As the story progresses into scene 2, the need for more information about Blanche becomes necessary for both the reader and for Stanley to form an opinion about her. The two characters have already begun their power play, each with the goal of gaining the dominance and control over the narrative of Blanche’s past. It is in these scenes as more of Blanche’s past is discovered that the shift of the protagonist begins to happen. Stanley learns of Blanche’s association with the Flamingo Hotel in Laurel, Mississippi from his supply man. Blanche makes the attempt to neutralize the story by labling it as “unkind gossip”, but the issue with gossip becomes that of once it is heard, it is hard to forget and not pass judgement on. It is at this point that the reader response is to begin to take Stanley’s side and view Blanche as a woman who is living a fantasy of events to manipulate those around her or to continue on Blanches side as she recounts the tale of her young husband to elicit sympathy and understanding in her past behaviors. The clashing of these two ideas of what Blanche is and what she should be continues as Stanley succeeds in upsetting Mitch with his own telling of Blanche’s past, and Blanche attempts to remedy this with her own alternative story to win Mitch back over. The view of who Blanche and Stanley are as characters is in constant need of revision necessitated by the new events needing to be placed into the context of previous events as it is all revealed one story at a time.
