“A Streetcar named Desire” is a compelling play by Tennessee Williams in which the central character is insecure and flawed. The play is set in New Orleans in the 1940s, Blanche Dubois arrives at her sisters house after losing the family home through her promiscuous past. William makes Blanches insecurities clear through his use of characterisation, conflict, symbolism, key scenes and staging.
Blanche's entire life has been affected by a tragic event. At sixteen she married to a boy called Allan who she loved, “unendurably.” However, after Blanche caught him with a man she realised that he was homosexual, “there was something different about the boy, a nervousness, a softness and tenderness which wasn’t like a man’s.” Unable to face the truth, …show more content…
Blanche purchases a cheap Chinese paper lantern to hide the light. Her explanation as to why she bought the lantern is, “I can’t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or vulgar action”. The paper lantern symbolises the idea that Blanche believes that she can cover up her the truth about herself, hiding away her insecurities and her past. She is insecure about her age and doesn’t like to be seen in the light as she thinks her true age, something she is trying to hide from her new man Mitch, would be more obvious. Blanche also hides other insecurities behind cheap clothes, jewellery and make-up so that she may appear more attractive to others, just as a lantern hides the bulb. To Blanche, beauty is not on the inside, “You've got to be soft and attractive. And I'm fading now’. Blanche is constantly trying to live up the expectation that a woman should be beautiful. Similarly, as a light bulb can be easily broken, it symbolises how fragile and vulnerable Blanche …show more content…
Blanche is unhappy at the way that Stanley treats her sister and thinks that Stella would be better off without him, “In my opinion? You’re married to a madman!’. Meanwhile Stanley despises Blanche and seeks to destroy her. He goes out of his way to discover the secrets of Blanche’s past and finds that she is not who she says she is; she was known for sexual promiscuity and for having an affair with a young student. Stanley wants to exploit her insecurities, to mentally break her as a person. He reveals his findings to Mitch, ruining any hope of marriage and
Blanche's entire life has been affected by a tragic event. At sixteen she married to a boy called Allan who she loved, “unendurably.” However, after Blanche caught him with a man she realised that he was homosexual, “there was something different about the boy, a nervousness, a softness and tenderness which wasn’t like a man’s.” Unable to face the truth, …show more content…
Blanche purchases a cheap Chinese paper lantern to hide the light. Her explanation as to why she bought the lantern is, “I can’t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or vulgar action”. The paper lantern symbolises the idea that Blanche believes that she can cover up her the truth about herself, hiding away her insecurities and her past. She is insecure about her age and doesn’t like to be seen in the light as she thinks her true age, something she is trying to hide from her new man Mitch, would be more obvious. Blanche also hides other insecurities behind cheap clothes, jewellery and make-up so that she may appear more attractive to others, just as a lantern hides the bulb. To Blanche, beauty is not on the inside, “You've got to be soft and attractive. And I'm fading now’. Blanche is constantly trying to live up the expectation that a woman should be beautiful. Similarly, as a light bulb can be easily broken, it symbolises how fragile and vulnerable Blanche …show more content…
Blanche is unhappy at the way that Stanley treats her sister and thinks that Stella would be better off without him, “In my opinion? You’re married to a madman!’. Meanwhile Stanley despises Blanche and seeks to destroy her. He goes out of his way to discover the secrets of Blanche’s past and finds that she is not who she says she is; she was known for sexual promiscuity and for having an affair with a young student. Stanley wants to exploit her insecurities, to mentally break her as a person. He reveals his findings to Mitch, ruining any hope of marriage and