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Essay On Blanche In A Streetcar Named Desire

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Throughout A Streetcar Named Desire, readers become ever more aware of Blanche’s promiscuity, specifically after the scene involving the paper boy and the discovery of her relationship with a student. However, her desire for these two boys can be seen as a “quick fix”, that is, it was something she had done in order to receive a little love and affection in that moment. On the other hand, her desire for Mitch is completely different in the sense that it is permanent and sincere, which can be seen when Stella confesses that, “she thought Mitch was—going to—going to marry her” (Williams 126). In her relations with the paper boy and the student, Blanche had no intentions beyond what was occurring in that moment, but with Mitch, she had plans and …show more content…

However, to a certain extent, Blanche is to blame for her ultimate fate because she was knowingly deceiving others, especially Mitch. Readers know that Blanche is aware of her own deceptive tendencies when she tells Mitch, “Never inside, I didn’t lie in my heart…” (Williams 147), showing that she knew she lied although she truly didn’t mean it. Nevertheless, it can also be argued that Blanche was a victim of the times. In an era where women were expected to marry young, Blanche was already over thirty years old and a widow. As seen when she states, “But on the other hand men lose interest quickly. Especially when the girl is over—thirty” (Williams 94), there was a noticeable pressure on her to find another husband, but also a stigma attached to women her age. While attempting to live up to society’s expectations and marry, especially since she was a Southern lady, Blanche found it difficult to keep men’s interest, therefore resulting in her constant romantic endeavors to not only receive attention, but to also try to find a man she could

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