In A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams makes it so the notions of brutal desire and death dance together in a vicious waltz around Blanche DuBois, the tragic main character of the play. The pair constantly haunts her from the moment she arrives in Elysian Fields in the form of two streetcars, Desire and Cemeteries, representing her inevitable downfall that stems from her unyielding wishes for intimacy and to fit into society, both created from terrible past experiences. Blanche’s existence within an endless cycle of destruction caused by illusory aspirations, which not only damage herself but the people and things around her as well, exhibits the significance of the play’s title. Along with that, the fact that she has to cope with
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However, she finds out that where Stella lives, named after the Greek version of the afterlife, is not the ideal version of heaven that she had hoped for. Desire, which she had been trying to escape, is rampant there and is more carnal than she could have ever imagined. With it looming over her constantly, Blanche finds herself unable to leave her past behind and redeem herself. She bathes herself often throughout her time at Elysian Fields in attempts to wash away her bygone immoral actions and “[feel] like a brand new human being” (36) as she tries to begin a new life in which the community adores her. She has an infatuation with trying to be reborn as someone who does not have a tarnished past. Blanche cannot fulfill that aspiration, though, for Stanley is always an obstacle in her attempts to forge a new path that she can travel on. As he has “something—ape-like about him” (83) and Blanche’s “uncertain manner…suggests a moth” (5), they are natural sworn enemies with warring desires. Blanche shies away from light as much as she can in order to seem demure and hide her reputation, but Stanley insists on people giving him unyielding truths and obsesses over the …show more content…
When Mitch learns that Blanche’s southern belle attitude is artificial and finds out about her immoral past, Blanche begins to unwillingly travel on the streetcar named Cemeteries, the second stage in desire’s doomed trajectory. This becomes especially apparent when a blind Mexican woman comes to the door offering “Flores para los muertos” (147), or flowers for the dead. The woman acts as a grim reaper of sorts who reminds Blanche that death is not far ahead of her and throws her into the deteriorating depths of her mind, which are just as unsafe as reality is when the illusion that she had created for herself crumbles. Stanley confronts Blanche after Mitch leaves her mind in ruins, with the notion of them being alone together being a frightening one. Before the situation spirals out of control and Stanley ultimately “kills” Blanche by sexually assaulting her, he tells her that “it’s a red letter night for [them]” (155). The remark is reminiscent of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, in which immoral desire leads to the murders of reputations within society, just like it does in A Streetcar Named Desire; the reference to depraved passion only contributes to what Williams wants to convey to readers, which is that when one rides the barbaric
However, she finds out that where Stella lives, named after the Greek version of the afterlife, is not the ideal version of heaven that she had hoped for. Desire, which she had been trying to escape, is rampant there and is more carnal than she could have ever imagined. With it looming over her constantly, Blanche finds herself unable to leave her past behind and redeem herself. She bathes herself often throughout her time at Elysian Fields in attempts to wash away her bygone immoral actions and “[feel] like a brand new human being” (36) as she tries to begin a new life in which the community adores her. She has an infatuation with trying to be reborn as someone who does not have a tarnished past. Blanche cannot fulfill that aspiration, though, for Stanley is always an obstacle in her attempts to forge a new path that she can travel on. As he has “something—ape-like about him” (83) and Blanche’s “uncertain manner…suggests a moth” (5), they are natural sworn enemies with warring desires. Blanche shies away from light as much as she can in order to seem demure and hide her reputation, but Stanley insists on people giving him unyielding truths and obsesses over the …show more content…
When Mitch learns that Blanche’s southern belle attitude is artificial and finds out about her immoral past, Blanche begins to unwillingly travel on the streetcar named Cemeteries, the second stage in desire’s doomed trajectory. This becomes especially apparent when a blind Mexican woman comes to the door offering “Flores para los muertos” (147), or flowers for the dead. The woman acts as a grim reaper of sorts who reminds Blanche that death is not far ahead of her and throws her into the deteriorating depths of her mind, which are just as unsafe as reality is when the illusion that she had created for herself crumbles. Stanley confronts Blanche after Mitch leaves her mind in ruins, with the notion of them being alone together being a frightening one. Before the situation spirals out of control and Stanley ultimately “kills” Blanche by sexually assaulting her, he tells her that “it’s a red letter night for [them]” (155). The remark is reminiscent of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, in which immoral desire leads to the murders of reputations within society, just like it does in A Streetcar Named Desire; the reference to depraved passion only contributes to what Williams wants to convey to readers, which is that when one rides the barbaric