I always wondered why everyone takes Blanche at her word that Stanley raped her. She spends a good portion of the movie telling lie after lie which Stanley exposes for the rest of the cast to see.
Yet Stella, Eunice, as well as Mitch and the guys seem to take her at her word that Stanley raped her, even in her precarious mental state at the end of movie.
I think it is clearly implied that he did. As to why Stella would believe her, the sisters were very close and she understood Blanche's emotional frailty well, considering she came home just hours later and saw the mess, the state her sister was in and how Stanley was acting (use your imagination), how could she doubt it. She, Eunice and the boys all knew with certainty, judging by Mitch's reactions at the end.
shareStella would not have come home to see anything; she was still in labor. In those days new mothers stayed in the hospital for at least 5 days after giving birth.
Eunice might have checked on Stanley at that point, but she is the one who (in the play) tells Stella never to believe it.
The Fabio Principle: Puffy shirts look best on men who look even better without them.
I think they believed her because they knew how much Stanley hated her. Rape is not about sex and enjoyment but about power, control, and debasement. So it follows that he would want to act on his hatred. Plus they witnessed her going over the edge.
An independent mind is difficult to enslave.
I just watched this movie last night and I was actually wondering the same thing. I don't think the other characters in the movie believed her story but we, as viewers, are expected to assume that the rape certainly happened when it is ambigous in the movie (I don't know about the play) and when in fact, in the scene that led up to that incident, Blanche spends a good deal of time telling Stanley about how she was gonna go to this cruise and then how Mitch came back begging for forgiveness, straight up lies. I find it a bit naive to believe that a prolific writer such as Tennessee Williams would create such a conversation between those two characters to make us know about the characters more and then, right in the next scene, to make us believe Blanche without even questioning a bit what really happened.
Even as someone who has always been sensitive to rape issues, I found myself being actually on the edge whether to believe her because of the way the Blanche character has been portrayed throughout the movie and not because it is out of question that Stanley would do such a thing.
Don't you know? Men are naturally evil. Once upon a time, women were stupid enough to favor having boys, because they loved boys so much. NOW, more women want girls. Modern women prefer having someone exactly like them, because they think they're perfect. And at least with a daughter, they don't have to worry about being raped.
shareShe was 100% raped by Stanley. Anyone who questions that is just being silly. Tennessee Williams himself even said that Blanche is raped by Stanley.
As for the characters in the movie, it's totally different than the play. What makes the play such a tragedy is that Blanche WAS such a liar and therefore when she actually is raped by Stanley, nobody (but Mitch, I believe?) believes her. The movie changed this up a little by having Stella leave Stanley because she believes her sister.
Well, she leaves Stanley in the play, too - thus the famous STELLA STELLLAAAA - but she goes back to him.
And everyone says Mitch was Blanche's last hope - it never would have worked out, not for five minutes. With her mental deterioration, she was doomed.
She leaves Stanley for a night after he hits her, but they remain married and raise a child together in the play. Stella thinks Blanche lied about Stanley raping her (although, it is heavily implied that she feels uneasy about the whole thing and might know the truth but is purposely ignoring it) and agrees to have Blanche sent off.
Stella only leaves Stanley at the very end of the movie, but definitely not the play.
I think you are viewing everything as too black and white.
To start, mental illness is not an on/off switch, especially not to those close to the person. Even though Stella is sending her to be committed, I seriously doubt she views Blanche as a psycho who is constantly lying. She knew Blanche as a child for her whole life and probably wants to believe anything she says, despite what she logically should believe.
Also, something obviously happened when Stanley was alone with Blanche. When everyone else returned, more stuff was broken and Blanche was a wreck and telling stories about abuse. Stanley had broken things and acted abusively all throughout the film up until that point, so it was very likely that he had gotten physical.
The others also didnt do anything when she told her story. Maybe they believed her, but they just kind of stood around when she was taken away.
Well as nutsy as Blanche was, when they all return from her being alone with Stanley, she's had a psychotic break. It's obvious from the look of the place, and the look of Blanche, that something happened.
shareBut I thought he raped her, it's rather obvious to me even if they didn't show it. And Stanley is a character I can definitely see raping women, propably not the first time for him.
sharethat's why women rule human society for the last one million years.
i mostly will not be able to answer your reply, since marissa mayer hacked my email, no notification