Student Question
How does Mitch compare to Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire? How do Mitch and Blanche interact?
Quick answer:
Mitch, unlike Stanley, is polite and respectful, showing concern for his sick mother and treating women with care. He bonds with Blanche over shared sorrows and initially believes in her sincerity. However, Mitch shares some traits with Stanley, such as working at the same plant and being indifferent to domestic abuse. Mitch's relationship with Blanche deteriorates when he discovers her deception, leading him to act aggressively.
In A Streetcar Named Desire, Mitch is Stanley’s friend who has distinct differences from yet some similarities to Stanley. Although briefly appearing in scene one, he is not fully introduced until scene 3 when he, Stanley, and two other men play cards. Concerned about his sick mother, Mitch leaves the game in order to check on her. Stanley, in contrast, is insensitive and prioritizes poker with the boys over care for the ailing mother. Of all the men, Stanley gives Mitch the hardest time, saying, “Aw, for the sake of Jesus, go home, then!” Similarly, Stanley shows little protective concern for his pregnant wife, Stella, whom he beats.
Unlike Stanley, Mitch is polite and respectful to the female characters. Upon meeting Blanche, he addresses her as “Miss DuBois”; when Stanley first meets her, he just blurts out her name when asking her where Stella is. Mitch thanks Stella for...
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making custard for his mother instead of taking her cooking and housework for granted as Stanley does with his “little woman.” Mitch treats feminine objects of beauty with care—adjusting Blanche’s paper lantern over a light bulb—while Stanley manhandles Blanche’s clothes in anger and smashes light bulbs on his and Stella’s wedding night in passion. The sober Mitch handles a drunken, out-of-control Stanley. Unlike Stanley, who inserts unbridled masculinity in their cramped apartment by hosting an alcohol-fueled poker game, Mitch recognizes the need to protect women; he orders the other men to pull Stanley off of Stella and concedes, “Poker should not be played in a house with women.” Finally, in contrast to Stanley’s immediate skepticism of Blanche, Mitch is more trusting and does not believe rumors about her sordid past until he confirms them himself.
Mitch connects with Blanche over his cigarette lighter inscribed with the sonnet "And if God choose, I shall but love thee better—after—death!" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. When he reveals that the lighter was given to him by girl who died, Blanche sympathizes with his sorrow, deep attachment, and sincerity. At first, Mitch and Blanche respond to each other like two kindred souls. He is touched by her words and concurs, “I believe you are right about that.” Mitch responds to Blanche by showing genuine interest and vulnerability (asking her about her teaching career, waltzing with her, and kissing her); in turn, Blanche responds to his attentions by feeling flattered by the attention, acting coy, and misrepresenting her past.
In scene 5, Blanche tells Stella that she has allowed Mitch only a goodnight kiss because she wants his respect; but also, she wants him “very badly.” In scene 5 when Mitch displays insecurity about his large size, Blanche flatters his “massive bone-structure and a very imposing physique.” Blanche sends Mitch mixed messages—she switches between a prim, proper lady and a flirtatious, aggressive woman who leads him into the bedroom, asks him in French if he will sleep with her, and tells him to remove his coat and loosen his tie. Again, Mitch and Blanche bond over sadness for a loved one (Mitch’s concern for his dying mother, Blanche’s memory of a homosexual husband who committed suicide); however, this connection occurs only after Blanche tries to learn from Mitch what Stanley has been saying about her. Ultimately, though, both characters respond to each other naively—Mitch believes Blanche’s portrayal of her past, and Blanche believes that Mitch will marry her.
Nonetheless, Mitch is similar to Stanley in a few ways. First, they both work at the same plant, share mutual friends, and play on the same bowling team. Second, neither are bothered much by domestic abuse. After Stanley attacks Stella, Mitch tells Blanche, “Ho-ho! There's nothing to be scared of. They're crazy about each other… But don't take it serious.” Like Stanley, Mitch is not concerned about propriety in clothing; when Blanche says she is not dressed to go sit outside, Mitch replies, “That don't make no difference in the Quarter.” Finally, in scene 9, Mitch’s reaction to Blanche’s deception makes him behave like Stanley. He appears unshaven and drunk; he tears off the paper lantern and exposes a bare light bulb in order to see her face. Admitting that he suspected that she was older than she led on, he stresses that her dishonesty is what made him lose respect for her, and then he physically tries to take advantage of her in order to get “What I been missing all summer.”
Mitch’s relationship with his mother is both as protector and protected. He is devoted to her care; even though she encourages him to go out with friends, he admits, “I don't enjoy it. All the while I keep wondering how she is.” He laments, “But I'll be alone when she goes.” Mitch wants to please and reassure his mother by telling her that Blanche is nice. Interestingly, though, his mother asks point-blank about Blanche’s age, perhaps looking out for her son. She worries about Mitch because he is not settled down and married. But later, when Mitch realizes Blanche’s deception, he tells her, “You're not clean enough to bring in the house with my mother.”
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