Scene VI in Tennessee Williams A Streetcar named Desire is very important to the view that the audience have of Blanche DuBois.
Scene 6 Prep
Scene VI in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar named Desire is very important to the view that the audience have of Blanche DuBois. The scene shows the side of her character that may detract from the sympathy that the audience have for her but also an incredibly touching account of the death of her husband which creates a great deal of pity from the audience. Williams utilises the light and polka music to create a degree of sympathy but also the dramatic manner in which Blanche expresses her feelings can portray to the audience what she has been through and create an air of sympathy for her.
The main item in scene VI that creates sympathy for Blanche is the account of the death of her husband. At the beginning of the description, the audience will know that Blanche will have difficulty expressing what she is trying to say due to the fact that she cannot make eye contact with Mitch whom she is talking to; “[She crosses to the window and sits on the sill, looking out.]” This creates a more reflective atmosphere in the scene and immediately changes the way the audience sees Blanche as opposed to earlier in the play where sympathy for her is limited due to the spoilt manner in which she behaves, especially towards Stella; “Run to the drug store and get me a lemon coke with plenty of chipped ice in it!” This perhaps catches the audience’s attention to make them take note of what she is about to say.
The use and mention of light in the account of her husband’s death is also effective in causing the audience to feel more sympathy for Blanche. This is mainly due to the fact that earlier in the play Blanche is adamant about leaving the lights off or covering them with a lamp shade. This immediately suggests that she is acting like she has something to hide. On the other hand during the account of her husband’s death the light from a train outside implies that on this occasion Blanche is telling the truth; “[The headlight of the locomotive glares into the room as it thunders past]”. The word ‘glares’ in this stage direction though portrays that this light is quite harsh and unrelenting for Blanche and definitely gives it negative connotations for her. This gives the idea that what Blanche is doing is difficult for her and adds to the sympathy that is being generated by this scene.
