Streetcar Named Desire Ambiguity

The play, A Streetcar Named Desire, by American Playwright Tennessee Williams
presents moral ambiguity and contradiction between natures. The main protagonist, Blanche DuBois, a former school teacher from a wealthy family, is used by williams as a symbolic figure, a warning of death to his audience. Her constant struggle to desperately satisfy her retreat from reality and her overblown desires allow Williams to portray the message that unchecked desires lead to death.
Set during the year of 1947 in the french quarter of New Orleans Blanche is introduced into a new world and is lost both geographically and temporally. As she arrives at Kowalski's street she speaks to Eunice, “They told me to take a street-car named desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at-Elysian Fields!” (Williams 6). Although at first glance, nothing may stand out about these names, they contain a deeper metaphorical value. Williams reflects Blanches life up to this instance to the audience through the use of this quote to emphasise his main

intentions in Streetcar. Her life's journey which was one of desire later leads to Cemeteries, (her death) making its final stop at Elysian fields, the land of the dead in Greek mythology.
A perfect quote that portrays Blanches desperate desire to escape reality is when she is speaking to Mitch and states, “I don't want realism.

I want magic! Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I dont tell truth, i tell what ought to be truth. And if that is sinful, then let me be damned for it!- Don't turn the light on!” (William, 145). This is Blanches confession to her sin. She would rather live her life a constant dream, hidden in the darkness rather than expose herself in the light. One reason she begs Mitch to not turn on the light is because it will destroy her fantasy and expose her truth. Her true age, her fear of losing sexuality, the lies, her true nature and fragile existence. The Dialogue between them does a great job of developing the tension between the characters and revealing little by little the danger that Blanche is towards her surroundings and

herself.
Williams does a great job in creating a character that is so complex and although foreshadowing her downfall makes the audience feel sympathy for this character. Blanche had a husband named Allan who she loved so much. She had such an innocent relationship, focused more on emotional connection and understanding rather than sex. Unfortunately, he was a homosexual who also hid his truth in the darkness and died by suicide. In her grief, Blanche proceeded to look for love elsewhere. “Yes, a big spider! That's where i bought my victims. Yes i had many intimacies with strangers. After the death of Allan-intimacies with strangers was all i seemed able to fill my empty heart with.” (Williams 146). Following her husband's death, blanche needed te feel safe, she felt entitled to feel love, affection, something to fill her empty heart with. She reveals to Mitch that she had many intimacies and that she was the tarantula waiting for her prey.