A Streetcar Named Desire

Katelyn Hayes

Paper #1

               "They told me to take a street-car named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at-Elysian Fields"-Blanche Dubois. The look of disgust and dissapointment on Blanche's face based on the sight of her apartment for the summer, made it very clear that Elysian Fields was below her standars and she is superior to everyone and everything there. Throughout the play "A Streetcar Named Desire," author Tennessee Williams uses many symbols and motifs to express the character's personalities by showing their destructive, protentious, and gentle characteristics.

               Throughout "A Streetcar Named Desire," Williams uses many motifs to express the character's real and false personalities. For instance, in scene one Blanche states to her sister Stella Kowalski "Now, then, let me look at you. But don't you look at me, Stella, no, no, no, not till later, not till I've bathed and rested! And turn that over-light off! Turn that off! I won't be looked at in this merciless glare!"(Scene 1 page 1169). The need for Blanche to be hidden from the light signifies Blanche's yearning to remain in her fake world, of always appearing young, proper, delicate, and beautiful. Stella states to her husband Stanley Kowalski: "She's soaking in a hot tub to quiet her nerves. She's terribly upset. Stan, we've - lost Belle Reve! When she comes in be sure to say something nice about her appearance(Scene 2 pg 1177)." From the beginning to the end of the play, Blanche's demand to hide from the light symbolizes her desire to hide her imperfections as well as symbolizing her constant attempts to hide her past. Blanche has a full-of-herself personality which needs to be supported with constant reminders of how beautiful her appearance is. Lastly, Blanche's frequent bathing exemplifies her need to cleanse her preceding problems, including problems such as an affair with her seventeen year old student; as well as her husband Allan's homosexual affair which during the 40's was not accepted in society, resulting in Allan's suicide. As one can see Williams uses a variety of examples of motifs to portray the different aspects of his characters.

               "Her appearance is incongruous to this setting. She is daintly dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat, looking as if she were arriving at a summer tea or cocktail party in the garden district"(Scene 1 page 1167). Blanche's white suit which she appears in Elysian Fields is symbolic for her innocense with which Blanche disguises her desires and covers her past so no one can see her pain. Secondly following, is the reoccurance of both Stanley Kowalski and Blanche's drinking habits. Both are seen to have different reasonings behind their consumption of alcohol. For instance, Blanche is witnessed to be drinking anti-socially, to avoid reality and her past. Whereas Stanley is seen drinking for socially and for his pleasure as shown in scene three during his poker night. However his drinking habits turn into destruction towards the radio after Blanche disobeys Stanley's orders in keeping the radio off. Therefore resulting in Stanley's animilistic drunk behavior to be put on Stella. However, as shown in scene ten, Stanley's barbaric drunk behavior has turned to Blanche after the built up anger towards Blanche has become too much to handle. However before the aggression and hostility, the symbolized silk suit which was worn on Stanley's wedding night covered him, representing the gentle, kind, and loving side of him. However proceeding after Stanley's put on his silk suit, followed Stanley aggressively attacking Blanche and later raping her as well(Scene 10 pages 1228-1231). From the beginning of the play Stanley was set out to destroy Blanche due to her inexcusable rude behavior and excessive lying and tormenting of Stanley. The rape symbolizes Stanley's power and his final acts of control over Blanche. To conclude, Williams uses many examples of motif and symbolisim to express the many different

personalities of the characters seen throughout the play "A Streetcar Named Desire."

               Along with the variety of motifs during "A Streetcar Named Desire," Williams also uses many symbols to express Blanche's pretend world as well as showing the other character's personalities throughout the play. Blanche quotes "I don't want realism. I want magic! Yes, yes, magic. I try to give that to people. I do misrepresent things. I don't tell truths. I tell what ought to be truth. And if that is sinful, then let me be damned for it!- Don't turn the light on!"(Scene 7 1213). This quote symbolizes Blanche's many lies told to not only Mitch but to her whole family, lies which include telling Mitch hes the only person she has kissed, rather then telling him about her promiscuous lifestyle: as well as stretching the truth about her leaving Bella Reve and why she had left. Throughout Blanche's demolition of her beautiful dream with Mitch during scene nine Blanche states "Yes, 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... My youth was suddenly gone up the water-spout, and-I met you. You said you needed somebody. Well, I needed somebody, too"(Scene 9 pg 1225). Blanche goes on to state: "Marry me Mitch," when Mitch turns her down because of her "not being clean enough" to bring to the house with his mother, this is a huge contradiction because throughout the play Blanche has been seen as being clean and proper. However Mitch sees her fake deceptive side and wants nothing to do with her. The name of the play "A Streetcar Named Desire" represents Blanche's desire to feel excepted in another world then what she lived like in Belle Reve which means beautiful dream in French(Scene 1 pg. 1168). Unfortunately Blanche's beautiful dream of creating a new start while longing to have her final chance at love with a new respectable man was unreached.

               In conclusion, Williams uses the literary elements motif and symbolism to express the alternate personalities of each character. From the early arrival of Blanche to her leaving for the insane asylum, she has caused nothing but problems throughout, told many lies, and thought herself to be superior then all of Elysian Fields. However Blanche Dubois brought one thing out of people, their true colors and their alternate personalities as well as bringing out her own.