Authors often use both literal and indirect literary devices in order to improve both character and plot development. In life as in literature, a person’s name can say a lot about them. Whether it be Tea Cake Woods in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Jay Gatsby (aka James Gatz) in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, or Blanche Dubois in Tennessee William 's A Streetcar Named Desire,character names seem to deliver eerie reminders of their nature. These parallels of name and nature help promote these character’s motifs as their names are repeated throughout their respective novels.
Tea Cake Woods’ from Their Eyes Were Watching God’s real name is Vergible Woods. However it is clear that this name was chosen by Zora Neale …show more content…
The name Blanche is French name that literally translates to “white”. According to Merriam Webster Dictionary “white” is defined as “free from spot or blemish” and “free from moral impurity.” Furthermore, although the name “Dubois” may not literally translate to anything significant, the connotation of such a luxurious French name also proves significant to Blanche 's character. Blanche is a struggling woman who has lost her wealth and estate, and also her husband to suicide after discovering that he was a homosexual. Also Blanche engages in promiscuous sexual behavior and struggles with alcoholism that she desperately, yet unsuccessfully tries to hide from everyone. Blanche compensates for her many issues with a facade of social posh and innocence. Throughout the novel she makes a huge effort to avoid any sort of light being shined on her. This is significant concerning her name because she tries to maintain a perfect image of herself. She makes an exhausting effort throughout the play to maintain a “white” image of herself even though her character is plagued by flaws in integrity and judgement. Throughout the novel when Blanche is not avoiding light she is often seen taking baths very often, This is symbolic as it relates to her need to stay physically “clean” in order to promote a veneer of moral …show more content…
In one important scene Mitch and Blanche meet in a dark room. Mitch questions the darkness of the room and even goes on to point out that he has never seen Blanch in full light or during the daytime. Mitch then teatrs a lantern covering a lightbulb in the room and Blanch cries and begs for him to stop. Blanch claims that she doesn 't like realism as Mitch so desires and she hides her face in embarrassment. The main antagonist in A Streetcar Named Desire, Stanley Kowalski, Blanche’s sister’s husband, is also set on destroying Blanch’s facade. Stanley immediately asserts his dominance when he sees through Blanche’s facade and takes note of her sexual vulnerability when he takes his shirt off in front of her during their first interaction. Blanche enjoys the sexual tension but tries to hide it as much as she can by attempting to hide her alcohol intake during their interactions and nervously laughing and lying throughout their conversations. Blache even admits to her sister, Stanley’s wife, that she flirted with Stanley at one point. Stanley does all he can to expose all of Blanche 's lies by going through her things and taking advantage of her social and even sexual weaknesses, going as far as raping her toward the end of the
Tea Cake Woods’ from Their Eyes Were Watching God’s real name is Vergible Woods. However it is clear that this name was chosen by Zora Neale …show more content…
The name Blanche is French name that literally translates to “white”. According to Merriam Webster Dictionary “white” is defined as “free from spot or blemish” and “free from moral impurity.” Furthermore, although the name “Dubois” may not literally translate to anything significant, the connotation of such a luxurious French name also proves significant to Blanche 's character. Blanche is a struggling woman who has lost her wealth and estate, and also her husband to suicide after discovering that he was a homosexual. Also Blanche engages in promiscuous sexual behavior and struggles with alcoholism that she desperately, yet unsuccessfully tries to hide from everyone. Blanche compensates for her many issues with a facade of social posh and innocence. Throughout the novel she makes a huge effort to avoid any sort of light being shined on her. This is significant concerning her name because she tries to maintain a perfect image of herself. She makes an exhausting effort throughout the play to maintain a “white” image of herself even though her character is plagued by flaws in integrity and judgement. Throughout the novel when Blanche is not avoiding light she is often seen taking baths very often, This is symbolic as it relates to her need to stay physically “clean” in order to promote a veneer of moral …show more content…
In one important scene Mitch and Blanche meet in a dark room. Mitch questions the darkness of the room and even goes on to point out that he has never seen Blanch in full light or during the daytime. Mitch then teatrs a lantern covering a lightbulb in the room and Blanch cries and begs for him to stop. Blanch claims that she doesn 't like realism as Mitch so desires and she hides her face in embarrassment. The main antagonist in A Streetcar Named Desire, Stanley Kowalski, Blanche’s sister’s husband, is also set on destroying Blanch’s facade. Stanley immediately asserts his dominance when he sees through Blanche’s facade and takes note of her sexual vulnerability when he takes his shirt off in front of her during their first interaction. Blanche enjoys the sexual tension but tries to hide it as much as she can by attempting to hide her alcohol intake during their interactions and nervously laughing and lying throughout their conversations. Blache even admits to her sister, Stanley’s wife, that she flirted with Stanley at one point. Stanley does all he can to expose all of Blanche 's lies by going through her things and taking advantage of her social and even sexual weaknesses, going as far as raping her toward the end of the