Characterisation of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire Essay

Blanche DuBois: Blanches first appearance in the play sets the tone for her character throughout. She is described as being daintily dressed In a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat, looking as if she where arriving at a summer tea or cocktail party The illusion of innocence and refinery which she tries to create is reflected immediately by her choice of dress, which is white, demure, and virginal. Even her name Blanche is French for the colour white, a symbolism of both her French aristocratic ancestry and the whiteness of her personality.

Unfortunately this impression of purity given to both the audience and characters about Blanche, is a complete faade. Her false propriety is not merely snobbery, but a somewhat calculated attempt to make herself appear more attractive to male suitors. Blanche is a deeply insecure and neurotic woman who relies heavily on the compliments and sexual admiration of men to help her feel secure about her appearance, admire her dress and tell her she is looking wonderful. Thats important with Blanche. Her little weakness! - I was fishing for a compliment Stanley This has resulted in Blanche often succumbing to passion, and she has left behind her in Mississippi a life of poverty and an extremely bad reputation, even allegedly having an affair with a minor. I had many intimacies with strangers Her past of excessive promiscuity is however, understood more when we come to learn more about the death of her husband. Blanche blames herself very deeply for his suicide, he came to me for help. I didnt know that and the fact she could not fix his homosexuality, which has left her with great feelings of inadequacy about her sexual attractiveness to men. It also seems that through these intimacies with strangers she was both morning the lose of her husband After the death of Allan it was all I seemed able to fill my empty heart with and was desperately seeking some kind of protection, a chivalrous gentlemen who could rescue her from all her troubles.

She had also lost the family home, Belle Reve, under ambiguous circumstances and had been forced to care for her ailing mother after the death of her father and Stella left. She is a woman who has experienced a lot of tragedy in her life. All of these problems have driven Blanche to alcohol, which she both tries to hide and deny She pours a half tumbler of whiskey and tosses it down. She carefully replaces the bottle and washes out the tumbler at the sink as it does not fit the gentile lady like image she has created for herself. She lies pathologically about herself, her age Yes Stella is my precious little sister. I call her little even though she is somewhat older than I her circumstances Stella hasnt been so well recently, and I came down to help her for a while and towards the end, where in her mind the edges of fantasy and reality blur almost completely, you get the feeling even she believes in the lies she has fabricated. Blanche lives a life of pure illusion, even admitting to Mitch about what she calls magic I dont tell the truth. I tell what ought to be the truth. This need to shield herself from the harsh reality of life is symbolised in the paper lantern she places over the naked light bulb in Stella and Stanleys flat, in a vain attempt to hide her aging features from the world, she can live in denial about the unbearable true situation she is in I cant stand a naked lightbulb, any more than I can a rude remark or vulgar action. Because the chivalric southern gentlemen saviour and caretaker (represented by Shep Hutleigh) she hopes will rescue her is extinct, Blanche is left with no realistic possibility of future happiness. The only escape Blanche can see in her life is to seduce Mitch and manipulate him into marrying her, although he is far from her ideal

Unfortunately Stanleys relentless persecution of Blanche foils her pursuit of Mitch as well as her attempts to shield herself from the harsh truth of her situation. The play chronicles the subsequent crumbling of Blanches self-image and sanity. Stanley himself takes the final stabs at Blanche destroying the remainder of her sexual and mental esteem by brutally raping her So you want some rough-house! All right, lets have some rough-house!and then committing her to an insane asylum. In the end, Blanche blindly allows herself to be led away by a kind doctor, ignoring her sisters cries. This final image, and Blanches famous last line I have always depended on the kindness of strangers. Is the sad culmination of Blanches vanity and total dependence upon men for happiness.