Streetcar Named Desire: Blanche DuBois.
Throughout the play, Streetcar Named Desire, written by Tennessee Williams, I discovered much symbolism. I have decided to focus on one character, in effort to shy away from a lengthy essay. I've chosen to take the character of Blanche DuBois, break her down, and point out various uses of symbolism. In order to be as specific as possible, I reread much of the play to go through and pick up on symbols. .
Before anyone can truly understand Blanche's character one must understand why she moves to New Orleans and joins her sister, Stella, and her brother-in-law, Stanley. Now, while watching the film, I noticed her appearance in the first scene to be rather elegant, and somewhat moth-like: fair colors, of beige and tans. Now, this may be a little stretched of a connection, but often time in literature, a moth is said to represent the soul. So, to be far-fetched, it is quite possible to see her voyage as the journey of her soul. I cannot speak for Tennessee Williams in this case, but knowing the symbolism of a moth, and hearing critics of the play describe her first appearance as "moth-like- I can gather a conclusion - an example of symbolism. Again, perhaps it is far-fetched, but it's a creative attempt.
Later in the same scene, she describes her trip to New Orleans: "They told me to take a streetcar named desire and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at Elysian Fields."" Taken literally, this doesn't seem to hold much of any significance. However, if you examine Blanche's past, it can become clear what that quotation represents. Blanche ran away to live with her sister, because her life was miserable back at home. She even admitted that she depended on the intimacies with strangers, that is after her husband died. She had ual relations with practically anybody. I see this as the first step in her journey: desire.
