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A Streetcar Named Desire Character Analysis

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A tragic protagonist is a character in literary work that faces internal and external conflicts which eventually lead to their downfall. A tragic protagonist from A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams is Blanche. She struggles with multiple internal and external problems that lead to her falling apart. Blanche struggles with deception, lying, living in a fantasy, denial, guilt, promiscuity, and drinking. Outside of her reach she struggles with ex husband’s death and betrayal, and Stanley. Blanche DuBois is a perfect example of a tragic protagonist because all her internal and external conflicts overwhelms her to the point of her destruction by the end of the play.

Blanche’s external conflicts like Stanley, the betrayal of her husband, and her husband’s death, are beyond her control and lead to her downfall. Her external conflicts caused her internal conflicts because if these situations did not happen in her life she would not have any problems within her. Her external conflicts impacts her character in extremely harsh ways.. Allan Grey, Blanche’s husband cheats on her with another man. He shoots himself after she confronts him about it. During this unfortunate situation a song was playing and haunts Blanche for the rest of her life. The Varsouviana brings back traumatizing thoughts and memories to Blanche. She hears the song playing in her head when she is stressed or in fear. Blanche blames herself for her husband’s death. In the play A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche says “and then the searchlight which had been turned on the world was turned off again and never for one moment……” (Williams.115) . Blanche loses family members, and Belle Reve. Belle Reve is the only place where she feels secure and safe and now it is gone. That way of life she use to have has vanished. Belle Reve is now just an old happy memory for Blanche. The loss of Belle Reve causes Blanche to move in with her sister Stella, which leads her to her liquidation. Stanley, Stella’s husband is Blanche’s enemy. Blanche knew it from the start that Stanley would be the end of her. In the play A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche says “The first time I laid my eyes on him i thought to myself, that man is my

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