Blanche Dubois In A Streetcar Named Desire

From the very beginning, Charles Trask is is suspicious of Cathy when she shows up to the Trask’s farm. Charles even states, “You know what I think? I don’t think I’m half as mean as you are under that nice skin. I think you’re a devil” (116). Also, on the way home, Samuel Hamilton remembers the eyes of a criminal who was being executed. He realizes that Cathy’s eyes were similar to the criminals and that she also had evil traits. Lee recognizes Cathy’s evil when working for her as a servant. However, Adam is not able to recognize this because he only sees Cathy as what he wants her to be and not for what she actually is. For example, when Adam and Cathy move to the Salinas Valley, Adam thinks that Cathy wants to go and is a good wife, but Cathy does not actually want to go. Also, Cathy tries to kill her baby because she doesn’t want children, but Adam is happy and overjoyed when he finds out that Cathy is pregnant. In addition, the only people who Cathy fears are the people who are able to see her true self, like Samuel Hamilton, Charles Trask, and Lee, but takes advantage of people who are unable to see this quality of her, like Adam Trask and Mr.

Her sly and calculated personality prevents her from completing a task without precise and careful planning. Therefore, when Cathy, a being who lacks a certain aspect of humanity, initially meets Adam Trask, she sees a weak, motherless, puppy-like man she can easily manipulate. She acts under the false pretense of what Adam longed for the most: motherly care. However, to many readers and characters, Cathy seems

Cathy shows no human characteristics. She has those of a monster or animal but shows no real emotion that a

When Cathy is first introduced, the narrator calls her a monster, but in chapter seventeen, the narrator begins to doubt his claim, pitying her “waiting for her pregnancy to be over, living on a farm she did not like, with a man she did not love” (138). By including a statement discussing her unhappiness gives Cathy a human motivation to escape, although her escape is evil. When Cathy leaves, she shoots Adam because he attempts to stop her, but she does not aim for his head or heart to kill him, only a shot to the leg, which is enough to stop him, but not enough to kill him. A fatal shot would have been easy for Cathy, however, she had no reason to, so she only damaged Adam enough to achieve her goal. Unwanted pregnancies and unhappy marriages are all situations women attempt to escape, and in some cases, in extreme ways, like shooting their husbands. Humanizing Cathy connects humanity to evil.

Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams In the play, A Streetcar Named Desire, author Tennessee Williams does a wonderful job developing the character of Stanley Kowalski. To me, his character seemed most like that of a true person. On the other hand, Stella, Stanley's wife, is mainly displayed as being the loving type, and because that is basically the only character trait she displays, it is difficult to really understand her as a person. The character of Stanley Kowalski is developed much like a real person, having numerous personality traits.

As Stanley explains, "The Flamingo is used to all kinds of goings-on. But even the management of the Flamingo was impressed by Dame Blanche!" (120). Here Blanche has no home, no money, the only thing that she does have are good southern looks. I believe Williams wanted the audience to believe that this was the last act of a desperate woman, who didn't know what else to do. This woman was almost forced into a position that was undesired, yet necessary to survive. The audience can do nothing but sympathize with her position. Stanley goes on about Blanche's career as a high school teacher, "They kicked her out of that high school before the spring term ended-and I hate to tell you the reason that step was taken! A seventeen-year-old boy she'd gotten mixed up with!" (122). Stanley is referring to a boy that Blanche claims to have fallen in love with. His death added to her misery, and is also a part of her haunting past that blows up in her face with Mitch. The fact that she even liked a student of hers in an unacceptable manner gives the audience reason to believe that Blanche is mentally unbalanced, which is all the more reason to look on at her in pity.

Cathy utilizes manipulation to drive thoughts into people. Charles warns Adam of this by saying to him, “She’ll destroy you,” (B). An example of her power of mental capabilities is when she burnt her parent’s house down, locking them inside. No one suspected her

   The two important female characters in the "poetic tragedy"(Adler 12), A Streetcar Named Desire, are Stella and Blanche. The most obvious comparison between Stella and Blanche is that they are sisters, but this blood relationship suggests other similarities between the two women. They are both part of the final generation of a once aristocratic but now moribund family. Both manifest a great deal of culture and sensitivity, and because of this, both seem out of place in Elysian Fields. "Beauty is shipwrecked on the rock of the world's vulgarity" (Miller 45).  Blanche, of course, is much more of an anachronism than Stella, who has for the most part adapted to the

I would like to analyze a tragic heroine Blanche DuBois appearing in a play A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) written by Tennessee Williams. My intention is to concentrate on the most significant features of her nature and behaviour and also on various external aspects influencing her life and resulting in her nervous breakdown. I would like to discuss many themes related to this character, such as loss, desire and longing for happiness, beauty and youth, pretension, lies and imagination, dependence on men and alcoholism.

This qualm is created when Stanley notes that her extravagant possessions are as lavish as the contents of ‘the treasure chest of a pirate’, which could not be afforded on ‘teachers pay’ .This allows the audience to question the true nature of the loss of Belle Reve, and may even foster distrust towards Blanche henceforth. It provides as particularly significant when Stanley notes that Blanche’s belongings are what is left of the plantation. This could be symbolic of a changing America, notably developments away from slavery and inequality, as the wealth that remains from a plantation is now (under the Napoleonic code) indebted to a Polish immigrant. It is this modernising America which has worsened Blanche’s state, perhaps presenting Blanche to be a victim of a changing society. When Blanche enters the scene, she is dressed in a ‘red satin robe’ which alludes to the Scarlett Woman in Revelation 17,and also presents a much more sexualised Blanche in contrast with her white purity shown previously. Blanche ‘airily’ claims that she feels like a ‘brand new human being’, perhaps suggesting that her bath has washed away the façade of purity almost like a baptism, revealing her true nature, which is so incredibility conflicting with her presentation of virtuous southern Belle that it feels to be a individual being .In addition to this, Blanche’s almost addiction with bathing maybe related to her need to constant consideration of her looks; Samuel Tapp once claimed that ‘ Blanche is a victim of the mythology of Southern Belle’ and I feel that her fixation with her appearance and her need to remain pure are the most prominent manifestations of

She had many ways to gussy up, Blanche always needed compliments and admiration to get throughout the day. Stella exclaims “and admire her dress and tell her she’s looking wonderful. That’s important with Blanche” (Williams 33). In the dimness preferred “she smells sweet and appears on the outside” (Clough n.p.). Blanche owned pieces of clothing that seem to be expensive but really were just cheap pieces of clothing. Not so promising to Stanley, “look at these furs that she comes here to preen herself in! Whats this here? A solid gold dress, I believe! And this one! What is these here? Fox pieces! Genuine fox fur-pieces, a half a mile long” (Williams 35). Blanche also had what was assumed to be expensive jewelry collection but was just simple costume jewelry. “And diamonds! A crown for an impress!” (Williams 36). “She perceives herself as a beautiful object which has to be properly decorated in order to sell well” (Oklopcic n.p.). Even with a great outer appearance Blanche was still ugly on the inside and she knew this. She hated looking at herself in the mirror or being in front of Mitch without being properly dressed. Blanche portrayed herself as having manners, she expected men to stand at her appearance and grant her with

Blanches’ emotional state of mind is also conspicuous at the start of the play as she circumvents direct light, fearful of showing her fading looks and the light would make her vulnerable to the truth. Blanche is unable to withstand harsh light, calling the light a ‘merciless glare’(S1:pg.120*) because with Allan’s death, the light had gone out of her life and the effect this had is that she wanted dim lights hiding the reality of her painful memories. This links to the theme of dream and reality as Blanche, a delicate character, refused ‘to accept the reality of her life and attempts to live under illusion’ (*2), living on the borders of life similar to a moth which creates the image of Blanches’ fragility.

What type of husband throws meat at his wife to prove dominance? In Tennessee William's, A Streetcar Named Desire the character Stanley Kowalski is known for exerting his acts of proving his preponderating mentality. One constant characteristic of Stanley is his ability to control the people around him. Williams uses specific examples, such as Stanley's behavior with his best friend Mitch vs. his behavior with his wife Stella and Blanche. Stanley Kowalski is seen in the play as the antagonist because of his bruteness and vulgarity and the quick change of character within the acts; however , Stanley portrays the stereotypical male personality because the only relationship he understands is a sexual one, he looks at his wife as property , and

        Tennessee Williams was once quoted as saying "Symbols are nothing but the natural speech of drama...the purest language of plays" (Adler 30). This is clearly evident in A Streetcar Named Desire, one of Williams's many plays. In analyzing the main character of the story, Blanche DuBois, it is crucial to use both the literal text as well as the symbols of the story to get a complete and thorough understanding of her.

There are nine types of heroes in this world, each of them with their own unique stories, plots, cliches etc. Among those is the classic tragic hero, one who is destined to fail no matter what. In a Streetcar Named Desire, the tragic hero is Blanche Dubois, an aging Southern Belle living in a state of perpetual panic about her fading beauty. In this essay it will be discussed what makes Blanche a tragic hero and how she compares to a typical tragic hero.