A Streetcar Named Desire Theme – Fantasy vs Reality
● For Blanche old age brings her closer to death and decay what she’s been
avoiding her whole life. She eludes telling her age and relies on the
“gentleman behaviour” of men to not ask to create her facade.
● Blanche comes across as insensitive, hysterical and narcissistic as she forces
her vision of herself onto others through her appearance and choice of
clothing.
● Blanche conditioned by her childhood of wealth , she was the Victorian model
of a pure and chaste angel and her entire behaviour was centred around
antebellum (pre-Civil war) chivalry code which she tries to maintain although it
is outdated
● Paper moon song is about make belief that becomes reality through love but
for her make belief doesn’t overtake reality.
● Blanche is a quixotic (extremely unrealistic) person seeing the world as what it
ought to be
● William’s explores fantasy through exploration of boundaries between the
interior and exterior
● Blanche’s luxury of her social pride was her refuge and the eventual
deterioration of this image and her safe economic situation had a profound
effect on her psyche.
● The inability to maintain the 2 sides to herself – Belle and sexual predator
leads to the utilisation of sex to obliterate her conscience
● The journey from Desires to cemetaries to the elysian fields allegorically
foreshadows Blanche’s mental descent throughout. Her desires have led her
to promiscuity and alcoholism – staying at the Kowalski’s is the end.
, ● Her fantasies affect her relationships with other characters. She tries to entrap
herself as a Southern Belle but eventually the real world shatters her
fantasies.
● She clings to the illusionary world of lanterns and satin robes to keep up
appearance of ingenue figure rather than face destitute present. By
maintaining her illusionary exterior, she hopes to hide her troubled interior
from herself and the world.
● Blanche lying to herself allows her to make life appear as it should be rather
than as it is
● Stanley firmly grounded in physical world disclaims her fabrications and does
his best to unravel them
● The antagonistic relationship between Blanche and Stanley is symbolic of the
struggle between appearance and reality.
● Ultimately Blanche’s attempt to rejuvenate her life fail.
● Despite the immoral and decadent things she has done she carries herself
with arrogance
● Blanche’s fantasises a form of self-defence against outside threats and her
own demons, protecting her from the tragedies she has had to endure
● Her actions of deceit stem from her weakness and inability to confront the
truth
● Blanche experiences delusions of grandeur, exaggerated ideas of her
importance and superiority
● In physical and psychological realms the boundaries between fantasy and
reality are permeable
● For Blanche old age brings her closer to death and decay what she’s been
avoiding her whole life. She eludes telling her age and relies on the
“gentleman behaviour” of men to not ask to create her facade.
● Blanche comes across as insensitive, hysterical and narcissistic as she forces
her vision of herself onto others through her appearance and choice of
clothing.
● Blanche conditioned by her childhood of wealth , she was the Victorian model
of a pure and chaste angel and her entire behaviour was centred around
antebellum (pre-Civil war) chivalry code which she tries to maintain although it
is outdated
● Paper moon song is about make belief that becomes reality through love but
for her make belief doesn’t overtake reality.
● Blanche is a quixotic (extremely unrealistic) person seeing the world as what it
ought to be
● William’s explores fantasy through exploration of boundaries between the
interior and exterior
● Blanche’s luxury of her social pride was her refuge and the eventual
deterioration of this image and her safe economic situation had a profound
effect on her psyche.
● The inability to maintain the 2 sides to herself – Belle and sexual predator
leads to the utilisation of sex to obliterate her conscience
● The journey from Desires to cemetaries to the elysian fields allegorically
foreshadows Blanche’s mental descent throughout. Her desires have led her
to promiscuity and alcoholism – staying at the Kowalski’s is the end.
, ● Her fantasies affect her relationships with other characters. She tries to entrap
herself as a Southern Belle but eventually the real world shatters her
fantasies.
● She clings to the illusionary world of lanterns and satin robes to keep up
appearance of ingenue figure rather than face destitute present. By
maintaining her illusionary exterior, she hopes to hide her troubled interior
from herself and the world.
● Blanche lying to herself allows her to make life appear as it should be rather
than as it is
● Stanley firmly grounded in physical world disclaims her fabrications and does
his best to unravel them
● The antagonistic relationship between Blanche and Stanley is symbolic of the
struggle between appearance and reality.
● Ultimately Blanche’s attempt to rejuvenate her life fail.
● Despite the immoral and decadent things she has done she carries herself
with arrogance
● Blanche’s fantasises a form of self-defence against outside threats and her
own demons, protecting her from the tragedies she has had to endure
● Her actions of deceit stem from her weakness and inability to confront the
truth
● Blanche experiences delusions of grandeur, exaggerated ideas of her
importance and superiority
● In physical and psychological realms the boundaries between fantasy and
reality are permeable
