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A Streetcar Named Desire Paper Lantern Analysis

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Paper Lantern representing Manipulation- Blanche avoids bright lighting to avoid showing her wrinkles since he believes that she’s “past her prime”. As a result, she utilizes a paper lantern to shield the bright light in Stanley and Stella’s apartment. When she places the lantern over the light, she develops the illusion that she is young by hiding her wrinkles, making her feel like she 's more desirable. Alongside her wrinkles, Blanche is also using the light to symbolically hide her herself and her past. She is ashamed of her actions in Laurel, such as having a relationship with her 17-year-old student. However, when she places the lantern over the light, she creates an illusion that she is still young, like she was when she was 16. She attempts to live in the world before she had done so many shameful things, living a happy southern-belle lifestyle. As a result, it can be concluded that the paper lantern symbolizes illusion. This characterizes Blanche as manipulative, as she constantly lies about herself and the life she had lived in order to make herself appear more desirable. Living her life in illusion, she lies to everyone in New Orleans, ultimately leading …show more content…

In scene two, she sprays herself with perfume and then sprays Stanley with it playfully, to which Stanley replies “If I didn 't know that you was my wife 's sister I 'd get ideas about you”. This is just one example of Blanche’s shameless flirtation with Stanley in the scene. Blanche is so flirtatious due to her loneliness and desire to find love. Ever since Allen’s death, Blanche had no one significant in her life to provide her with companionship and love. Due to this, Blanche is incredibly flirtatious in an attempt to get men to desire her and fill the hole of loneliness in her. She goes to great lengths to recreate the feeling of desire she had with Allen, going as far to sleep with many men and have a relationship with her

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