which she contributes nothing.
As for not intruding on their privacy, their apartment is small enough that her presence is an intrusion without any active intent.
Stanley talks about "the colored lights" but he is intelligent enough to be thinking beyond that. The lack of sex since Blanche's arrival is also about her attempts to sew seeds of discontent in her sister. She is highly critical of Stanley and justifiably so, but she shouldn't be saying so. That is inconsistent with what she would have been taught as a girl. She criticizes him to Stella and even says things in front of him as though he weren't intelligent enough to understand.
I completely disagree with your opinion of atheism. We are a species with rational minds who can develop a moral code. One does not have to be a follower of any organized religion to know that violence, murder, theft, etc., are wrong.
The Fabio Principle: Puffy shirts look best on men who look even better without them.
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I don't know if the thread is still here where I speculated on Stanley's backstory, but that may have a lot to do with how he deals with Blanche.
Note that I do not back his cruelty; there is no excuse for that, particularly that it also hurts Stella.
I speculate that Stanley grew up in a very poor neighborhood in Chicago (large Polish community there) and wanted something better for his own future. His military service (which would have been mandatory, as he would have served during WWII) would have allowed him to finish his education and get a job with some possibility of advancement. He never speaks of his parents, siblings, or other relatives, so I'm guessing that there was some toxicity there, maybe even some domestic violence. He seems to have turned his back on his family of origin.
Did he marry Stella to advance himself socially, as he saw photos of Belle Reve when they met? Maybe. Both of them live in denial about their lives and the dynamic of their relationship. That denial is being hurt by Blanche's presence. Not just Blanche herself but the reality that everything she and Stella knew is now gone with the wind (pun intended). That he speaks of the "Napoleonic code" that gives him rights over her assets (liquid and real estate) is very telling. It's over property she no longer has a chance of inheriting because of it being lost in a foreclosure.
However, the fact that this property is in or near Laurel, Mississippi might negate the authority of his precious Napoleonic Code.
Blanche is mentally ill. She has some form of PTSD after all the deaths and other bad things that happened. She is also a narcissist and a drama queen. If the latter were not the case most people who saw this film or the stage version would have more sympathy for Blanche than you're finding.
The Fabio Principle: Puffy shirts look best on men who look even better without them.
He never speaks of his parents, siblings, or other relatives.
Stanley did speak of a cousin who would open bottles with his teeth! That is, until the cousin broke off his front teeth and then hid in embarrassment.
Haha, seriously though, I agree with your assessments. share
While I think Stanley was a terrible person, Blanche is not without fault. He's paying for her to live their and after he is trying to atone to her for his mistake by getting the radio fixed he overhears her saying some pretty mean and petty things. Here's a broke women who lost a lot due to bad money management trying to convince his wife that he's common and broke, while he's paying for her living expenses. Stanley took his vengeance too far, but if someone moves into your household, insults your background and tries to convince your pregnant wife to leave you they aren't gonna get kindness in return. Stanley went way to far at the end, but he was the only person to call her on her act. I'd think anyone would be annoyed of someone claiming to be rich and glamorous but is living for free in your living room would drive anyone nuts. I feel bad for Blanche, particularly her ending but most of what occurred during the film (outside of the rape) she deserved.
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I agree. The fact that Brando is so charismatic as Stan doesn't help, I'm sure, since he seems to be such a good honest guy (despite knocking his pregnant wife around a bit) that people are rooting for him and everyone knows you can't love a character without hating the characters he hates, right?
The problem with Blanche is that she's not perfect. Women are required to be perfect, selfless, supporting and loving, like Stella. Blanche is anything but.
She's a mess and instead of going to the cause and empathize with her and the expectations society has placed on her, they just "hate" her and sympathize with Stanley instead because he's so easy to like.
For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco
Without detracting from Brando's performance or what he, Kazan, and WIlliams wanted him to represent and be, I just don't understand people saying he's charismatic. He's crude, vulgar, boorish. He has legitimate grievances and points about Blanche, but charismatic? meh.
shareshe was a fragile woman who was desperately seeking for [sic] love from men who brought her only destruction.
Please. The only man who "brought her...destruction" was Stanley, and she wasn't seeking his love. She sought that from Mitch, and Allan - to whom she brought destruction! share
She was mentally ill, so yes, there should be at least some sympathy for her. She told lies and made up stories about her immaculate lifestyle filled with "beaus" and suitors, but it was just so she could survive. She did what she had to do to survive. She was old, broke, and didn't have anywhere to go. It doesn't justify her lying to her family, Mitch, etc., but when someone is as sick in the head as Blanche is, it's kind of like a kid lying---you're upset with them, but you also realize that they most likely didn't know any better.
"I must express myself." - Delia Deetz
Here's a broke women who lost a lot due to bad money management, trying to convince his wife that he's common and broke, while he's paying for her living expenses. Stanley took his vengeance too far, but if someone moves into your household, insults your background and tries to convince your pregnant wife to leave you they aren't gonna get kindness in return. Stanley went way too far at the end, but he was the only person to call her on her act. I'd think anyone would be annoyed of someone claiming to be rich and glamorous but is living for free in your living room would drive anyone nuts. I feel bad for Blanche, particularly her ending but most of what occurred during the film (outside of the rape) she deserved.
This sums it up for me.
07/08/06... 786... the sentinel of Allah has arrived. share
I feel some sympathy for Blanche because:
i) She was clearly once a very nice and trusting girl whose personality and behaviour underwent a dramatic change after her husband killed himself and she blamed herself for it
ii) Losing the ancestral property was not her fault because it would have been too much for most laypeople to manage to fight off the creditors
iii) By the beginning of the film, she is left without means and has to rely on others' kindness to find shelter
iv) She did not deserve to be raped.
The reasons why I nonetheless think she is blameworthy are:
i) She tries to emotionally manipulate Stella into feeling guilt for expressing any dismay over the loss of their ancestral property, even though Stella wasn't even blaming her for it
ii) She is openly contemptuous of Stella and Stanley's circumstances and living arrangements, instead of at least pretending to be grateful that they have given her a place to live, at no small inconvenience to themselves
iii) She tries to poison Stella's mind against her husband and create a rift between the two
iv) She is a hypocrite: she puts on an act of innocent gentility but deliberately flirts with men, including her sister's husband
v) She lies constantly to others to convey the self-image of her fantasy
vi) She prostitutes herself, and not because she has no other source of income
vii) She has an affair with a student
viii) She always blames other people for her misfortunes, whereas the vast majority of these misfortunes are of her own creation - she is incapable of holding herself to account.