This scene presents the hope, the sense of salvation for Blanche. It follows the tradition of classical tragedy in the way that a classical tragedy always allows for the possibility of redemption sometime in the middle of the play. Blanche’s hope lies with her capturing Mitch, and it will later be Stanley’s revelation about Blanche’s past to Mitch which finally destroys all of Blanche’s hopes. But here in this scene, it seems as though Blanche may succeed in freeing herself from her trapped situation.
An important question is, which is the real Blanche? Is she the innocent, naive girl that she presents to Mitch or is she the depraved woman whose past Stanley uncovers and reveals? Actually, she would like to be the girl she is presenting to Mitch. Ideally, she pictures herself as this girl. Even though this is a pose for her, she feels that it is the pose that she, as the southern belle, must take. Like Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie, she feels it is her duty to entertain the man and to make the man feel welcomed.
When Mitch discusses his excessive weight, his sweating, and his clumsiness, we must see Mitch as a rough sort of man. He is no diamond in the raw. In other words, he is Blanche’s last chance. He is the last straw which she is grasping for so as to keep from drowning.
This scene also shows that Blanche realizes Stanley is her “executioner.” “That man will destroy me, unless”—the “unless” refers to her hope of marrying Mitch. But here she recognizes that Stanley is deliberately trying to destroy her, and she can’t do much about it.
In Blanche’s narration of her tragic marriage with the young Allan, we see the source of all the rest of her difficulties. Here was the man whom she loved “unendurable” but whom she was unable to help. Her love came like a “blinding light” and after his death, she has never had a light “that’s stronger than this—kitchen—candle!” Thus, Blanche’s aversion to lights, seen in earlier parts of the play relates both to her attempt to disguise her age, and more important to the images connected with her young husband.
We now find out why the Varsouviana music has been playing as background music. This was the song which played while Blanche and her young husband were dancing, and the same song, running through her mind is interrupted by the sound of her husband’s gunshot. So now when Blanche hears the music, she must drink until she hears the gunshot which signals the end of the song.
Centrally, this scene reveals both Blanche and Mitch to be very lonesome people who could possibly find happiness with each other. Each could fill some type of vacancy for the other. Thus the scene ends on a note of hope for both characters.
