A Streetcar Named Desire The Rape Scene

Known by many as The Rape Scene, scene 10 of ​A Streetcar Named Desire is filled with dramatic action and fear inside the flat of Stanley Kowalski. Though the protagonist Blanche Dubois of Tennessee Williams famous play attempts to talk her way out of an attack, a violent attack takes place. Setting the Scene It has been a rough night for Blanche Dubois. Her sisters husband ruined her chances at love by spreading rumors (mostly true) about her.Her boyfriend dumped her.She is frightfully worried about her sister Stella who is at the hospital, about to deliver a baby. To top it all off, Scene 10 of a Streetcar Named Desire finds Blanche wildly intoxicated. Scene 10 of A Streetcar Named Desire Prompted by a combination of alcohol and mental instability, Blanche imagines that she is hosting a high-class party, surrounded by amorous admirers. Stanley Kowalski interrupts her hallucination. He has just returned from the hospital. The baby will not be delivered until the morning, so he plans to get some sleep before going back to the hospital. He too appears to have been drinking, and when he opens up a bottle of beer, spilling its contents over his arms and torso, he says, Shall we bury the hatchet and make it a loving-cup? Blanche is terrified by his advances. She correctly perceives that his predatory nature is focused  on her. To make herself seem powerful (or perhaps simply because her fragile mental state has made her delusional), Blanche tells several lies. She states that her old friend, an oil tycoon, has sent her a wired invitation to travel to the Caribbean. She also fabricates a story about her ex-boyfriend, Mitch, saying that he returned to beg forgiveness. However, according to her lie, she turned him away, believing that their backgrounds  were too incompatible. This is the final straw for Stanley. In the most explosive moment of the play, he declares: STANLEY: There isnt a damn thing but imagination, and lies, and tricks! [ ... ] Ive been on to you from the start. Not once did you pull the wool over my eyes. After yelling at her, he goes into the bathroom and slams the door. The stage directions indicate very specific actions and sounds that take place outside the apartment A woman laughs insanely while running through the street.A man in a tuxedo chases after the woman who violently slaps him.Several men attack each other. All of these disturbing events suggest how drunken violence and erratic passion are common in this setting. In a feeble attempt to call for help, Blanche picks up the phone and asks the operator to connect her with the oil tycoon, but of course, it is futile. Stanley exits the bathroom, dressed in silk pajamas. Blanche is now desperate and wants to get out. she goes into the bedroom, shutting the drapes behind her  as if they could serve as a barricade. Stanley follows, openly admitting that he wants to interfere with her. Blanche smashes a bottle and threatens to twist the broken glass into his face. This seems to only amuse and enrage Stanley further. He grabs her hand, twisting it behind her and then picks her up, carrying her to the bed. The stage directions call for a quick fade out, but the audience is well aware that Stanley Kowalski is about to rape Blanche DuBois.