Doctor and Matron Take Blanche Away

The Doctor and Matron Take Blanche Away is the devastating final action of A Streetcar Named Desire, in which Blanche DuBois, her mental defenses shattered by Stanley Kowalski's exposure of her past and his sexual assault, is led away from the French Quarter apartment by a doctor and a matron from a state institution. The scene crystallizes the play's central tragedy: the destruction of a fragile, deluded woman by a brutal, uncomprehending world, and her final, ironic assertion of dependence on the kindness of strangers as she exits into an uncertain future.

Arrival of the Authorities

Some weeks after the rape, Stella Kowalski is packing Blanche's things while Stanley Kowalski and his friends play poker in the kitchen. The atmosphere is raw and lurid, reminiscent of the disastrous poker night earlier in the play. Eunice Hubbell comes down from her upstairs flat and enters the kitchen, commenting that the men are making pigs of themselves. Stella tells Eunice that she has told Blanche they have made arrangements for her to rest in the country, and that Blanche has mixed this up in her mind with Shep Huntleigh. Blanche, bathing, asks for her cool yellow silk dress and her silver and turquoise seahorse pin, and artificial violets. When Stella expresses doubt about what she has done, Eunice tells her, "Life has got to go on. No matter what happens, you've got to keep on going." A Doctor and a Matron appear around the corner of the building and climb the steps to the porch. The gravity of their profession is exaggerated, carrying the unmistakable aura of the state institution with its cynical detachment. The Doctor rings the doorbell, interrupting the murmur of the poker game.

Blanche's Final Preparations

Blanche emerges from the bathroom in her red satin robe, with a tragic radiance following the sculptural lines of her body. The "Varsouviana" polka rises audibly as she enters the bedroom. She asks if anyone has called, hoping for word from Shep Huntleigh. When Stella says no, Blanche expresses confusion. At the sound of Blanche's voice, Harold Mitchell (Mitch), seated at the poker table, lets his cards sag and his gaze dissolves into space. Stanley slaps him on the shoulder, telling him to come to. The sound of Stanley's voice shocks Blanche; she forms his name with her lips, and Stella nods and looks away. Blanche stands still, a look of sorrowful perplexity on her face, then asks with sudden hysteria what is going on. Stella and Eunice try to calm her, telling her she looks wonderful and that she is going on a vacation. Blanche says she is anxious to get out of this place, which is a trap. She speaks of smelling the sea air and imagines dying on the ocean, buried at sea in a clean white sack, dropped overboard at noon in the blaze of summer into an ocean as blue as her first lover's eyes.

The Confrontation and Removal

Eunice goes to the door and returns, saying someone is calling for Blanche. Blanche asks if it is the gentleman she was expecting from Dallas. Eunice says she thinks it is. Blanche says she is not quite ready. Stella asks to have him wait outside. Eunice returns and says "they" are waiting in front of the house. Blanche asks who "they" is, and Eunice says there is a lady with him. Blanche moves fearfully to the portieres, which Eunice draws open. Blanche goes into the kitchen and tells the men not to get up, that she is only passing through. She steps out onto the small porch and stops short, catching her breath. The Doctor greets her, and Blanche says he is not the gentleman she was expecting. She gasps and starts back up the steps, whispering to Stella that the man is not Shep Huntleigh. Blanche slips back into the flat with a peculiar smile, her eyes wide and brilliant. As she starts around the table toward the bedroom, Stanley pushes back his chair and rises as if to block her way. The Matron follows her into the flat. Stanley asks if she forgot something, and Blanche shrilly says yes, she forgot something, and rushes past him into the bedroom. Lurid reflections appear on the walls in odd, sinuous shapes, and the "Varsouviana" is filtered into a weird distortion, accompanied by the cries and noises of the jungle. Blanche seizes the back of a chair as if to defend herself. Stanley tells the Doctor to go in, and the Doctor motions to the Matron to bring her out. The Matron advances on one side, Stanley on the other. Divested of all the softer properties of womanhood, the Matron is a peculiarly sinister figure in her severe dress, her voice bold and toneless as a fire-bell. She greets Blanche, and the greeting is echoed and re-echoed by other mysterious voices behind the walls. Blanche retreats in panic, saying she does not know them and wants to be left alone. The Matron steps boldly toward her. Blanche screams and tries to break past her. All the men spring to their feet. Stella runs out to the porch, crying out to God not to let them hurt her sister. Eunice holds Stella back, telling her she did the right thing, the only thing she could do. Mitch starts toward the bedroom, but Stanley blocks him. Mitch lunges and strikes at Stanley, who pushes him back. Mitch collapses at the table, sobbing. The Matron catches hold of Blanche's arm and prevents her flight. Blanche turns wildly and scratches at the Matron, who pinions her arms. Blanche cries out hoarsely and slips to her knees. The Matron says her fingernails have to be trimmed and asks the Doctor if she needs the jacket. The Doctor says not unless necessary. He takes off his hat and becomes personalized, the unhuman quality going. His voice is gentle and reassuring as he crosses to Blanche and crouches in front of her. As he speaks her name, her terror subsides a little. The lurid reflections fade from the walls, the inhuman cries and noises die out, and her own hoarse crying is calmed. He tells the Matron to let go. Blanche extends her hands toward the Doctor. He draws her up gently and supports her with his arm and leads her through the portieres.

Blanche's Final Words and Departure

Holding tight to the Doctor's arm, Blanche speaks her most famous line: "Whoever you are—I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." The poker players stand back as Blanche and the Doctor cross the kitchen to the front door. She allows him to lead her as if she were blind. As they go out on the porch, Stella cries out her sister's name from where she is crouched on the stairs. Blanche walks on without turning, followed by the Doctor and the Matron. They go around the corner of the building. Eunice descends to Stella and places the child in her arms, wrapped in a pale blue blanket. Stella accepts the child, sobbing. Eunice continues downstairs and enters the kitchen, where the men, except for Stanley, are returning silently to their places about the table. Stanley has gone out on the porch and stands at the foot of the steps looking at Stella. He speaks to her uncertainly, then voluptuously and soothingly, kneeling beside her and finding the opening of her blouse. The luxurious sobbing and sensual murmur fade away under the swelling music of the "blue piano" and the muted trumpet. Steve says, "This game is seven-card stud." The curtain falls.