'Explore the ways in which Tennessee Williams presents the character of Amanda in scenes 1 and 2.'

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Neena Sandhu 1202

‘Explore the ways in which Tennessee Williams presents the character of Amanda in scenes 1 and 2.’

In order to explore the character of Amanda within these early scenes, we need to explore the methods Williams uses to convey her personality and in specific, his use of her language, including the visual elements of her speech, the other characters and what they say and reflect of her, and also via the stage directions and what they reveal to us of her behaviour and characteristics. By breaking down her actions into their basic forms, we can gain a better insight into what they illustrate, both in terms of their relevance to that particular conversation of scene. Though also through their general development, for example do we see themes or trends within her actions? Do these themes develop or evolve as the storyline progresses, and what does this tell us of Amanda’s character?

From the very outset of the dialogue, we become aware of Amanda’s very commanding nature, the way she tells Tom how he should eat ‘chew – chew!’ she tells him. Yet she goes further suggesting that ‘Animals have sections of their stomachs which enable them to digest food without mastication,’ she imposes her views upon her children suggesting to the audience that she feels she knows best. However as the scene progresses we see more of the same style of behaviour, but much more intertwined with a melodramatic theme. Highlighted by over exaggeration for example she comments on Tom’s ‘Temperament like a Metropolitan star!’ this is intensified by the use of stage direction indicating it should be spoken ‘(lightly).’ Immediately Williams presents Amanda as being a highly animated character, and we see that the early conversation revolves around her promoting her as a main character within the play and setting her status for the rest of the story.

The way Amanda interacts with Laura demonstrates the delusional aspects of her personality. The way she treats Laura, calling her ‘sister’ and saying ‘I want you to stay fresh and pretty’ pre empts her story of her ‘seventeen! – gentlemen callers!’ The nostalgic way she speaks stating they ‘Had to send the nigger over to bring in folding chairs,’ links her past to the way she is treating Laura is the present, claiming ‘I’ll be the darkey.’ This she enhanced by the stage directions directing her speech to be spoken ‘(Airily)’ adding to the nostalgic feeling, and revealing to the audience that Amanda lives in the past. The characters of her children comment on this, Tom says ‘I know what’s coming!’ which shows that this is a common occurrence with Amanda, and Laura adds to this by saying that ‘She loves to tell it.’ We can deduce from this that perhaps Amanda not only lives in this past, but it imposes it upon her children because she believes that it is best. This may also be a clue as to why she is so commanding she claims that ‘Girls in those days knew how to talk’ which inadvertently means that girls in the present do not know the art of conversation. The image that appears on screen at this point, as directed by the stage directions, ‘Amanda as a girl on a porch, greeting callers’ gives the audience a visual representation of Amanda’s story. Obviously Williams wishes to place emphasis upon it, perhaps to reinforce what the story is telling us of Amanda’s nature. It shows us that her overbearing actions may be her way of trying to better her children, and thus Williams demonstrates that she is perhaps delusional but with good intentions at heart.

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As well as the image, the stage directions state that ’She addresses Tom as though he was seated in the vacant chair . . .though he remains by the portieres.’ Emphasises both elements of delusion and denial, denial in the sense that Amanda refuses to accept the fact that Tom is smoking by not acknowledging that he is doing it at all. Further to this, as she reminisces about the past ‘her voice becomes rich and elegiac.’ Which reveals that she takes joy in re-living her past, emulated by the way ‘She flounces girlishly towards to kichenenette’ we can ...

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