Suggestions
Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.Please wait while we process your payment
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
Please wait while we process your payment
By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.
Don’t have an account? Subscribe now
Create Your Account
Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial
Already have an account? Log in
Your Email
Choose Your Plan
Individual
Group Discount
Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!
Purchasing SparkNotes PLUS for a group?
Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more!
Price
$24.99 $18.74 /subscription + tax
Subtotal $37.48 + tax
Save 25% on 2-49 accounts
Save 30% on 50-99 accounts
Want 100 or more? Contact us for a customized plan.
Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
SparkNotes Plus
You'll be billed after your free trial ends.
7-Day Free Trial
Not Applicable
Renews December 17, 2023 December 10, 2023
Discounts (applied to next billing)
DUE NOW
US $0.00
SNPLUSROCKS20 | 20% Discount
This is not a valid promo code.
Discount Code (one code per order)
SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan - Group Discount
Qty: 00
SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.
Choose Your Plan
For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more!
You’ve successfully purchased a group discount. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. You'll also receive an email with the link.
Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership.
Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Continue to start your free trial.
Please wait while we process your payment
Your PLUS subscription has expired
Please wait while we process your payment
Please wait while we process your payment
You know, I haven’t put on one ounce in ten years, Stella? I weigh what I weighed the summer you left Belle Reve. The summer Dad died and you left us . . .
Blanche has commented on Stella’s weight gain and here compares her own trim figure. Blanche is extremely conscious of her physical appearance throughout the play. She is concerned that she is growing old, and she lies about her age and works tirelessly to appear younger than she is. In these lines, she also reveals that she resents Stella’s new life away from home and feels abandoned in the succession of deaths beginning with her father’s.
When she comes in, be sure to say something nice about her appearance .. . . And admire her dress and tell her she’s looking wonderful. That’s important with Blanche. Her little weakness!
Stella is telling Stanley how to best handle Blanche by complimenting her appearance. As she is speaking with the voice of experience, Stella has always catered to her sister’s need to be acknowledged as pretty or attractive. The fact that Stella’s mindset is a habit supports the idea that for Blanche, appearances have always mattered more than reality. Illusion matters more than substance. The appearance of youth matters more than the wisdom of age.
I can’t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can stand a rude remark or a vulgar action.
Blanche has purchased a cheap paper lampshade at a tourist shop and asks Mitch to put it on the bulb. Blanche attempts to appear as a woman of refined sensibilities, who cannot tolerate crudeness, whether in a light bulb or in a man. Blanche’s declaration that she can’t stand “a rude remark or a vulgar action” is an example of dramatic irony since she will prove herself capable of many rude remarks and vulgar actions.
I simply couldn’t rise to the occasion. That was all. I don’t think I’ve ever tried so hard to be gay and made such a dismal mess of it. I get ten points for trying!—I did try.
Blanche apologizes to Mitch when they return to the Kowalski flat after an evening together. Blanche explains that she tried to keep up the appearance of having a good time but admits that she failed. As they both agree that the date wasn’t much fun, they continue the evening in a scene of rare honesty for Blanche. She discloses the details about her former husband Allan Grey, which was the turning point of Blanche’s life and one reason why Blanche does all she can to avoid her reality.
Please wait while we process your payment