‘Much of Blanche’s conception of how she operates in the world relies on her perception of herself as of male sexual desire’. In the light of this comment explore Williams’ dramatic presentation of Blanche in ASCND.
‘Much of Blanche’s conception of how she operates in the world relies on her perception of
herself as of male sexual desire’. In the light of this comment explore Williams’ dramatic
presentation of Blanche in ASCND.
In ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ Williams’ characterization of Blanche deliberately juxtaposes throughout the play
creating a sense of uncertainty for the audience- Blanche’s Southern Belle façade is ultimately dismantled by her
treatment of men and her sexual desires. Moreover, Williams’ utilizes Blanche’s Old South portrayal to serve as a
contextual reminder of the harsh realities of the new post-war America as Blanche who is an embodiment of the
‘dainty’ Old South is being taken over by the ‘rough’ New South.
Most notably the description of Blanche in scene 1 structurally juxtaposes to the other characters as the stage
directions provide the audience with a highly detailed description of Blanche therefore highlighting her Southern
0Belle superiority to the other characters within the play- the other characters are representative of the ‘raffish’
New South. Hence, this establishes to the audience Blanche’s Old South façade as this mirrors her illusions- she
sees herself as somewhat superior to the ‘cosmopolitan’ setting of New Orleans. Alternatively, it could be
interpreted that Williams’ provides a highly detailed description of Blanche in order to impart her ‘delicate’ beauty-
Blanche utilizes her beauty through sexual means in order to have a hold over other characters within the play.
Evidently, this highlights Blanche as a Southern Belle due to her social superiority within the impoverished setting
of New Orleans thereby some critics suggest ‘Blanche imparts a Southern Belle façade due to her aristocratic
upbringing thus she is in denial of the Old South dying out in 1940’s America’.
In addition to this, Blanche’s aristocratic origins are established as she is described as being ‘daintly dressed in a
white suit’. Thereby, emphasisng Blanche’s fragility and wealth- Marxist critics suggest “Blanche is representative
of the ‘old’ built up money of society due her aristocratic origins”. Alternatively, the adjective ‘dainty’ could
emphasise the fragility of Blanche’s values thereby suggesting Blanche is duplicitous in terms of her values- she
projects the stereotypical 1940’s Old South values to others but however behind the curtains she does not live by
these values. Subsequently, some critics suggest ‘as a Southern lady, Blanche’s narrowly defined role has kept her
from admitting to her natural appetites and pursuing them forthrightly so she has felt obliged to lie’. Moreover,
the semantic field of ‘white’ clothing acts as a paradox as it juxtaposes to the ‘dim’ and ‘dark’ surroundings of the
French Quarter providing light to the setting. Thereby, establishing Blanche as the outsider; Blanche is deemed as a
Southern Belle and has old and pure morals on a service level. Thus, some critics suggest ‘the use of Blanche’s
white clothing serves as a reminder of her feeble but pure mind- Blanche is isolated from the society within the
play and solely desires a companion for both mental and sexual reasons’.
Williams’ also explores Blanche as an embodiment of the New South which directly juxtaposes to Stanley as he is
representative of the New South. Thus, Blanche and Stanley evidently collide as Stanley who is ‘strongly and
compactly built’ is the direct juxtaposition of Blanche’s ‘delicate beauty’. Thereby, exemplifying they have
conflicting attributes- Stanley is bold whilst Blanche is gentle. Moreover, Williams’ describes Blanche as a ‘moth’
thus she must avoid ‘bright light’ which suggests the Old Southern values were modest and subtle whereas Stanley
is described as ‘bold as primary colours’ thereby demonstrating to the audience that the New South is brutally
taking over the Old South thus these two societies cannot coexist as the Old South will demolish the New South
with its assertiveness. Moreover, William’s utilizes costume in order to establish the conflict as the pokermen wear
‘solid blues, purple…’ whereas Blanche wears ‘white’ clothing thus implying the Old South is fading and the
boldness and greatness of the New South is taking over. However, despite their differences both of these
characters utlilize their sexualities to inflict pain upon on another- Blanche utilizes her sexuality as a force field
upon men in order to protect herself from the brutal environment in which she lives in. Thus, some critics suggest
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