Blanche Dubois Research Paper

Although, Blanche Dubois was a southern belle born with a silver spoon in her mouth she had a hard life. Underneath her haughty disposition was a fragile human being, who became greatly affected by the tragedies she faced day to day. Her life was filled with tragedy and fear that altered her psyche completely. Blanche Dubois became insane. Blanche’s self-awareness meant that she was able cover up her mental illness. In spite of that, the music in the play exposed it, by being a reflection of her mental state. The music was the “Varsouviana,” it was the song that played when Alan, Blanche’s husband, committed suicide. “Varsouviana” was exceptionally loud at certain points through out the play. At those points, Blanche would leave the present to relive the night of Alan’s death. They also were when she get out of touch with reality. This was shown when Blanche spoke to her imaginary audience in scene ten and in scene eleven, when Blanche thought a gentleman from Dallas came to get her, but really it was a doctor and a matron. …show more content…
However, Tennessee Williams stated “a mood of hysterical exhilaration came into her” (Williams 162). Williams declaration of that meant Blanche had hysteria. Hysteria was a common diagnosis for women around that period. The word itself came from the ancient Greek word for uterus and was only associated with women. Women were thought to be naturally sensitive and fragile, leaving them more susceptible to nervous breakdowns. Stella described Blanche as sensitive which meant it was easy to break Blanche