The Role of Fantasy and Purpose in Individuals “I don’t want realism, I want magic”- Blanche DuBois (Williams 145). In A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams presents readers with the acute presence of fantasy in individuals’ lives. Every character fabricates fantasies in his life to gloss over his struggles and forget each other 's flaws. A Streetcar Named Desire evaluates individual’s use of fantasy as a crutch to avoid the hard truths and give purpose to an empty life. Blanche DuBois, the protagonist of the story, uses fantasy to cope with her world crumbling around her. After losing her job and being chased out of her hometown, she retreats to her sister’s home in New Orleans. She relies on her principle, a woman’s greatest tool
In the Novel A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams the theme is Illusion vs. reality. it involves sketchy Blanche, she has been lying to everyone. she's been acting pure and innocent but the truth is she’s not. two examples of this is The naked light bulb and Blanches white dress.
It is late afternoon and a bright sunset paints the sky a deep orange. Candle light streams through the windows of a quaint two storey home standing at the end of a long street where the street sign Bourbon Road is visible. The boards on the house are faded and parts have chipped white paint flaking away. Brick pillars sit out the front of the home, with blocks missing and crumbling away. It resembles the Kowalski and Hubbel’s abode but has a slightly upper class ambiance.
“Tragic characters are “efficient” only in courting, suffering and encompassing their own destruction.” was once said by Gassner. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Gassner's definition is valid and accurate for one of Tennessee William’s main characters in the play, Blanche Dubois, sister of Stella Kowalski. Blanche Dubois is a character who at the end leads herself to her own downfall, along with the influence of her brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski, who perpetuates her demise. By Tennessee Williams creating a complex web of conflicting emotions, it creates tension between these characters (Blanche and Stanley). Blanche draws in our attentions with her sincere and delicate personality, which it turns out later in the play to be an illusionistic
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE Tennessee Williams most famous play set on a street in New Orleans, which is named Elysian Fields. New Orleans is a cosmopolitan city. The city is the music of the piano can be heard anytime in this street. In this play, ‘a woman’s pathetic fantasies of primness and respectability are stripped down and violently exposed in New Orleans’. Williams like the poet is concerned with the reality of the broken world.
Why do people hold onto their past life? What makes people hold onto the past? There is something that we want to hang onto from the past. Or, we may cling to what we used to be. But, if we adhere to the past too much.
William’s play A Streetcar Named Desire presents a variety of perspectives on relationships, especially addressing the idea that bonds which aren’t bound by trust, loyalty and lust in an even balance will inevitably fail. Tennessee Williams uses the interaction between his characters, predominantly Blanche, Mitch, Stella and Stanley; to express a variety of ideas regarding relationships. These connections can be witnessed in scenes 2, 3, 6 and 11, through the use of stage directions, dialogue and expressionism to display different perspectives of character interaction. Trust acts as the foundation to any relationship, establishing a strong link between individuals and without it, the connection will eventually disintegrate.
A person can not simply believe what reality is when all they have ever known is their own lies to be the truth. In the play “A Streetcar Named Desire” Tennessee Williams has multiple characters that are constantly battling between what is fact and what is fiction in the Kowalski Flat household. Blanche DuBois, a former english teacher from Laurel, Mississippi, Stella’s sister, is the main victim of this conflict. With Ms. DuBois’ character and the knowledge we have that she was an english teacher, it is easily implied that drama and romance were not only a part of her profession. Blanche’s constant fight between what is real and what is an illusion begins to spiral out of control and gets to the point that she must be institutionalized.
Tennessee Williams wrote “A Streetcar Named Desire” (Williams, 1947) It is based in New Orleans a new cosmopolitan city which is poor but has raffish charm. The past is representing old south in America 1900’s and present is representing new America post world war 2 in 1940’s. Past and present are intertwined throughout the play in the characters Stanley, Blanche, Stella and mitch. Gender roles show that males are the dominant and rule the house which Stanley is prime example as he brings home food and we learn of one time when he got cross and he smashed the light bulbs.
As young adults we often dream about living an ideal lifestyle , throughout the play Blanche Dubois is seen creating the illusion of having the
In A Streetcar Named Desire, the author Tennessee Williams exaggerates and dramatizes fantasy’s incapability to overcome reality through an observation of the boundary between Blanches exterior and interior conveying the theme that illusion and fantasy are often better than reality. Blanche, who hides her version of the past, alters her present and her relationship with her suitor Mitch and her sister, Stella. Blanche was surrounded by death in her past, her relatives and husband have passed away, leaving her with no legacy left to continue. The money has exhausted; the values are falling apart and she is alienated and unable to survive in the harsh reality of modern society. Throughout the novel Williams juxtaposed Blanche’s delusions with
Trying something new isn’t bad, but trying to be someone you are not is not an exceptional choice. In the play, A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, people believe in something and make it their reality. Tennessee Williams develops multiple themes, but the ones that do not change in the ending of both the play and the movie are: marriage, alcohol/ alcoholism, and loneliness. Throughout the play you can see that these themes have different effects, towards different people.
A Street Car Named Desire is a play written by Tennessee Williams, which slowly uncovers Blanche’s prior life. Her troubled past causes her a lot of trouble when she tries to start over. She used to work as a teacher in Mississippi, however, she was forced to leave after she was caught having an affair with one of the students. This was typical behavior for Blanche since she had previously taken many lovers. Since she had such a hard time in Mississippi, she decides to move to New Orleans to live with her sister, Stella, and her husband, Stanley, in hopes of escaping her past.
How are dramatic elements used to convey and enrich meaning? In the play, A Streetcar Named Desire, the theme used throughout the work, is appearances vs reality. This can be considered a broad meaning, however in this case, the two main characters, Stanley and Stella, appear to have a loving, safe relationship. In reality, Stanley is quite abusive towards Stella.
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), is an Oscar winning film adaptation from director Elia Kazan, based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play written by Tennessee Williams. Over the course of this paper, we will be pulling back the curtain on a few of the major elements that made A Streetcar Named Desire such a hit. The exact story of the movie was difficult to pinpoint, but throughout the journey, the setting, cinematography, and acting remain as (a few of the) anchors that keep you connected to the events and characters. Regardless of the sharp turns back and forth throughout the story, the previously mentioned factors keep you enthralled in the story, interested in the characters. You feel like you’re living in the action-packed monochromatic
I. Vocabulary Effeminate- Adjective -(of a man) Having or showing characteristics regarded as typical of a woman; unmanly. (Pg 114) Repertoire- Noun - A stock of plays, dances, or pieces that a company or a performer knows or is prepared to perform. (Pg 130) Malarkey-