How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Scene.Line). Every time a character talks counts as one line, even if what they say turns into a long monologue.
Quote #7
BLANCHE
Never inside, I didn’t lie in my heart… (9.59)
What Blanche means is that she believed her own lies, too – she was as taken in as Mitch with the persona she exuded.
Quote #8
STELLA
I couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley. (11.24)
Uh-oh. Looks as though self-delusion runs in the family. And as though Stella is picking up where her sister left off. On the other hand, delusion seems to be the only option Stella really has (again, not unlike Blanche).
Quote #9
BLANCHE
You know what I shall die of? I shall die of eating an unwashed grape one day out on the ocean. I will die – with my hand in the hand of some nice-looking ship’s doctor, a very young one with a small blond mustache and a big silver watch. […] And I’ll be buried at sea sewn up in a clean white sack and dropped overboard – at noon – in the blaze of summer – and into an ocean as blue as my first lover’s eyes! (11.69)
Blanche’s delusions have grown more romantic and literary as she retreats further into madness. She’s given up on trying to reconcile her visions with reality and surrendered completely to fantasy.