Streetcar Named Desire Light

In “A Streetcar Named Desire”, Tennessee Williams uses the symbol of light as a contrast to Blanche’s shady personality. Throughout the play, Blanche comes across as very untrustworthy and suspicious. Her reaction to light during the story can be interpreted as her trying to hide from the truth and her past in Laurel, as well as hiding from the fact that she is aging and her beauty is fading away.
Right away, Blanche is introduced with a comparison to light when Williams says “her delicate beauty must avoid a strong light. There is something about her uncertain manner, as well as her white clothes, that suggests a moth” (1779). If light represents the truth and reality, this passage can be deciphered as her avoiding the truth and would rather

live in the darkness of her own reality. Although it frequently leads to their death, moths are positively phototactic which means they are attracted to lights, fires, and other bright things. Being compared to a moth foreshadows that once Blanche is put in the light and the truth comes out, it will ultimately lead to her end.
Blanche’s dislike of light is shown shortly after she reunites with Stella when she says to her sister “turn that over-light off!

Turn that off! I won’t be looked at in this merciless glare” (1781). Her opposition to light is really emphasized by describing the light as “merciless”. Later on, Williams notes that “she (Blanche) takes off the blouse and stands in her pink silk brassiere and white skirt in the light through the portieres. The game has continued in undertones” (1797). While this passage appears to contradict Blache’s dislike of the light, it shows that she is only willing to stand in the light in order to be noticed by others, specifically the men playing poker. This is an expression of her aspiration to still be found sexually appealing like when she was

younger.
Later on in scene 3, Blanche is talking to Mitch and asks him to help put on the “adorable little colored paper lantern” (1799) that was bought. She goes on to say how she “can’t stand a naked light bulb any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action” (1799). The lantern can be interpreted as a way for Blanche to hide from the reality that she is not able to face. Covering up the light is being used as a means to comfortably talk to Mitch by calming her about her age and fading beauty.
“I never was hard or self-sufficient enough.

When people are soft-soft people have got to shimmer and glow - they’ve got to put on soft colors, the colors of butterfly sings, and put a - paper lantern over the light…. It isn’t enough to be soft and attractive. And I - I’m fading now! I don’t know how much longer I can turn the trick” (1810-1811). This passage from Blanche during her and Stella’s conversation is followed by Stella going into the room to turn on the light under the paper lantern. Blanche’s statement shows that she is afraid aging and fading beauty. Covering up the light with the paper lantern can be compared to her hiding from that reality. By saying “I’m fading now”, Blanche is being compared to a light, and the fact that her physical appearance, social status, and her influence or ability to “turn the trick” over others is

fading.
After her date with Mitch, Blanche suggests that they have a night cap and says “let’s leave the lights off” (1815). Leaving the lights off and being in the dark gives Blanche dominance and control over the situation she is in with Mitch by permitting her to hide her aging looks and promoting a charming personality. While telling him about her past “a locomotive is heard approaching outside. She (Blanche) claps her hands to her ears and crouches over. The headlight of the locomotive glances into the room as it thunders past. As the noise recedes she straightens slowly and continues speaking” (1819). Her very farfetched reaction to the headlight really demonstrates her fear of the light and maybe shows how she is becoming insane because of it, which is also supported when she continues talking to Mitch as if nothing had happened.
In a later conversation with Mitch, Blanche says “I like it dark. The dark is comforting to me” (1829). This is another example of how the darkness is comforting and allows her to distort reality and hide the truth, putting herself more in control of how other people, like Mitch, perceive her. Shortly after this, Blanche is finally put in front of an undimmed light.
BLANCHE. [Fearfully] Light? Which light? What for?
MITCH. What it means is I’ve never had a real good look at you, Blanche. Let’s turn the light on here.
[He tears the paper lantern off the light bulb. She utters a frightened gasp.]
BLANCHE. What did you do that for?
MITCH. So I can take a look at you good and plain!
This is a very significant part of the story because Blanche is finally being called out or held accountable for how she really appears and acts. Being in the light forces her to come face to face with reality and with the fact that she is no longer as young and beautiful as she once was. By tearing down the lantern, Mitch is also metaphorically tearing down the false reality that Blanche has constructed to shield herself from the truth. “Mitch crosses to the switch. He turns the light on and stares at her. She cries out and covers her face. He turns the lights off again” (1830). Despite Blanche’s petition, Mitch turns on the light. She proceeds to cover her face to hide herself from the reality the light brings.
A few hours later, Stanley returns from the hospital and confronts Blanche. “I’ve been on to you from the start! Not once did you pull any wool over this boy’s eyes! You come in here and sprinkle the place with powder and spray perfume and cover the light-bulb with a paper lantern…” (1835). Throughout the play, Stanley has seen through Blanche’s false representation of herself and was never deceived by the lies she hid behind. “He (Stanley) crosses to dressing table and seizes the paper lantern, tearing it off the light bulb, and extends it toward her. She cries out as if the lantern was herself” (1842). This act by Stanley is the moment when everything Blanche has been hiding from in the darkness and all of her lies are peeled away and she is faced with reality.
From beginning to end, Blanche hides from the light as it represents everything she is trying to hide from, her past and her fading beauty. By trying to deceive everybody and hide from the events that caused the loss of Belle Reve, her childhood home, by staying in the darkness, Blanche gradually becomes insane as her facade and false reality is stripped away as her past catches up with her. Ultimately, Mitch and Stanley metaphorically and physically tear her away from the darkness and put her into the light, which just like a moth, leads to her demise.