A Streetcar Named Desire Scenes 3 and 4 Summary

The scene 3 describes the poker night in the kitchen of Stanley and Stella's apartment. The atmosphere in the room is just as in the Van Gogh's picture. Stanley and his friends chat while they play poker, however, not everyone is in a good mood. Stanley seems to be drunk and here and there you can hear his angry outbursts.


Sisters are entering the house after the night out, and Blanche is immediately worried about her looks. Stella assures her that she looks just fine, but as they enter the room, it is clear that their company is now welcomed. Guys are still playing and girls' voices and music they play seem to deconcentrate. Stella asks them to end up their poker party since it's 3 in the morning, but no one pays much attention to her. Stanley is especially harsh, yelling at her to shut up.


Although this group of men seem to be equally rough, one of them, Mitch, stands out. He is the only unmarried man in the room and lives with his mother. Life circumstances made him tender and more sophisticated, so it's no wonder that he's the one who catches Blanche's attention. They start chatting after he leaves the party to refresh in the bathroom, and Blanche's company clearly drives him away from the poker. He goes behind the curtain and flirt with Blanche, which sends drunk Stanley into rage. He furiously enters the room, grabs the radio and throws it through the window. Irritated, Stella yells at him, calling him an animal, and he fiercely grabs her. Although they are behind the scene, there is a sound of a blow and Stella's screams. Men try to calm Stanley but he is as drunk as he could be and it's hard to overpower him. Shaken, Stella and Blanche leave the apartment and head to Eunice, while men are still trying to calm Stanley down. Eventually, Stanley comes to his senses and wants to know what has happened. When he realizes what he has done, he starts calling Stella over the phone. After futile attempts to reach her, he goes outside and howls like a wolf for her, until she comes back to him.


Meanwhile, Blanche is traumatized with the turmoil and after she notices that Stella is not in Eunice's apartment, she runs down the stairs where she meets Mitch once again. They chat a bit and it seems that she has forgotten her little sister is in danger. The scene 3 ends with them sitting on stairs having a cigarette.


Scene 4 begins the following day. Stella is in her bed, resting. Blanche enters the room, all hysterical. She is worried about her sister's condition and wants to know if Stanley is gone for good. Stella informs her that he is away only to fix a car. Blanche is shocked to learn that Stella doesn't think that the incident from the previous night is a big deal. Instead, she justifies Stanley's behavior and assures Blanche that everything is ok. On the other side, Blanche cannot accept violence as something normal and tries to bring Stella to senses by making her face the facts about Stanley, but it's no use. Stella is in love with him and Blanche's words only seem to insult her. During their conversation, an upcoming train makes horrible noise, so for a couple of seconds they have to remain silent. Stanley comes back home at the moment while the train is still rumbling, leaving girls unaware of his presence. When the room is quiet again, Blanche continue to talk against him, while he patiently listens. With the noise of another train he uses the opportunity to enter the room as if he has just come, pretending he hasn't heard anything. Stella runs to his arms and he hugs her firmly while he smirks at Blanche.




Related Links:

A Streetcar Named Desire Scenes 3 and 4 Quiz
A Streetcar Named Desire Chapters 4-7 Summary
A Streetcar Named Desire Chapters 8-10 Summary
A Streetcar Named Desire Summary
A Streetcar Named Desire Quotes
A Streetcar Named Desire Important Characters
A Streetcar Named Desire Quiz
Literature
Literature Summaries
Tennessee Williams Facts


To link to this A Streetcar Named Desire Scenes 3 and 4 Summary page, copy the following code to your site: