She comes out of the house mildly asking him not to “holler” at her like that (1.2). He does not request instead hollers again, this time for her to catch a piece of meat that she was not quite ready for. Thankfully, Stella is able to catch it as Stanely prepares to leave without another word. “Stanley! Where are you going,” she calls after him (1.6). His is answer is that he is going bowling; he did not even think to discuss these plans with her first. At first glance, this opening scene seems innocence and possibly even a little fun as the audience views some light-hearted interaction between a husband and wife. However, this scene actually shows some insight into how Stanley has little regard for his wife. First, he yells for her though she does not like. He barely gives her time to prepare as he throws meat at her and plans to leave without any explanations. For a time being in a time that women are supposed to have a stronger voice, it can already be seen that Stella’s is little greater than the women in Thebes. In The Bacchae, literally, no woman speaks until they return from the mountains with Pentheus’s head on a stick. Agave has her first line, as she calls on “Bacchae of Asia” (1218), but even then her words her still not hers because she is yet speaking under Dionysus’s influence. It is not until Cadmus helps her clear her head that she finally has her own point of view, which at this point does not even matter. Dionysus sends her into exile along with her father. So while Stella does at least have a voice it appears right off the bat that Stanley does not really hear it. This is a behavior where Stanely does what he wants as he wants to continues through the play and not just with
She comes out of the house mildly asking him not to “holler” at her like that (1.2). He does not request instead hollers again, this time for her to catch a piece of meat that she was not quite ready for. Thankfully, Stella is able to catch it as Stanely prepares to leave without another word. “Stanley! Where are you going,” she calls after him (1.6). His is answer is that he is going bowling; he did not even think to discuss these plans with her first. At first glance, this opening scene seems innocence and possibly even a little fun as the audience views some light-hearted interaction between a husband and wife. However, this scene actually shows some insight into how Stanley has little regard for his wife. First, he yells for her though she does not like. He barely gives her time to prepare as he throws meat at her and plans to leave without any explanations. For a time being in a time that women are supposed to have a stronger voice, it can already be seen that Stella’s is little greater than the women in Thebes. In The Bacchae, literally, no woman speaks until they return from the mountains with Pentheus’s head on a stick. Agave has her first line, as she calls on “Bacchae of Asia” (1218), but even then her words her still not hers because she is yet speaking under Dionysus’s influence. It is not until Cadmus helps her clear her head that she finally has her own point of view, which at this point does not even matter. Dionysus sends her into exile along with her father. So while Stella does at least have a voice it appears right off the bat that Stanley does not really hear it. This is a behavior where Stanely does what he wants as he wants to continues through the play and not just with