The Rabbit Hole

1. Character Summaries

Buttercup

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  • The greatest factor in her decision making process is life over death
  • Examples: she would rather marry Humperdink than be killed and she would rather swim for her life than have her throat slit.
  • However, after losing Wesley she doesn’t feel she has a reason to live. Odd…
  • She is the ‘most beautiful’.

Wesley

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  • His sole motivation in life is his love for Buttercup.
  • Not even ‘death’ can stop him from attaining her.
  • He is the ‘best at surviving’.

Inigo

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  • Became a lame drunk after losing the count
  • Sole purpose in life is to find and kill count out of revenge.
  • He is the ‘best swordsman’.

Fezzik

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  • Only drive in life is fear of being alone.
  • Doesn’t like fighting but does it to please others.
  • Is the ‘strongest’.

1. Themes Etc (relating to post-modernism)

Disrupting the Illusion

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  • The author uses exaggeration to ensure the audience believes the story is fictitious.
  • The story is constantly interrupted and commented on by the boy for the same reason.

Black Humor

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  • Too many instances to count

Arbitrariness of Time

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  • Things are ranked (best kiss out of 5 kisses)
  • Interruptions
  • Etc.

A Streetcar Named Desire: Class Notes

Two Key Ideas:

1) Guilt of abandonment

2) Binary opposites

Various Themes:

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  • Blanche’s delusions vs. reality
  • Mitch’s delusions vs. reality
  • Progress vs. stagnation
  • Death vs. life
  • Illusion vs. reality
  • Cruelty vs. kindness
  • Superiority vs. inferiority
  • Desperation
  • Stella’s love for Blanche vs. her dependency on Stanley
  • Blanche’s need to feel superior vs. Stanley’s need for power

A bit about Blanche…

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  • Her lies come from an inability to confront the truth
  • She sees things as they ought be to…but aren’t
  • She uses fantasy to protect herself from tragedy
  • Her defenses are shattered by Stanley
  • She came from the old south called “Belle Rêve” or ‘Good Dream”

How Cruel!

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  • Blanche sees deliberate cruelty as the only thing that is unforgivable
  • Stanley is intentionally cruel

How Primitive…

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  • Stanley is often compared to an ape or primitive man
  • He is the romantic idea of a man untouched by civilization, which allures Stella
  • Stanley has no problem with driving Blanche mad and possibly raping her

Desire

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  • Central theme
  • Desire is at the heart of Stanley and Stella’s relationship
  • Stella is either surprising it or pursuing it without abandon

So Lonely

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  • comparative theme that is the extreme opposite of desire
  • Blanche seeks protection from this from strangers

Questions to think about

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  • Which character do you have the most sympathy for?
  • Why do women stay with abusive men?
  • Why are women attracted to bad boys?
  • Based on scenes of Stanley bowling or playing cards, what are his views on life?
  • Did Mitch love Blanche?
  • Would your first loyalty be to your spouse or best friend?
  • Would you tell your friend if you found out something terrible about their spouse?
  • Why does Blanche drink?
  • Why does Blanche lie to ShepHuntleigh in the letter?
  • Why did Blanche flirt with the newspaper boy?
  • How does Blanch affect Stanley and Stella’s Marriage and why does he want Blanche to leave?
  • How does Stanley and Stella’s relationship change?
  • How does Stanley and Blanche’s relationship change?
  • How does Mitch compare to Stanley?
  • What does the Mexican woman selling flowers for the dead symbolize?
  • What does light and the paper lantern symbolize?
  • What does the music symbolize?