Doubles and pairs are extremely important in scenes 1 and 2. The writer represents this theme through couples, characters, setting, and structure of the play. This element is important in the play because it is a way of representing the battle between Blanche and Stanley; thus emphasizing this very black and white world, where you either win or lose. Thus this foregrounds the tension that is created between Blanche and Stanley along the whole play; and the need to pair up to survive, something that Blanche is desperately trying.
Williams shows the element of doubles and pairs through the characters of these two scenes. We see firstly Blanche and Stella, as one of the most important pairs in the play. Blanche and Stella are sisters, thus we immediately see the connection to this theme of pairs and doubles. Blanche needs Stella to survive, she has nowhere else to go but to her sister, since “[she] is all that’s left to [her]”, and thus the need for a pair to survive is emphasized through the two sisters. Blanche has always been looking for somebody to lean on, for somebody to support her; “[Stella] left Belle Reve” and when that happened she was alone, she had nobody to ‘pair up’ with her. Even though Stella and Blanche are so distinct from one another, they are still sisters, and thus a pair tied by blood; one can not live without the other. The idea of this black and white world is in fact emphasized through them, because they are exactly opposite to each other; Stella is the ‘white’ innocent and good sister, while Blanche is the ‘black’ manipulative and vile sister. Blanche even manages to make Stella cry, showing her ability to hurt people; and emphasizing this idea of a crude world that only hurts those who are weaker. Second, comes the pair of Blanche and Stanley; and in this case we also see the image of Stanley’s brutal force and Blanche’s ‘innocent’ character. We can compare this to a brutal world that hits you in the face if you are not able to stand up to it; as we see in this play, Blanche is not able to stand up to Stanley’s force, and she is raped later on. Blanche has lost everything to this crude and vile world, and she is looking for some refuge, thus she “was flirting with [Stella’s] husband!” Thinking that this way she might manage to get some protection from him, or perhaps control over him, so she can depend on him and his money. Stanley however “doesn’t go in for that type of stuff,” especially since Blanche has been flirting with him all along the scene. Thus Stanley is represented in this couple as the ‘black’ part of life, and Blanche as the poor maiden looking for a partner to support her. We also have another pair, that represents this black and white world; Stanley and Mitch. Stanley, as always, is represented as the stronger side of the pair, while Mitch is the weaker more sentimental man. We see how Mitch is more sentimental since he mentions that he’s “mother is still sick” and they can’t play poker at his place, thus Mitch and his mother are a pair and he needs to take care of her if he wants to survive, because then he will be alone, like Blanche. Stanley on the contrary of Mitch is strong and firm, as he tells Mitch to “come back here” and to “bring the beer” in an imperative manner; thus he is the alfa-male giving orders and “throwing the screen door of the kitchen open”. Stanley once again represents that crude and strong part of our society. The final pair of characters is Eunice and Blanche, which represent two different personalities; Eunice being friendly and helpful, and Blanche being rude and selfish. Eunice let’s Blanche in the houses since she “own[s] this place,” and she tries to make Blanche feel at home, because she sees that Blanche is weary from her trip. She tries to initiate a conversation with Blanche, showing how friendly and welcoming she is, but Blanche quickly cuts her off rudely, with just a “yes” to every question. So, we see how each pair of characters plays its role in this play in portraying the crude reality of this black and white world we live in.
