Stella Character Notes Part 2
Stella denies Blanche's accusations of rape near to the end of the play
Stella's denial of reality at the end of the play shows that she is somewhat similar to Blanche in the fact that she wants to believe that her life is better than it is, which is shown by her denying Blanche's rape accusations whilst going along with Blanches eccentricities. At the end of the play it is clear that Stella cares about Blanche very much because she's breaking down when she has to say goodbye to Blanche. But Stella is tied to Stanley because of the baby and monetary dependence. Much like how Blanche was dependent on the men of Laurel for food and shelter. “I couldn't believe her story and go on living with Stanley.”, Stella's use of the modal verb "couldn't" suggests that on some level she believes Blanche's story but she can't acknowledge it because that would be the same as saying goodbye to her current life.
Stella needs to back off of Stanley
This is shown in scene 4 where Stella defends Stanley even though he hit her last night at the poker game assuring Blanche that he was 'as tame as a lamb' after she went down to him. Stella's use of simile in comparing Stanley to a lamb which suggests innocence and purity is completely contrary to how William's portrays him in the stage directions "He sizes women up at a glance, with sexual classifications, crude images flashing into his mind and determining the way he smiles at them" . This suggests that Stella is blinded by love and devotion to Stanley and is too in love with him to see his faults.