Blanche DuBois (Character) Blanche DuBois (Character) There may be more photos available for this character. To select more photos to be displayed in this character's gallery, click the Edit Photos link. Overview Blanche is a tragic character who becomes a victim of cruelty... See more » Alternate Names: Blanch DuBois / Blanche / Blanche Du Bois / Blanche Du Bois in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' / Blanche Dubois / Blanche du Bois Filmography ... aka "Tower of Screaming Virgins" - USA (dubbed version) ... aka "Tower of Sin" - Hong Kong (English title) (première title) Blanche DuBois : But some things are not forgivable. Deliberate cruelty is not forgivable! It is the one unforgivable thing, in my opinion, and the one thing of which I have never, never been guilty. See more » Update You may correct errors and omissions on this page directly. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.

IMDb Everywhere Find showtimes, watch trailers, browse photos, track your Watchlist and rate your favorite movies and TV shows on your phone or tablet! Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (Click the character infographic to download.) Blanche DuBois is an uber-tragic figure. She’s out of place both geographically and temporally (that is, she's stuck in the wrong time). Blanche is lost, confused, conflicted, lashing out in sexual ways, and living in her own fantasies. Blanche and Her Retreat From Reality Discussing Blanche's retreat from reality is interesting because it’s difficult to distinguish between when she has lost her grip on reality, when she’s simply imagining a better future for herself, and when she’s immersed in fiction and indulging in romantic fantasies. What start off as harmless flights of fancy soon escalate to a dangerous level. At the beginning of the play, Blanche tells lies and knows that she's lying. For example, she tells her sister in Scene One that she’s simply taking a “leave of absence” from her job as a schoolteacher. We suspect at this point that she’s not telling the truth, and our suspicions are later confirmed.

Does this mean that Blanche is deluding herself? No—it just means she’d rather not drop this bombshell on her sister immediately. This is a case of keeping up appearances. But, later, when Blanche orchestrates a telegram to the supposedly rich and adoring Shep Huntleigh, it looks as though her fantasies are going overboard. Now she seems to believe them herself. When Tennessee Williams shows us what’s going on in Blanche’s head—the shadows on the wall, the voices echoing madly, the sound of the polka music (see “Symbols, Imagery, Allegory”), it’s his way of letting us know that, yes, we are correct in thinking that something is amiss. (Here’s an interesting question for you—is the Mexican woman selling flowers real, or is Blanche imagining her?) But what drives Blanche over the edge? One explanation is that she spent so long lying to everyone else that she eventually believed her own lies. Remember when she tells Mitch, “Never inside, I didn’t lie in my heart” (9.59)? What she means is that she believed her own lies about her age and lady-like demeanor as much as he did.

Of course, we can also look to Blanche’s husband’s death—and the death of all her relatives at Belle Reve—as another cause of her mental illness. After all, she is most haunted by that scene of Allan’s death, brought to us by the polka-music-and-gunshot memory. We also have to remember that Blanche is an English teacher, and romance and fantasy are part of her profession. She famously tells Mitch: “I don’t want realism, I want magic! [..] Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don’t tell the truth, I tell what ought to be truth. And if that is sinful, then let me be damned for it!” (9.43) Then, there’s the tipping point to Blanche’s wavering between sanity and madness—the rape. Stella foreshadows this when she tells her husband, “You didn’t know Blanche as a girl. Nobody, nobody was tender and trusting as she was.

But people like you abused her, and forced her to change.” (8.50) It is indeed Stanley’s abuse that forces Blanche to continue her path of change—to retreat further from the reality that so clearly destroys her. Whichever nuanced reasoning makes the most sense to you, we can likely agree that Blanche simply can’t deal with certain events and circumstances of her life. And, rather than face them, she chooses to retreat into a fantasy world of her own making. Does Williams condemn her for this? Not exactly. Blanche has had a pretty rough life, so you can't help but sympathize with her. And retreating is her coping mechanism. Blanche the Elitist Though we do feel sorry for Blanche, we can't ignore the fact that she’s a bit of a snob. Blanche has no money or prospects, and is essentially living off Stanley while she stays as a guest in his rather small and cramped apartment. Yet, as Stanley puts it, she acts like the Queen of the Nile. She makes Stella run around buying her cokes because she “love[s] to be waited on.” She expects compliments from Stanley left and right regarding her looks.

She soaks for hours in the bathtub when others are waiting to use it. And she flaunts herself shamelessly in front of a group of unsophisticated men who certainly don’t intend to pull out chairs for her and tip their hats in her direction. Worst of all is her treatment of Stanley as something sub-human or primitive because of his social standing. Her use of the derogatory slang “Polack” irritates the audience in addition to Stanley Kowalski. Yet this, too, actually does garner a bit of sympathy for our protagonist. Blanche is living in a world that doesn’t really exist anymore, and we can’t help but feel sorry that her ideals are hopelessly out of date. In fact, it’s ironic that she urges her sister to move forward and progress with the world (rather than “hang back with the brutes”) when it is Blanche who is unable to move into modernity. Her vision of a man like Shep Huntleigh—the quintessential Southern gentleman—is as far from possibility as Stanley standing up to show respect when Blanche enters the room.

What’s so interesting is that Blanche’s ideals about herself—as the quintessential Southern belle—are also completely false, but she can’t even recognize that her own actions clash with her self-image. Blanche, Desire, and Tragedy We talk a lot about the relationship between desire and destruction in "What’s Up With The Title?"—but what does it all mean to Blanche? Specifically, Blanche uses sex to seek refuge from destruction, totally unaware that she’s simply causing more death and disaster in the process. It’s likely that she pursues inappropriately young men for two reasons: 1) to recapture the love she had with Allan when they were both young, and 2) because having sex with younger men makes her feel younger. It’s a way to recapture her youth (and we all know how touchy Blanche is about her age). What’s sad is that Blanche recognizes the folly of her ancestors, whose “epic fornications” brought them to ruin, yet doesn’t seem to realize that her own actions are doing the same.

This tragic irony is at the heart of her character, as shown by that famous last line of hers: “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers” (11.123). Strangers… strangers… have we heard this word before? Yup. Sure have. Back in Scene Nine when Blanche finally admits to Mitch what she did back in Laurel: "Yes,” she says, “I had many intimacies with strangers. After the death of Allan—intimacies with strangers was all I seemed able to fill my empty heart with." (9.55) Blanche turns to strangers for comfort, but the only way she knows how to interact with them is through sex. These strangers weren't offering her kindness, as she deludes herself into thinking at the end of the play. It was simply “brute desire”—the same emotion that she accuses her sister of being consumed by. Blanche and Stanley The conflict between Blanche and Stanley drives a whole bunch of A Streetcar Named Desire. The 1951 film does an impressive job of driving home what might be difficult to see in the text alone—the epic sexual tension between Blanche and Stanley from the moment they first meet.

Notice that Stella is out of the picture (in the bathroom washing her face) the first time Blanche encounters Stanley. They’re alone together. He takes off his shirt on the grounds that he wants to be “comfortable.” While Blanche pretends to be okay with this, we know later that such informalities in fact make her uncomfortable. Later, there’s the constant proximity of Blanche to Stanley and Stella’s bed, which is more tension for all. When Stanley rifles through the personal things in Blanche’s trunk, it’s as though he’s violating her as well. The big “Stelll-ahhhhh!” scene is as much about Blanche’s discomfort with Stanley’s aggressive sexuality as it is fear for her sister. She’s horrified that Stella goes back downstairs in order to get in on with Stanley. One important characteristic of Blanche is that she seems unable to relate to men in a non-sexual way, even men with whom it would be completely inappropriate for her to have a sexual relationship (like her brother-in-law, Stanley). In fact, she seems desperate to seek Stanley's sexual approval, and she’s always fishing for compliments about her physical appearance.

After their first argument in Scene Two, she tells Stella: "I called him a little boy and laughed and flirted. Yes, I was flirting with your husband!" (2.155) Um. That's inappropriate. What really tipped us off was this line in Scene Four: "What such a man has to offer is animal force […]. But the only way to live with such a man is to – go to bed with him! And that’s your job – not mine!" (4.90) Is Blanche jealous? We certainly know that she envies Stella the security and safe haven of her marriage while she, Blanche, was dealing with the loss of Belle Reve: “Where were you! In bed with your—Polack!” (1.185). It’s interesting that Blanche chooses the word “bed” here, rather than simply berating Stella for her absence. It’s very possible that she resents the sexual freedom Stella enjoys as a married woman. By “freedom” we mean she can have sex any time she wants without reproach, albeit it with the same man. Blanche, by old Southern standards, shouldn’t be having sex at all... since she isn't married.

One of the most tragic aspects of this story is that we have a hard time imagining an alternative ending. During the rape scene when Stanley tells Blanche that they’ve “had this date with each other from the beginning,” we understand why he says it (10.81). Since Blanche is a woman who relates to men only on sexual levels, and Stanley is a man who relates to women only in a sexual manner, how can this play end happily? The heavy-duty sexual tension between these two is clear from the start, though whether Blanche is a conscious participant is up for debate. Symbols in a Streetcar Named Desire Symbolism : In literature, symbols are widely used by authors as a means of emphasising certain atmospheres and characteristic features of people and places. A symbol is an object or image that stands for itself and also for something else. In a sense, all language is symbolic considering that letters form words which stand for, or symbolise, real things. However, in literature, a symbol can be thought of as an image that evokes a different aspect of reality in order to suggest another level of meaning. Names: Blanche DuBois Blanche DuBois is the main character of the play and also the most thoroughly described one.

The name Blanche is French and means white or fair. Her last name DuBois is of French origin as well and translates as made of wood. Since the colour white stands for purity, innocence and virtue, the symbolism of Blancheï¿½s first name reveals these qualities, which stand in contrast to her actual character traits. The name suggests that Blanche is a very innocent and pure person, but throughout the play it becomes obvious that Blanche cannot call any of these traits her own. Only the illusory image which she tries to create for herself suggests these traits, but her true nature is not like that at all. She constantly tries to hide her embarrassing past from all of her new acquaintances, because she fears that they might not accept her anymore. In order to maintain her apparent social status among her new neighbours and friends, she builds this intertwined net of lies which creates a false image of herself. She herself believes in this imaginary world, and as soon as there is the slightest sign of its destruction, she seems to be lost, and her nervous condition worsens. Therefore all she cares about is to keep that image alive.

Her first name is therefore quite ironic since it means the exact opposite of Blancheï¿½s true nature and character. Her last name, however, stands in contrast to her first name. ï¿½Made of woodï¿½ suggests something solid and hard, which is the exact opposite of her fragile nature and nervous condition. However, wood can also be associated with forest or jungle, and regarding her past, the connection becomes clear. Blanche used to indulge in a rather excessive lifestyle. She had sex with random strangers and was known throughout her hometown Laurel for that. So her former life was more like a jungle or a forest, because it was hard to see through all this and detect the real Blanche. As in a jungle, Blanche could not find a way out of this on her own. The term jungle appears in the play as well. In scene ten, when Stanley is about to rape Blanche, ï¿½the inhuman jungle voices rise upï¿½ (Williams 215). The jungle can be associated with wildness, brutality and inhuman behaviour. As already mentioned above, wood represents something hard, or hard-working. The Du in front ofï¿½ that, however, suggests something aristocratic and noble.

There seems to be a contradiction in these two terms which can be explained with the nature of her character. The way Blanche tries to create an aristocratic and sophisticated image of herself, but is in fact the complete opposite, displays this ambiguity. Combined with her first name, her entire name would translate as ï¿½white wood,ï¿½ which she explains to Mitch in scene three, ï¿½Itï¿½s a French name. It means woods and Blanche means white, so the two together mean white woodsï¿½ (Williams 150). Blanche DuBois cannot only be translated as white wood but also as white and made of wood, which makes it easier for the reader to detect that she seems pure and innocent on the outside, but is really quite tough and calculating when it comes down to her image and her future, especially concerning her search for a husband. Overall, Blancheï¿½s entire name is heavily symbolic because it reflects her true nature in a very clear way. Just as first and last name are being read out in an exact order, Blancheï¿½s character is revealed in the same way.

At first she seems to be innocent and pure, but later her past and her true nature can be discovered. Stella Stella is a Latin term which simply means star. Stars in general are considered to be the light which breaks through the darkness. Considering that light is the opposite of darkness, and darkness itself stands for not-knowing and intellectual dullness, the stars can be regarded as reality and knowledge shining through ignorance. Stars can also be a symbol for high ideals or goals set too high. Stella represents Blancheï¿½s ideal concerning the fact that she is leading a contented life. The deeper significance of her name reveals her role in the play. The symbol of a star suggests light, hope and stability. This is quite a good description of her role and her position in the play. Stella is the connection between Blanche and Stanley, the two major characters, because she contains character traits of both of them, and can therefore relate to them better than anyone else can. Therefore she can be considered to be the stabilising element of the play. She is the negotiator between the two so very different characters. Stella and Blanche have the same rather wealthy and cultivated background, which is the connection between the two women.

Stella also has several things in common with Stanley.One of them is their love for wild sex (Ehrenhaft 72). During a conversation with Blanche, Stella tells her about her wedding night: Stella: Why, on our wedding night ï¿½ soon as we came in here ï¿½ he snatched off one of my slippers and rushed about the place smashing the light-bulbs with it. Blanche: He did ï¿½ what? Stella: He smashed all the light-bulbs with the heel of my slipper! Blanche: And you ï¿½ you let him? Didnï¿½t run, didnï¿½t scream? Stella: I was ï¿½ sort of ï¿½ thrilled by it. (Williams 157). This excerpt clearly shows the connection between Stella and Stanley, but there is something else that ties them together. Stella is, just like Stanley , very down to earth and has a very open and honest nature. She does not lie or try to hide anything in her life by creating a false image of herself, as Blanche does. For both, Stanley and Blanche, Stella is their star and their hope.

They always seek her support and shelter. Stella is the stable element of the play, because she does not show any sign of rapid mood swings like Blanche and Stanley do, and this is what makes her the small and quiet star of the play. Places: Belle Reve Belle Reve is the name of the sistersï¿½ familyï¿½s plantation in their hometown Laurel . The name is again of French origin and means beautiful dream, which again emphasises Blancheï¿½s tendency to cling to her illusions. The term suggests an illusion, which is not quite true, for the plantation really once existed. On the other hand, beautiful dream suggests that something beautiful, which has once existed, faded away. Therefore, the nameï¿½s symbolic meaning became true. But in contrast to Blancheï¿½s other illusions, this is the only one that ever truly existed, and it s the only one that Stella and Blanche are both connected to, because it is their heritage, and it was real. However, looking more closely at the name, it reveals that there is a grammatical mistake. The adjective belle is feminine, but it should be masculine, for reve is masculine.

Tennessee Williams probably did this on purpose and not by mistake, because it underlines the fact that Belle Reve was just a dream which crumbled. The grammatical mistake also implies a certain imperfection, which is also apparent and true for Blancheï¿½s beautiful dream, her net of lies and false illusions. Desire, Cemeteries and Elysian Fields At theï¿½ beginning of the play Williams introduces three terms which do not reveal their symbolic meaning right away, but the reader comes to realise their sense and importance later in the play. In scene one, Blanche describes to Eunice her journey to her sisterï¿½s place: ï¿½They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at ï¿½ Elysian Fieldsï¿½ (Williams 117).Blancheï¿½s journey on New Orleansï¿½ streetcars represents the journey of her own life. Desire is her first step, just as it was the first step of her life after her husband Allan had died.

Still struggling with this loss, she was desperately longing for love and companionship, but ended up leading a life which was filled with sex with random men, who never cared about her: ï¿½Yes, I had many intimacies with strangers. After the death of Allan ï¿½ intimacies with strangers was all I seemed able to fill my empty heart withï¿½ï¿½ (Williams 205). At this time she was hence obsessed by desire. The next step of her journey is Cemeteries, which is an obvious symbol for death. Her promiscuous lifestyle had got her into trouble. She lost her job because she had had an affair with one of her students, and was banned from Laurel :ï¿½The opposite (of death) is desireï¿½(Williams 206). This underlines that her life turned into the exact opposite of what it had been. Elysian Fields is the name of the street where Stella and Stanley live, and it is a mythical allusion to Book VI of Virgil's ï¿½Aeneid.

According to Roman mythology, Elysium (or Elysian Fields) was a part of the underworld and a place of reward for the virtuous dead. Elysian Fields, though, was just a temporary place of the soulsï¿½ journey back to life: Light: The light as a symbol for truth and reality The light plays an important symbolic role throughout the play because it clearly reflects Blancheï¿½s and Stanleyï¿½s characters. The light is considered to be the basis for sight and recognition, and, as already mentioned above, it is the opposite of darkness which symbolises intellectual dullness and ignorance (Becker 171). Blanche and Stanley stand in contrast concerning their attitudes towards light, which again underlines their different characters. Blancheï¿½s aversion to light Blancheï¿½s relation to light is quite obvious because she tries to avoid bright light of any kind as well as she can. Her reaction to light can be regarded as an attempt to hide her true nature as well as her vanishing beauty and youth. By hiding from the light she tries to escape reality, for light clearly represents reality in this play.

The first time that Blancheï¿½s aversion to light becomes obvious is in scene one: ï¿½And turn that over-light off! Turn that off! I wonï¿½t be looked at in this merciless glareï¿½ (Williams 120). In scene three, she covers the naked light bulb with a Chinese paper lantern: ï¿½ I canï¿½t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar actionï¿½ (Williams 150). This remark shows that Blanche would rather hide behind polite phrases than accept truth and reality. The paper lantern is not very stable, though, and it can easily be destroyed, just like Blancheï¿½s illusions. In scene six, she takes Mitch home with her and says, ï¿½ Letï¿½s leave the lights offï¿½ (Williams 177). Blanche thinks of Mitch as a future husband, and therefore she does not want him to know her past or her true age, and the best way to hide her age is to stay out of bright light where he could possibly see her wrinkles and fading youth in her face.

Later in that scene, Blanche tells Mitch about her husband Allan: ï¿½When I was sixteen, I made the discovery ï¿½ love. All at once and much, much too completely. It was like you suddenly turned a blinding light on something that had always been half in shadow, thatï¿½s how it struck the world for meï¿½ (Williams 182). Therefore, in her past, light used to represent love, but now it represents something destructive for her. Allanï¿½s suicide erased the light or love, and thus she now does not believe in it any longer and tries to escape from the light and therefore escapes reality: ï¿½ï¿½electric light bulbs go on and you see too plainlyï¿½ (Williams 196). This again shows her fear of light since for her it represents reality, and in scene nine this becomes even more obvious. When Mitch tears off the paper lantern in order to take a closer look at her in the bright light, ï¿½she utters a frightened gaspï¿½ (Williams 203).

Then she tells him: ï¿½I donï¿½t want realismï¿½Iï¿½ll tell you what I want. Magic! Yes, yes, magic! I misrepresent things to them. I donï¿½t tell the truth. I tell what ought to be truth. And if that is sinful, then let me be damned for it! ï¿½ Donï¿½t turn the light onï¿½ (Williams 204).This is Blancheï¿½s first statement concerning her true intention and nature, and it is probably the only time where she ever confesses that she builds up an illusory image of herself. ï¿½s affection for light Stanley has a different attitude concerning light and reality. He is very down to earth and realistic and displays this with his brutal honesty. For Stanley , the bright light exposes everything for what it is. He can only accept a literal truth, which can be experienced by his fanatic investigation of Blancheï¿½s past: ï¿½You showed me the snapshot of the place with the columns.

I pulled you down off them and how you loved it, having them coloured lights goingï¿½ (Williams 199).In this passage, Stanley tries to remind Stella of the fact that when they met she was just like Blanche, but that he made her face reality again. As already mentioned above, light is the opposite of darkness and therefore the opposite of ignorance. Stanley considers himself to be knowing and constantly tries to increase his knowledge, especially the one concerning Blancheï¿½s past. Colour: Blanche The first apparent use of colour in the play is the symbolic meaning of Blancheï¿½s name, which, as already mentioned above, is French and means white. When she appears in scene one, ï¿½she is daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and ear-rings of pearl, white gloves and a hatï¿½ï¿½ (Williams 117). As already mentioned above, the colour white stands for purity and innocence, but it is also the colour of light and represents perfection and virginity (Becker, 330). This association stands in complete contrast to her actual behaviour and actions.

Blanche is a seductive and promiscuous woman, who lies in order to maintain her image, and therefore Williamsï¿½ use of this colour for her name and her outer appearance is quite ironic. In scene two Blanche talks to Stanley about honesty: ï¿½Yes ï¿½ yes ï¿½ cards on the tableï¿½.Well, life is too full of evasions and ambiguities, I think. I like an artist who paints in strong, bold colours, primary colours. I donï¿½t like pinks and creams and I never cared for wishy-washy peopleï¿½ (Williams 137). This paragraph clearly shows the irony in her words, because she herself is the one who is embodying a distinct difference between her actions and her statements. She is the one who is neither straight-forward nor honest, but pretends to expect this from other people to a certain extent. In scene nine, she changes her clothes from soft colours to strong bold ones for the first time: ï¿½She has on her scarlet satin robeï¿½ (Williams 200).

The colour red symbolises love, passion and fertility on the positive side, but also fire and blood on the negative one, so this is the first time that her outer appearance actually matches her intentions (Becker 244). She is meeting Mitch in this scene, and her dress certainly shows the seductress in her. Mitch refuses to marry her because of her past, and after that, in scene ten, she wears a white satin evening gown, which implies that she returned to her habit of soft colours in order to underline her pureness and virtuous nature. y Stanley ï¿½s tendency concerning colours is the exact opposite of Blancheï¿½s. He and his friends usually dress in rather solid materials, like cotton, or denim, and their clothes are mainly coloured in blue, and sometimes green. The first time their clothesï¿½ colours are mentioned is in scene one: ï¿½Two men come around the corner, Stanley Kowalski and Mitch. They are about twenty-eight or thirty years old, roughly dressed in blue denim work clothesï¿½ (Williams 116).

The colour blue is considered to be a symbol for the divine or heavenly, but also for the truth (Becker 44). Once again, Williams uses a certain colour to express a personï¿½s human qualities, although, in this case, the association is not ironic, but matches the personï¿½s behaviour. Stanley is an honest person with no sympathy for lies and superficiality. The colour blue also represents strength, masculinity, calm and authority, which clearly underlines Stanley ï¿½s character. Stanley however is not the only character displayed in this way. His friendsï¿½ colours, especially Mitchï¿½s are being described as well. ï¿½Williams points out the aspect of masculinity in the following excerpt and underlines it by mentioning the menï¿½s clothing colours: ï¿½The poker players ï¿½ Stanely, Steve, Mitch, and Pablo ï¿½ wear coloured shirts, solid blues, a purple, a redï¿½and-white check, a light green, and they are men at the peak of their physical manhood, as coarse and direct and powerful as the primary coloursï¿½ (Williams 143).

Later, in scene nine, Mitch ï¿½comes around the corner in work clothes: blue denim shirt and pants. He is unshavenï¿½ (Williams 200). In this scene he meets Blanche, who is wearing her red satin robe. The confrontation of the colours red and blue, symbolises the confrontation between femininity and masculinity. Music: The blue piano The blue piano is first mentioned in the introductory stage directions of the first scene: ï¿½This ï¿½blue pianoï¿½ expresses the spirit of the life which goes on thereï¿½ (Williams 115). Throughout the play, the blue piano always appears when Blanche is talking about the loss of her family and Belle Reve, but it is also present during her meeting and kissing the young newspaper man. The blue piano thus stands for depression, loneliness and her longing for love, which the adjective blue already suggests. This quality is not identical with the colour symbolism of blue. It describes Blancheï¿½s emotions and represents her need for companionship and love, but also her hope, as the scene with the paper-boy shows.

Mitch tells her in scene nine that he will not marry her due to her promiscuous past, ï¿½the distant piano is slow and blueï¿½ (Williams 207). Later, in scene ten, it grows louder when she is on the phone trying to get in touch with Shep Huntleigh. In this situation, her hopes are rising, and so does the piano. In the last scene, Blanche is being taken away to a mental institution, and Stanley and his friends play poker again: ï¿½The luxurious sobbing, the sensual murmur fade away under the swelling music of the ï¿½blue pianoï¿½ and the muted trumpetï¿½ (Williams 226). The blue piano, accompanying the card game, symbolises Stanley ï¿½s victory over Blanche. The Varsouviana Polka The Varsouviana Polka on the other hand appears when Blanche is being confronted with her past and the truth, or when she talks about Allan. The reason for this seems obvious, for exactly this polka had been played when her husband Allan committed suicide. The polka represents death and immanent disaster.

Blanche tells Mitch in scene six about Allan, and how she caught him cheating on her: ï¿½Polka music sounds, in a minor key faint with distanceï¿½ (Williams 183). When Stanley gives her a ticket back to Laurel for a birthday presents, the situation means disaster for Blanche. She realises that she is not wanted anymore, and that she has nowhere to go, for Laurel is an unacceptableï¿½ place to go to after all the incidents there: ï¿½The Varsouviana music steals in softly and continues playingï¿½ (Williams 198). Again, the polka represents disaster. In scene eleven, the connection between the polka and Blancheï¿½s state of mind and emotion becomes even more obvious. She gets totally lost in her illusions about Shep Huntleigh and runs into her room when the doctor arrives: ï¿½The Varsouviana is filtered into weird distortion, accompanied by the cries and noises of the jungleï¿½ (Williams 222). Thus the polkaï¿½s weird distortion matches the confusion in her mind.

Animals: Blanche the moth In the first scene, Blanche is compared to an animal: ï¿½There is something about her uncertain manner, as well as her white clothes, that suggests a mothï¿½ (Williams 117). Both butterflies and moths start life as ugly caterpillars and only later transform into something more beautiful. The butterfly and cocoon symbol reflects Blancheï¿½s attempts to re-create herself and, so to speak, spring forth a new, beautiful person from her cocoon of lies. In contrast to the butterfly, who lives during daytime, the moth mainly lives during the night, which makes it a creature of the darkness, and the butterfly one of the light. As already mentioned above, the butterfly leaves the dark cocoon to live in the light, but the moth stays in darkness for that is the time when it is feeding. This can be adapted to Blanche as it seems as thoughï¿½contrasting with her nameï¿½it is her fate to live in the darkness, which symbolises ignorance.

Blanche does not find a way out: at the end of the play she is being taken away to the mental institution, which means that she finall y does not conquer her fate. In contrast to Blanche, Stanley displays brutal and wild behaviourï¿½from her perspective: ï¿½He acts like an animal, has an animalï¿½s habits! Eats like one, moves like one, talks like one! Thereï¿½s something ï¿½ sub-human ï¿½ something not quite the stage of humanity yet! Yes, something ï¿½ ape-like about him, like one of those picturesï¿½ï¿½ (Williams 163). Stanley is at this point compared to an ape. Characteristic traits of apes are mobility, intelligence, deceit, but also lasciviousness, the drive to imitate and quarrelsome stinginess (Becker 11). Especially the lasciviousness matches Stanley ï¿½s character, for it can be detected in his love for wild sex, and his raping Blanche. With Stanley ï¿½s connection to the ape, Williams again builds up a link to the jungle.

Apes often live in the jungle, for it is their habitat. Therefore Stanley ï¿½s habitat, the Elysian Fields, can be considered to be a jungle. It appears to be an appropriate place for Blanche to visit, when the "white woods" actually camouflage the "noises of the jungle" dominating her mind. SparkNotes: A Streetcar Named Desire: Character List A Streetcar Named Desire Plot Overview Analysis of Major Characters Blanche DuBois - Stella’s older sister, who was a high school English teacher in Laurel, Mississippi, until she was forced to leave her post. Blanche is a loquacious and fragile woman around the age of thirty. After losing Belle Reve, the DuBois family home, Blanche arrives in New Orleans at the Kowalski apartment and eventually reveals that she is completely destitute. Though she has strong sexual urges and has had many lovers, she puts on the airs of a woman who has never known indignity. She avoids reality, preferring to live in her own imagination. As the play progresses, Blanche’s instability grows along with her misfortune. Stanley sees through Blanche and finds out the details of her past, destroying her relationship with his friend Mitch.

Stanley also destroys what’s left of Blanche by raping her and then having her committed to an insane asylum. Read an in-depth analysis of Blanche DuBois. Stella Kowalski - Blanche’s younger sister, about twenty-five years old and of a mild disposition that visibly sets her apart from her more vulgar neighbors. Stella possesses the same timeworn aristocratic heritage as Blanche, but she jumped the sinking ship in her late teens and left Mississippi for New Orleans. There, Stella married lower-class Stanley, with whom she shares a robust sexual relationship. Stella’s union with Stanley is both animal and spiritual, violent but renewing. After Blanche’s arrival, Stella is torn between her sister and her husband. Eventually, she stands by Stanley, perhaps in part because she gives birth to his child near the play’s end. While she loves and pities Blanche, she cannot bring herself to believe Blanche’s accusations that Stanley dislikes Blanche, and she eventually dismisses Blanche’s claim that Stanley raped her. Stella’s denial of reality at the play’s end shows that she has more in common with her sister than she thinks. Stanley Kowalski - The husband of Stella.

Stanley is the epitome of vital force. He is loyal to his friends, passionate to his wife, and heartlessly cruel to Blanche. With his Polish ancestry, he represents the new, heterogeneous America. He sees himself as a social leveler, and wishes to destroy Blanche’s social pretensions. Around thirty years of age, Stanley, who fought in World War II, now works as an auto-parts salesman. Practicality is his forte, and he has no patience for Blanche’s distortions of the truth. He lacks ideals and imagination. By the play’s end, he is a disturbing degenerate: he beats his wife and rapes his sister-in-law. Horrifyingly, he shows no remorse. Yet, Blanche is an outcast from society, while Stanley is the proud family man. Read an in-depth analysis of Stanley Kowalski. Harold “Mitch” Mitchell - Stanley’s army friend, coworker, and poker buddy, who courts Blanche until he finds out that she lied to him about her sordid past. Mitch, like Stanley, is around thirty years of age.

Though he is clumsy, sweaty, and has unrefined interests like muscle building, Mitch is more sensitive and more gentlemanly than Stanley and his other friends, perhaps because he lives with his mother, who is slowly dying. Blanche and Mitch are an unlikely match: Mitch doesn’t fit the bill of the chivalric hero, the man Blanche dreams will come to rescue her. Nevertheless, they bond over their lost loves, and when the doctor takes Blanche away against her will, Mitch is the only person present besides Stella who despairs over the tragedy. Read an in-depth analysis of Harold “Mitch” Mitchell. Eunice - Stella’s friend, upstairs neighbor, and landlady. Eunice and her husband, Steve, represent the low-class, carnal life that Stella has chosen for herself. Like Stella, Eunice accepts her husband’s affections despite his physical abuse of her. At the end of the play, when Stella hesitates to stay with Stanley at Blanche’s expense, Eunice forbids Stella to question her decision and tells her she has no choice but to disbelieve Blanche. Allan Grey - The young man with poetic aspirations whom Blanche fell in love with and married as a teenager.

One afternoon, she discovered Allan in bed with an older male friend. That evening at a ball, after she announced her disgust at his homosexuality, he ran outside and shot himself in the head. Allan’s death, which marked the end of Blanche’s sexual innocence, has haunted her ever since. Long dead by the time of the play’s action, Allan never appears onstage. A Young Collector - A teenager who comes to the Kowalskis’ door to collect for the newspaper when Blanche is home alone. The boy leaves bewildered after Blanche hits on him and gives him a passionate farewell kiss. He embodies Blanche’s obsession with youth and presumably reminds her of her teenage love, the young poet Allan Grey, whom she married and lost to suicide. Blanche’s flirtation with the newspaper collector also displays her unhealthy sexual preoccupation with teenage boys, which we learn of later in the play. Shep Huntleigh - A former suitor of Blanche’s whom she met again a year before her arrival in New Orleans while vacationing in Miami. Despite the fact that Shep is married, Blanche hopes he will provide the financial support for her and Stella to escape from Stanley.

As Blanche’s mental stability deteriorates, her fantasy that Shep is coming to sweep her away becomes more and more real to her. Shep never appears onstage. Steve - Stanley’s poker buddy who lives upstairs with his wife, Eunice. Like Stanley, Steve is a brutish, hot-blooded, physically fit male and an abusive husband. Pablo - Stanley’s poker buddy. Like Stanley and Steve, Steve is physically fit and brutish. Pablo is Hispanic, and his friendship with Steve, Stanley, and Mitch emphasizes the culturally diverse nature of their neighborhood. A Negro Woman - In Scene One, the Negro woman is sitting on the steps talking to Eunice when Blanche arrives, and she finds Stanley’s openly sexual gestures toward Stella hilarious. Later, in Scene Ten, we see her scurrying across the stage in the night as she rifles through a prostitute’s lost handbag. A Doctor - At the play’s finale, the doctor arrives to whisk Blanche off to an asylum. He and the nurse initially seem to be heartless institutional caretakers, but, in the end, the doctor appears more kindly as he takes off his jacket and leads Blanche away.

This image of the doctor ironically conforms to Blanche’s notions of the chivalric Southern gentleman who will offer her salvation. A Mexican Woman - A vendor of Mexican funeral decorations who frightens Blanche by issuing the plaintive call “Flores para los muertos,” which means “Flowers for the dead.” A Nurse - Also called the “Matron,” she accompanies the doctor to collect Blanche and bring her to an institution. She possesses a severe, unfeminine manner and has a talent for subduing hysterical patients. Shaw - A supply man who is Stanley’s coworker and his source for stories of Blanche’s disreputable past in Laurel, Mississippi. Shaw travels regularly through Laurel. Prostitute - Moments before Stanley rapes Blanche, the back wall of the Kowalskis’ apartment becomes transparent, and Blanche sees a prostitute in the street being pursued by a male drunkard. The prostitute’s situation evokes Blanche’s own predicament. After the prostitute and the drunkard pass, the Negro woman scurries by with the prostitute’s lost handbag in hand.

More Help A Streetcar Named Desire: Character Profile ï¿½ Blanche A Streetcar Named Desire: Character Profile ï¿½ Blanche Summary: Blanche, one of the two main protagonists of the play, is an extremely complicated character whom we see struggle with internal conflicts throughout the play. Upon first meeting her, we learn that she is more cultured and sophisticated then the people who live in ï¿½Elysian Fieldsï¿½ and her surname of French origin, ï¿½DuBoisï¿½ immediately reveals her as being from the upper class of society. She appears to be ï¿½daintily dressed in a white suitï¿½ with ï¿½white glovesï¿½, all of which suggests purity and innocence but it doesnï¿½t take long to realise that Blanche is nearly always putting on a pretence. Her pathetic attempt at covering up her drinking problem and hiding her recent promiscuous activity all foreshadow the eventual destruction of her character as she is sent away to a mental asylum by the end of the play. However audiences are meant to feel sympathy towards Blancheï¿½s character.

After having suffered the loss of her young homosexual husband to suicide and the loss of the final generation of the DuBois family and their estate ï¿½Belle Reveï¿½, it is no surprise that Blanche had been affected by these tragic events. She has tried to avoid the guilt she feels for her husbandï¿½s death by having ï¿½intimacies with strangersï¿½ to ï¿½fill her empty heartï¿½ and attempts to avoid realism and prefers ï¿½magicï¿½ by telling ï¿½what ought to be the truthï¿½ rather then the truth itself. Her insecurities about her fading beauty are continuously emphasised by her need to be hidden from bright lights and her need for sexual admiration by men to maintain her self-esteem is emphasised by her flirtatious actions towards not only Mitch, but Stanley as well. We also see Blanche continuously bathe herself which is her means of attempting to wash away her licentious past. Blanche has come to New Orleans to find refuge with her sister Stella as she is her only living relation left.

She also has a final last hope to find some one to help alleviate the emptiness she feels and Mitch seems to be the man until he finds out about her past. Mitchï¿½s refusal to be with Blanche along with the ultimate act of cruelty, Stanleyï¿½s rape of Blanche both increase Blancheï¿½s descend into insanity. Analysis 117 Blanche: They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, and then transfer to one called cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at Elysian Fields! Desire and death are two aspects that became important in the latter part of Blancheï¿½s life. The literal death of her husband along with the metaphorical death of her social life were both caused by her strong carnal desires which have caused her to be in the position she is in the play. This eventually leads to her downfall in Elysian Fields where she gets off the street car. 117 Blanche: They mustnï¿½t have ï¿½ understood - what number I wantedï¿½ This quotation reinforces Blancheï¿½s fantasy view of the world.

She refuses to believe that this is where her sister now lives after their upper class upbringing in the ï¿½great big place with white columnsï¿½. Eunice: You want to leave your suitcase here anï¿½ go find her?ï¿½ Blanche: No. She does not trust the people in this seedy area of New Orleans where she has come to and therefore prefers to watch over her belongings herself. Blanche: You havenï¿½t said a word about my appearance Blanche: I was fishing for a compliment, Stanley . Blanche continuously needs to be complimented on her physical appearance as she is aware that her ï¿½looks are slippingï¿½ as she ages. However her beauty is the only means she sees herself as having in order to attract men to fulfill her sexual desires. 127 Blanche:..And funerals are pretty compared to deaths. Funerals are quiet, but deaths ï¿½ not always. We as the audience, have no choice but to symphathise with Blanche. She has been through a lot in her past which has driven her to become the person she is today and she is the one who ended up alone as opposed to Stella. :..

[He holds the bottle to the light to observe its depletion] Have a shot? Blanche: No, I ï¿½ rarely touch it. Blanche prefers to keep up a faï¿½ade hiding her true habits even when itï¿½s obvious that the people around her know about her pretence. She does this as she prefers to view life as a pleasant dream as opposed to having the ugly realities of life exposed. 138 [She sprays herself with her atomizer; then playfully sprays him (Stanley) with it. He seizes the atomizer and slams it down on the dresser. She throws back her head and laughs.] Blanche is not afraid of Stanley which is a strength that her character portrays. Throwing her head back and laughing shows her signs of flirting which is her means of manipulating men. This helps contrast to the way she acts around Mitch where she is looking for something more then just sexual satisfaction. 139 Blanche: Poems a dead boy wrote. I hurt him the way that you would like to hurt me, but you canï¿½t! This quotation reveals that Blanche does feel guilty for the death of her husband.

She feels that it was her final words to him that drove him to suicide. However this quotation also shows that Blanche is once again not afraid to stand up to Stanley at this point in the play this shows the strength in her character that exists currently but will later decline as she descends into madness. 140 There are thousands of papers, stretching back over hundreds of years, affecting Belle Reve as, piece by piece, our improvident grandfathers and father and uncles and brothers exchanged the land for their epic fornications- to put it plainly! In this speech, Blanche attributes the loss of Belle Reve to the male members of her family. She also confronts Stanley by ï¿½[picking up a large envelope containing more papers]ï¿½ of his accusations that she is ï¿½attempting some kind of treachery on [her] sisterï¿½. Blanche also comes across as the victim, having to endure this these unfortunate circumstances whilst her sister escaped to start off a new life in New Orleans . However Blanche probably couldnï¿½t have left Belle Reve even if she wanted to as it appears to be engraved in her to live the upper class sophisticated life.

140 Blanche: ï¿½ Here all of them are, all papers! I hereby endow you with them! Take them, peruse them ï¿½ commit them to memory, even! I think its wonderfully fitting that Belle Reve should finally be this bunch of old papers in your big capable hands. This quotation illustrates Blancheï¿½s victory over Stanley in their first argument. Stanley who becomes [...somewhat sheepish] after being presented with all the papers quickly diverts the conversation by bringing up the topic of their child which he was aware Blanche had not been told about and once again reverts back to talking about the ï¿½Napoleonic codeï¿½ which states that its his duty to ï¿½take an interest in his wifeï¿½s affairsï¿½. 141 Blanche: Heï¿½s just not the sort that goes for jasmine perfume! But maybe heï¿½s what we need to mix with our blood now that weï¿½ve lost Belle Reve and have to go on without Belle Reve to protect usï¿½.

Blanche seems to acknowledge the fact that her and Stella do not belong to the Southern elite anymore and that maybe some of Stanley ï¿½s raw vitality would be good to mix with the sophisticated upper class. This relates back to Williamï¿½s final message which acknowledges the decline of the upper class but conveys the idea that some of Stanley ï¿½s bourgeois class ideals, mixed with others from Blancheï¿½s upper class is what we should strive for. Unfortunately, with the way society is going, we may not be able to achieve this. 146/147 [She takes off the blouse and stands in her pink silk brassiere and white skirt in the light through the portieres.] [Blanche moves back into the streak of light. She raises her arms and stretches, as she moves indolently back to the chair.] With the loss of Belle Reve, her family fortune and her fading beauty, Blanche feels as if she now has to use her body in order to attract men. She therefore draws attention to it by undressing in the light where the men playing poker can clearly see the outline of her body.

ï¿½ 150 Blanche: I canï¿½t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action. Blancheï¿½s avoidance of light is due to her fear of people seeing her clearly which will lead to her real age being revealed. Instead she continuously avoids light by covering it up with ï¿½lanternsï¿½ or staying in rooms with dim light. Additionally light will more clearly expose the ï¿½roughï¿½ society in that Blanche is currently living in and which she sees as being ï¿½beneathï¿½ her, again giving her a reason to avoid light. Blanche: Iï¿½m not used to such ï¿½ Blanche: Violence! Is so ï¿½ Blanche: Why! Iï¿½ve been half crazy, Stella! When I found out youï¿½d been insane enough to come back in here after what happened ï¿½ I started to rush in after you! Blanche who is not used to Stanley ï¿½s violent displays of affection is stunned by him ï¿½charg[ing] after Stellaï¿½.

However no one else around her seems to feel as shocked as she does. 170/183 [Stella pours the coke into the glass. It foams over and spills. Blanche gives a piercing cry. [A locomotive is heard approaching outside. She claps her hands to her ears and crouches over. The headlight of locomotive glares into the room as it thunders past. As the noise recedes she straightens and slowly continues speaking.] Blancheï¿½s overreactions towards little, everyday occurrences are an indication of the fragility of her current mental state. Her hyperbolic actions suggest that once a major event occurs Blancheï¿½s loose hold on sanity will be lost. 180 Blanche: I guess it is just that I have ï¿½ old fashioned ideals! [She rolls her eyes, knowing he cannot see her face.] Blancheï¿½s rolling of her eyes shows that she is putting on a pretence. She is not physically attracted to Mitch, and after this act one cannot say if she is emotionally attracted towards Mitch either or if she is just attracted to the idea of protection that Mitch offers.

188 [In the bathroom the water goes on loud; little breathless cries and peals of laughter are heard as if a child were frolicking in the rub.] This childish mannerism displayed by Blanche indicates her innocence. Not sexual innocence but her naivety in the sense that she cannot see the real world for what it is. She must continuously see the world in a different light from everyone else. Her need to act young also displays her paranoia of ageing. 192 Blanche: Oh, I feel so good after my long, hot bath, I feel so good and cool and ï¿½ rested. Blancheï¿½s numerous baths and time spent in the bathroom throughout the play are all her attempts at purifying herself of her past misdoings and her way of escaping everyone and everything and having time to herself in private. 204/169 Blanche: Iï¿½ll tell you what I want. Magic! Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I donï¿½t tell them the truth. I tell them what ought to be the truth. And if that is singful, then let me be damned for it!

Blancheï¿½-put on soft colours, the colours of butterfly wings, and glow ï¿½ make a little ï¿½ temporary magicï¿½ï¿½ Blanche clearly says ï¿½I donï¿½t want realism.ï¿½ ï¿½She would rather her view of the world be like a constant dream which is also her reason for continuously keeping up a faï¿½ade. She only tells what ï¿½oughtï¿½ to be the truth in order to avoid shattering her own dreams by facing reality. She feels as if she has never lied (ï¿½Never inside, I didnï¿½t lie in my heartï¿½) as what she says is the way she perceives things. 207 Blanche: Then marry me, Mitch! Blancheï¿½s loneliness and need for companionship is displayed in her plea for Mitch to marry her. It is not important whether she truly loves Mitch or not but more like a means of a way out the trap she finds herself in. There is evident pathos here as she and the audience are well aware that Mitch came to her house with the intention of raping her.

Her willingness to marry a man who would do this to her clearly illustrates Blancheï¿½s desperation. 225 Blanche: Whoever you are - I have always depended on the kindness of strangers. Blancheï¿½s dependence on strangers to fulfill the emptiness she feels has only led her to the position she is in by the end of the play. Blancheï¿½s inability to accept that strangers have only been kind to her in return for sex reflects her magical perception of the world. These being her final words in the play, referring to the ï¿½kindnessï¿½ of the doctor who is not the man (Shep) she was hoping for, shows her complete detachment from reality and the pathos of her empty belief in magic and kindness.

ï¿½ A Streetcar Named Desire | Theatre 272: Play Analysis & Criticism Theatre 272: Play Analysis & Criticism Category Archives: A Streetcar Named Desire Play The Simpsons’ “A Streetcar Named Marge” the lovely Marlon Brando from A Streetcar Named Desire directed by Elia Kazan [rape mention TW] Stella’s docile behavior may have possibly begun in her childhood due to living with Blanche walking all over her at Belle Reve, but it ended up becoming Blanche’s undoing. A big characteristic that Stella has in common with her sister is that she can’t face reality, specifically the reality of Stanley’s abusive nature and the fact that he had raped Blanche. Because of her submissive behavior, Stella constantly tries to make up excuses for the people she loves whenever they manipulate her. Once Blanche came to their little shabby place in New Orleans, Stella had to play as the social servant to Stanley as well as Blanche, which would of course cause her confusion whenever the two had conflicting wants.

Stella’s desire in the play is to continue life in the household as if nothing is wrong and to bear her child with Stanley but Blanche interrupts her wants by trying to protect her and shatter the illusion (which is ironic because everyone else in the play seems to want to shatter Blanche’s false reality). Stella is, “not in anything [she] want[s] to get out of” (Scene 4) and wants things to stay the way they are so badly that she calls the terrifying Doctor for her sister instead of believing her sister’s warning of Stanley’s betrayal and abusive behavior. Stella even has to have Eunice reassure her that her decision of sending Blanche with the Doctor is ok to further ignore the reality of her actions. Interestingly enough, Stella seems to have had trusted Blanche but to have chosen to not fully believe her and change her lifestyle because she admits, “I couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley” in Scene 11. We spend the entire play waiting to see whether she will go with Blanche or stay with her abusive husband.

Ultimately, Stella continues her life with Stanley but, at least for the moment when her sister is being taken away, finally speaks up (although, it is too late to save her sister). 1 Stanley’s introduction in Tennessee Williams’s “A Streetcar Named Desire” gives off a sense of power. Stanley’s introductory dialogue is short and concise, to the point, and, combined with the stage directions at the start of the first scene, really does give off the impression that Stanley is in control of the situation before his exit. All of this in the first two pages! Stanley, as the play progresses, continues to herald a position of power in his home, exerting it over Blanche and Stella. Stanley and Stella have a good relationship, although unbalanced, before and during the start of the play. I feel like Stanley’s relationship with his friends (Pablo, Steve, Mitch) is reminiscent to that of a wolf pack, with Stanley acting as the alpha male. You go on ahead and exert your male dominance, you sly dog, you. Stanley’s relationship with Blanche is the shaky one. I get a sense that Stanley is sizing Blanche up when they first meet.

Once Stanley finds out Belle Reve was lost, he begins hounding at Blanche, looking for answers. This is especially shown when he violates Blanche’s boundaries by practically overturning her things. Stanley is Polish, a decorated Master Sergeant in the Engineers’ Corps, both revealed by Stella to Blanche. Blanche also calls Stanley a commoner, civilian, and, later on in the play, an ape, and brutish. The stage directions also describe Stanley as showing an animal like joy, and behaving (since early childhood) like a prize cock among hens. Williams’s use of animal language in the stage directions certainly does agree with Blanche’s sentiments about Stanley. Stanley is aggressive to everyone around him. He barks commands at Stella, is shown to be hot headed/ temperamental, interrogates Blanche (whom he had just met) directly and indirectly, and is extremely rough with his friends. Stanley does enjoy his time with his friends, and is very protective of this time (shown in the form of the poker game).

In scene 3, we get a good look at Mitch, and Mitch does off as being Stanley’s foil, expressing an opposite attitude towards Blanche and the music she plays (but this attitude could very well be something else). Stanley loses his head twice in this scene, first by rushing over to turn off the radio, and secondly, by throwing the radio out of the window and striking Stella. After this, Stanley shows that he is capable of compassion, by crying out to Stella after he hits her. I think that this moment shows Stanley at his weakest. Stella come back, you can blame it all on me Stanley’s greatest conflict is wringing the truth form Blanche and getting her out of his home. Once Stanley finds out Belle Reve had been lost, he begins hounding at Blanche, and he doesn’t stop after scene 2. He does his own little investigation, behind the scenes, to uncover the truth about Belle Reve and Blanche. Once he succeeds, he spills the beans to both Mitch and Stella, tactically taking any possible allies away from Blanche. He then gets Blanche a ticket that would send her back to the country on the following Tuesday, and hands it to Blanche on her birthday.

All of this is really kinda douchey, but does show that Stanley is a man of action. He doesn’t wait around passively like Stella, and he doesn’t wait for a stranger’s kindness like Blanche. Stan’s character makes things happen. By scene 10, Stanley has practically won. He attacks and cripples Blanche once again, revealing all that he knows about Blanche’s past. He could stop there, revel in his checkmate against Blanche and his biological triumph with Stella, but he doesn’t. To me, it looks like Stanley reaps Blanche not to humiliate her (it practically destroys her), but to take all his winnings. I also think that by raping Blanche, Stanley shows that he is a brute, an animal, an ape, etc. That he is dangerous, just as Blanche said to Stella. But by God, he won. 1 Blanche’s relationship with her sister, Stella, is fairly good at the beginning of the play. They keep in touch through letters but they both conceal information about their life.

Blanche tends to lead people to believe that she is one way (the way she wishes to truly be) when actually she’s not at all, in fact, she’s an emotional wreck and she’s completely in denial of her life today because she’s been living the past. Blanche has been messed up since her young husband had passed away, ever since then she has had a “thing” for young men, despite the fact that she is much older now she still has a strong desire for younger men because of her broken heart she has from her young husband leaving her earlier than she would have ever imagined. Stan sees right through Blanche since he first meets her, he calls her out on “losing” the land of Belle Reve and quickly finds out that she’s been lying about almost anything. Then there’s Stella and Mitch who like to give Blanche the benefit of the doubt because they care for her so much, Blanche loves the attention from Mitch and Stella and seems to be in denial that Stan does not care to pay attention to her at all. 2 After reading, “A Streetcar named Desire” by Tennessee Williams this past week, I have learned that there are many famous and infamous characters throughout the play.

One of the characters that I have come to really analyze is Blanche, the older sister and Southern Belle that hails from Belle Reve, Mississippi. Blanche seems to be in her own world, as she normally believes in her own opinions instead of giving other people a chance to say something, particularly, her younger sister, Stella. At the beginning of the play, we are introduced to Blanche DuBois as a fibbing, conceited older sister, who, even though cares about her younger sister, is more interested in her own “stories” that we eventually come to recognize as complete lies. One of the given circumstances about Blanche is she’s a snobby brat. She has always stated she loves to be waited on as she makes Stella run around, getting her Lemon Cokes. We also tend to notice that Blanche is beyond an attention seeker, especially when it comes to the poker tournaments, which upsets Stanley’s controlling personality. It is clearly evident that Stanley and Blanche do not get along, as Stanley had called Blanche “Queen Of The Nile”, and Blanche has stated that Stanley acts like an animal of the ape species.

However, Blanche is able to open her heart to Mitch, one of Stanley’s poker friends, who is in a similar position of Blanche: the fear of loneliness. Mitch is about to lose his mother to illness and Blanche warms up to him, as she understands that he is one of the only kind people left in the world. The language that Blanche uses shows to the reader that she is extremely educated, even though she is a self-absorbed attention seeker throughout. However, aside from all the attention and from the snobby persona at times, she feels abandoned now that her parents have died, leaving the plantation to pieces, ever since Stella left Mississippi for New Orleans. In conclusion, if there are four different words that sum up Blanche DuBois, it would be the following: confused, selfish, fantasized, and lost. As she once put it, “Deliberate cruelty is unforgivable, and the one thing of which I have never,ever been guilty of.” Character Analysis (via Course Website) (15): Choose one character from the assigned play on the calendar and complete a character analysis. Identify existing connections between this character’s social relationships, religious relationships, family relationships, work relationships, etc.

Consider the following points in framing your analysis: What are the qualities of relationships at the start of the play? What given circumstances affect your character most? How do characters behave differently with different people? What does each character say about himself or herself? What does he or she say about others? What do other characters say about each character? What do you learn about the characters from stage directions? What does the way each character uses language tell you about his or her personality? Level of education? What can you learn about each character from studying his or her language in different situations? How does each character’s use of language reflect his or her thought process? What goals and tactics do opposing characters pursue? What do you learn about characters from their moments of greatest conflict? Cluster B A Streetcar Named Desire; C responds 200 words CLUSTER B WRITING DUE WEDNESDAY JANUARY 14 CLUSTER C RESPONSE DUE THURSDAY JANUARY 15

Question: Which play features the character Blanche Dubois?
Answer: A Streetcar Named Desire