Compare And Contrast Blanche Dubois And A Streetcar Named Desire

Tennessee Williams’ play “A Streetcar Named Desire” illustrates his past through sadistic poetry – in his play he portrays himself as a god that has absolute control of the story; additionally, he constructs a numerous amount of tragedies for his fictional characters to suffice his pleasure. In this specific play “A Streetcar Named Desire” the characterization of Blanche Dubois was a result of his tragic past, using this fictional character as an emotional outlet; subsequently, creating multiple astounding plays for the audience to experience. Consequently, both Williams and Blanche have a strikingly similar story; although, Williams has denied that his plays were about him – he was an abuser of drugs and alcohol and unsurprisingly uses them

The extremely similar past of Tennessee Williams and Blanche Dubois has a metaphorical method of character development. It allows the audience to be soaked into the drama, fixating on their incredible tragedies and how they affect one’s mentality. An example of this would be when Blanche was raped by Stanley; to begin with, she was already at the edge of sanity, as her delusions intersect with reality the people around her start to realize the deterioration of her mental state. As a result, no one believed her barbaric accusations against Stanley, not even her beloved sister, Stella. From this betrayal it transformed her self-image – as everyone perceives her as mentally insane she too sees herself in the same light. Comparatively, Williams was also betrayed by his loved ones from his perspective. Williams has written many hugely successful plays, but after his work started to get impeded by his inconvenient obsessions; consequently, he started to rely on drugs and alcohol more leading to his brother institutionalizing him. Eventually, Williams was discharged from the institution, however he was never the same again. The plays he wrote following his dismissal all fell short, the critics destroyed him (Wounded Genius). Accordingly, his mind believed the critics similarly to how Blanche hastily adapted the mindset of the people around her – they have become insane. However, this could also be perceived as Williams shadow manifesting in his work and personal life, him foreshadowing his own institutionalization could be his true desire to become insane due to the guilt he felt after his sister Rose was and this was his way of re-claiming her. If he too was mentally ill he can spend the rest of his life with the person her desires, hence why desire leads to death and why the inscription “and if God choose, I shall but love thee