The dream in charge

Will Landschulz
Am Lit. Per. 2
Mrs. LaMagdeleine

Stella is very sad at sending her sister to what is implied to be an insane asylum.  However, I think that she was justified in doing that, as her sister is trapped in a twisted reflection of her real life, with the wallpaper suddenly sprouting "twisted shapes" that move "sinuously . . . like flames" and the world outside suddenly becoming punctuated by "inhuman" cries.  In this way, her world becomes like how she described Stanley; brutal, inhuman, like an ape.  However, this is strangely juxtaposed with what goes on in the alleys behind Stella's apartment, which are both starkly real and which also parallel the inhuman cries and the sinuous shapes of Stella's mind.  After Stella's phone call to the operator, we see that a prostitute has stolen something from a drunk, who is in hot pursuit.  A police officer comes in with a sharp whistle, which sends them off like rats with their tails between their legs.  The Negro Woman, whom we saw in the first scene as a benevolent friend of Eunice's, now picks up the prostitute's forgotten bag and is rooting through it.  We see these streets at night for the first time, and they are a far cry from the "raffishly charming" set described in the beginning.  However, the foreboding, shifting shapes and the slightly off-key renditions of the Varsouviana polka theme seem to die down once Blanche realizes that the doctor is there to help her.  She even says as much in her last line: "Whoever you are - I have always depended upon the kindness of strangers."  Stella, however, despite knowing that Stanley's actions have driven her past the point of no return, feels bad that she had to abandon her to an institution.  Besides, as Eunice points out, there is nothing really else for her to do.  Blanche can't stay there, especially as unhinged as she is, and there is nowhere else for her to go.