A Streetcar Named Desire: Scene 9 and Language Theory

In addition, Blanche's language upholds Lakoff as she uses super polite forms, a special lexicon, and hypercorrect grammar.

Blanche flouts Grice's Maxim of quantity by speaking more than she really needs to.

In this instance, Blanche diverges from Mitch in her language as she scolds him and his attitude.

Paradoxically, Blanche is attempting to be polite, yet she continues to patronize Mitch; Blanche flouts Lakoff's concept of politeness.

BLANCHE:

Who is it, please?

MITCH [hoarsely]:

Me. Mitch.

[The polka tune stops.]

BLANCHE:

Mitch!--just a minute.

[She rushes about frantically, hiding the bottle in a closet, crouching at the mirror and dabbing

her face with cologne and powder. She is so excited her breath is audible as she dashes about. At

last she rushes to the door in the kitchen and lets him in.]

Mitch!--Y'know, I really shouldn't let you in after the treatment I have received from you this

evening! So utterly uncavalier! But hello, beautiful!

[She offers him her lips. He ignores it and pushes past her into the flat. She looks fearfully after

him as he stalks into the bedroom.]

My, my, what a cold shoulder! And such uncouth apparel! Why, you haven't even shaved! The

unforgivable insult to a lady! But I forgive you. I forgive you because it's such a relief to see you.

You've stopped that polka tune that I had caught in my head. Have you ever had anything caught

in your head? No, of course you haven't, you dumb angel-puss, you'd never get anything awful

caught in your head!

[He stares at her while she follows him while she talks. It is obvious that he has had a few drinks

on the way over.]

MITCH:

Do we have to have that fan on?

BLANCHE:

No!

MITCH:

I don't like fans.

BLANCHE:

Then let's turn it off, honey. I'm not partial to them!

Mitch and Blanche both uphold Keith and Shuttleworth; Mitch speaks little compared to Blanche; Blanche talks in excess.

Mitch speaks very little; he speaks precisely, saying only what is needed in each utterance.

This paralinguistic feature illustrates how Blanche still feels for Mitch.

Grice Lakoff Politeness Theory Keith and Shuttleworth

Throughout this scene the micro-pauses in Blanche's speech relates to Keith and Shuttleworth record suggestions of how women are "indecisive/hesitant"

Paralinguistic feature of Blanche "clear[ing] her throat" adds meaning to the following sequence of events since the clearing of her throat could indicate that she is trying to get Mitch's attention

Blanche flouts Grice's Maxim of Quality by lying about not knowing "what there is to drink" since before Mitch arrived she was drinking from a bottle which she hid

Follows Lakoff's theory that women use question intonation in declarative statements, "Isn't your mother well?", to express uncertainty and use tag questions

BLANCHE: [She presses the switch and the fan nods slowly off. She clears her throat uneasily as Mitch

plumps himself down on the bed in the bedroom and lights a cigarette.]

I don't know what there is to drink. I--haven't investigated.

MITCH: I don't want Stan's liquor.

BLANCHE: It isn't Stan's. Everything here isn't Stan's. Some things on the premises are actually mine! How

is your mother? Isn't your mother well?

MITCH: Why?

BLANCHE:

Something's the matter tonight, but never mind. I won't cross-examine the witness. I'll just--[She

touches her forehead vaguely. The polka tune starts up again.]--pretend I don't notice anything

different about you! That--music again...

MITCH:

What music?

Correlates to Keith and Shuttleworth's record suggestions about men since instead of opening up about his mother and possibly "talk about emotions" Mitch just asks "Why" Blanche is asking such a thing

Blanche follows the Politeness principle of Lakoff by not "imposing"/"cross-examin[ing] " Mitch to tell her what is "the matter" with him after pointing out that something is clearly different about him which also supports Keith and Shuttleworth's record suggestions that women "are more polite"

Blanche flouts Grice's Maxim of Relevance by not "keep[ing] to the point" of the conversation and veering off into talk about the "Varsouviana" and Allan

Plays into Keith and Shuttleworth's record suggestions that men "interrupt more" since Mitch is actively interrupting Blanche

Grice Lakoff Politeness Theory Keith and Shuttleworth

Throughout this scene the micro-pauses in Blanche's speech relates to Keith and Shuttleworth record suggestions of how women are "indecisive/hesitant"

Blanche flouts Grice's Maxims of Manner as well as Relevance since the entire "Varsouviana" and Allan talk does not at all "keep to the point" of her conversation with Mitch and the Manner in which she speaks is not "clear" or "coherent" since althogh the events of that night are playing out in her mind for Mitch Blanche is just saying seemingly random things in-between short micro-breaks

BLANCHE:

The "Varsouviana"! The polka tune they were playing when Allan--Wait!

[A distant revolver shot is heard. Blanche seems relieved.]

There now, the shot! It always stops after that.

[The polka music dies out again.]

Yes, now it's stopped.

MITCH:

Are you boxed out of your mind?

BLANCHE:

I'll go and see what I can find in the way of--

[She crosses into the closet, pretending to search for the bottle.]

Oh, by the way, excuse me for not being dressed. But I'd practically given you up! Had you forgotten your invitation to supper?

MITCH:

I wasn't going to see you anymore.

Supports Lakoff's theory that women "apologize more" since in this case Blanche is apologizing for "not being dressed" even though that is not a legitimate thing to apologize about and this also supports Keith and Shuttleworth's record suggestions that women are "more polite" than men

Blanche flouts Grice's Maxim of Relevance by switching the topic of the conversation mid-way into her statement

Politeness Theory of Brown and Levinson since Blanche is trying to use politeness to "save [her] face" and to protect Mitch's "dignity" by giving him an out for why he did not show up to her birthday supper and not just leaving it as him standing her up which looks bad for the both of them. Although, in direct contrast Mitch does not offer any type of apology to Blanche for not going to her birthday supper

Flouts Grice's maxims of quantity and relevance

Flouts Lakoff's theory that women speak less frequently

Upholds Keith and Shuttleworth's theory that women talk more than men

Upholds lakoff's theory that women ask more tag questions

BLANCHE:

Wait a minute. I can't hear what you're saying and you talk so little that when you do say something, I don't want to miss a single syllable of it.... What am I looking around here for? Oh,

yes--liquor! We've had so much excitement around here this evening that I am boxed out of my

mind!

[She pretends suddenly to find the bottle. He draws his foot up on the bed and stares at her

contemptuously.] Here's something. Southern Comfort! What is that, I wonder?

MITCH:

If you don't know, it must belong to Stan.

BLANCHE:

Take your foot off the bed. It has a light cover on it. Of course you boys don't notice things like

that. I've done so much with this place since I've been here.

MITCH:

I bet you have.

Upholds Grice's maxims of quantity and relevance

Flouts both Lakoff and Keith and Shuttleworth almost entirely

Upholds Keith and Shuttleworth's theory that men don't talk about feelings

Flouts Grice's maxims of quantity and relevance

Filler

Upholds Lakoff's theory that women tend to use intensifiers/speak in italics

Upholds Lakoff's theory that women tend to use phrases that indicate hedging

Paralinguistic language

BLANCHE:

You saw it before I came. Well, look at it now! This room is almost--dainty! I want to keep it

that way. I wonder if this stuff ought to be mixed with something? Ummm, it's sweet, so sweet!

It's terribly, terribly sweet! Why, it's a liqueur, I believe! Yes, that's what it is, a liqueur!

[Mitch grunts.]

I'm afraid you won't like it, but try it, and maybe you will.

MITCH:

I told you already I don't want none of his liquor and I mean it. You ought to lay off his liquor.

He says you been lapping it up all summer like a wildcat!

BLANCHE:

What a fantastic statement! Fantastic of him to say it, fantastic of you to repeat it! I won't

descend to the level of such cheap accusations to answer them, even!

MITCH:

Huh.

Upholds Giles' theory of divergence and Keith and Shuttleworth's theory that men tend to be more aggressive

Upholds Lakoff's theory that women tend to use hypercorrect grammar

Mitch upholds Grice's maxim of quantity, he says only what is needed

Mitch uses a hedge to lighten the impact of what he says and flouts Lakoff as he is the only one that uses them and shows the narrow gap in power between the two speakers as Mitch does not assert his claim

Upholds Kieth and Shutteroworth's claim that women ask more questions and upholds Lakoff's claim of women using "Wh-" imperatives more

Blanche talks on Mitch's level showing Giles' theory of accommodation specifically convergence and upholds his claim as she does it to better communicate with Mitch and maintain her self image (politeness theory by Brown and Levinson). Highlights a prosodic feature of special intonation in this case Blanche speaking in italics when she states "Why, Mitch" which also upholds Lakoff

BLANCHE: What's in your mind? I see something in your eyes!

MITCH [getting up]: It's dark in here.

BLANCHE: I like it dark. The dark is comforting to me.

MITCH: I don't think I ever seen you in the light.

[Blanche laughs breathlessly]

That's a fact!

BLANCHE: Is it?

MITCH: I've never seen you in the afternoon.

BLANCHE: Whose fault is that?

MITCH: You never want to go out in the afternoon.

BLANCHE: Why, Mitch, you're at the plant in the afternoon!

MITCH: Not Sunday afternoon. I've asked you to go out with me sometimes on Sundays but you always

make an excuse. You never want to go out till after six and then it's always some place that's not

lighted much.

Upholds Grice's Maxim of quality, he says what he believes to be true

BLANCHE: There is some obscure meaning in this but I fail to catch it.

MITCH: What it means is I've never had a real good look at you, Blanche. Let's turn the light on here.

BLANCHE [fearfully]: Light? Which light? What for?

MITCH: This one with the paper thing on it.

[He tears the paper lantern off the light bulb. She utters a frightened gasp.]

BLANCHE: What did you do that for?

MITCH: So I can take a look at you good and plain!

BLANCHE: Of course you don't really mean to be insulting!

MITCH: No, just realistic.

BLANCHE: I don't want realism. I want magic!

Further upholds Kieth and Shutterworth and Lakoff through questions and Wh- imperatives

Upholds Grice's Maxim of relevance and manner

Prosodic feature of heavy emphasis on "really" showing that Blanche speaks in italics, which upholds Lakoff, and the fact that she turned a statement into a question by the special intonation, which also upholds Lakoff

Blanche flouts Grice's Maxim of quality, shows an instance of failed pragmatics as their is no shared context, and upholds Brown and Levinson as she tries to maintain her own image through obliviousness

"Here" and "this one" are examples of deictics which is verbal pointing

Overarching Points of Section 4

• Conversational pattern of turn taking after a speaker says an utterance. Blanche communicates with language of interactional talk, while Mitch communicates with langauge transactional talk
• Flouts Zimmerman and West as both speakers do not interrupt eachother throughout the entirety of their interaction
• Blanche and Mitch speak in realtively equal amounts, which flouts Lakoff and Keith and Shutterworth as they both claim that women speak less than men in a woman-man conversation
• Blanche displays the sociolect of upper class due to her hyper-correct grammar and pronunciation which upholds Lakoff and Brown and Levinson as she uses this politeness to protect her image in front of Mitch.
• Mitch dominates the conversation as seen with his transition and maintaining of the conversation to be about Blanche and her deception, which upholds Kieth and Shutterworth
• Blanche flouts every single one of Grice's 4 Maxims as she is untruthful (quality), she tries to change the topic (relevance and manner), and speaks more than needed (quantity)