Wednesday, 25 January 2012
What do you think is the real reason why Blanche 'wants' Mitch?
Just wondered how you all percieved the relationship between Blanche and Mitch, and the real reason why Blanche 'wants' him? I see it as a way of securing herself in the sense that she's lost everything, and by marrying Mitch, this would give her a home, a husband, money, etc. I think it's also to do with her past and the fact that she craves the attention from men and the idea that she can't resist herself because she has such 'brutal desires'. I will discuss my thoughts further in response to your opinions!
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As I said in the recent blog post on Blanche's character: "Her attraction to Mitch in my opinion is to use him as 'a means to and end' out of her selfishness... To lead to marriage, as by marrying him she is creating a solid commitment which contrasts the life she is now leading. She may expect to escape poverty, return to former riches and 'teenage bliss' of sexual desire and ultimately, eradicating the bad reputation which seems to haunt her."
ReplyDeleteIn addition, due to Stanley's comments towards her: his hints etcetera, she gives the impression of paranoia, due to her persistent asking "Did anyone say anything to you about me?". I believe she is paranoid as she knows Mitch is out of her league, however due to her desperation of redeeming her life, and her longing for a 'secure' relationship, she needs a man, and this (unfortunately for her) is Mitch. Mitch seems rather meek, niave and fooled by her intelligent facade, therefore I feel sympathy towards him, as he conveys an affectionate stance towards her: helping her with her Chinese lantern etcetera, and asking her questions (taking a genuine interest in who she is), on the other hand, Blanche is rushing the relationship eventhough she states to him to "unhand" her as she doesn't like rushing things. To the reader however, this doesn't seem the case... Her promiscuity towards him seems to be teasing, which lead to him being mesmerised and therefore involved in her trickery: when he lifted her up in Scene Six.
I believe Blanche likes the idea of being with Mitch (illusion), however in reality, it is inevitable to lead to bad happenings due to her past life which as I said, haunts her. Personally, I believe Blanche wants to escape destitution by being with Mitch, instead of being with him, for him (for love).
Blanche creates different personas through out the play... She changes her character quickly in response to events: other characters and her mood. In the case of wanting Mitch, it raises the question of: is she the victim or is she a confident seductress? I'd argue that she wants to be viewed as a victim, after losing Belle Reve etcetera, however, I believe losing Belle Reve was a fault of her own. She victimises others, for example, Mitch into believing her - he's falling into her trap. I would like to know 'Which is the real Blanche?' and why most of all, is she reliving her past events if she wants to redeem her sins? Callous or desperate? (I shall create a new post for discussion)
I agree. One thing to consider - do you think that Mitch is just like Blanche in a sense? Mitch is lonely, he has lost his wife, has an ill mother, and has marked himself out as very different in comparison to the other men. Blanche has lost her husband, lost everything (despite the fact this was mainly caused by her own actions), and is very different to anybody around her. Do you think they both need each other? Whilst Blanche needs Mitch for all the reasons we have discussed, do you think that in a sense, Mitch needs Blanche? But perhaps he isn't so desperate to do so, as we see when he reveals all to Blanche in the further scenes. Just a thought!
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