Never for one moment since has there been any light that’s stronger than this – kitchen – candle… [P 77]
Here, Williams demonstrates that Blanche has since been living in a world filled with sexual pleasures, but not from any man she has loved. The words ‘kitchen candle’ suggests that without bright light, Blanche has lived without a clear view of herself or reality. Williams may have used this scene to create an air of sympathy towards Blanche, which could make her seem like a tragic victim of circumstance.
In addition, death is another dramatic reason as to why the play is set in 1940’s war torn America. Williams uses the theme of death throughout the play, which sees Blanche becoming obsessed with the fear of death. An example of this is in Scene nine when Blanche says:
Death – I used to sit here and she used to sit over there and death was as close as you [Mexican Woman] are. [P 102]
Here, Williams uses a lower class Mexican woman carrying flowers associated with funerals as a dramatic technique of foreshadowing. It foreshadows the death of Blanche or for what the audience see as Blanche turning insane. Blanche reacts horrified to the Mexican woman and thus demonstrates an immediate fear of death. The words ‘and death was as close as you’ are used to suggest how Blanche feels like she maybe felt like dying when her beloved Allan committed suicide. However, it could maybe show something different, that she doubts herself and her own state of mind. The use of the past tense could be used to suggest self-confusion. Furthermore, the use of the hyphen is used by Williams to show that Blanche is talking to herself. It also adds to the technique of foreshadowing to the audience as the word ‘Death’ is almost used as a title to what she is saying. This is significant because Williams is creating a sense of negativity about Blanche. This could make the audience begin to lose any sympathy they may have been feeling for her and perhaps further demonstrates Blanche’s insecure state of mind. Also, Williams’ use of layout and structure in this scene can further connote insanity in Blanche. The way the dialogue is structured makes it seem like Blanche is reacting to the Mexican woman’s speech, but that the Mexican woman is not reacting to hers. Williams does this successfully as it leads the audience into questioning Blanche’s state of mind. Also, Williams uses an audio cue to further evoke the idea of fear and death within Blanche to the audience. Evidence of this is, “The polka tune fades in.” This adds to the dramatic presentation of Blanche and makes the audience think that the foreshadowing done by the use of the Mexican woman is even more significant.
In addition, Williams’ repeated uses of audio cues are used also as the technique of foreshadowing. Examples of these are:
‘The polka dot tune fades in’ and ‘The blue piano begins to drum up’ [P 111]
These audio cues are used throughout the play and are associated with Blanche when she has a sense of fear and nervousness about her. These are both used in Scene ten when Stanley ‘takes a step towards her’, which is done in a threatening manner, before he eventually rapes Blanche. Williams uses these audio cues throughout the play to possibly leave the audience with the feeling of the rape being inevitable. Also, these two audio cues are used to symbolise lust and occur several times between the characters of Blanche and Stanley. It could also suggest dramatic irony in a horrific sense because the audience may have seen the rape coming. However, this can be disputed and counter balanced by the fact that Stanley may not have planned to rape Blanche all along; it may have simply been a matter of circumstance on that occasion. Moreover, Williams may have used the polka tune and music of the blue piano to suggest and represent Blanche losing her grip on reality and perhaps losing her mind. They increase throughout the play, as does the seemingly insane state of mind that Blanche seems to have. This is summed up when Blanche says, “You are not Shep Huntleigh” this demonstrates to the audience her insanity. Williams creates ‘Shep Huntleigh’ as a figure of Blanche’s imagination – a part of her fantasy world – and so the fact she believes he is coming to collect her shows the state of mind she is clearly in. This could also suggest to the audience that as the play develops, Blanche becomes victimised and marginalized from society. Furthermore, Williams may have done this to create sympathy for Blanche, as she is simply unable to separate herself from her fantasy world and overcome reality; therefore inducing the audience to sympathise her.
Moreover, Williams utilises the form of a classical tragedy to try and explore the psychological reasons for his characters’ flaws. Williams presents Blanche as a character that has a lust for desire and ambition – ambition to have sexual experiences with younger men. “They told me to take a street-car named Desire, and transfer to one called Cemeteries, and ride six blocks and get off at – Elysian Fields” Williams uses this description of Blanche’s journey to the Kowalski household to portray to the audience her life leading up to present time. The ‘street – car’ is used as a symbol to represent men and Blanche’s persuit of her sexual desires. In addition, it could be seen that her arrival in New Orleans begins the part of her life journey that is the afterlife. This can be suggested because Williams sets the play in a street called ‘Elysian Fields’ – the name for the land of the dead in Greek mythology. Therefore, it could be seen that Blanche begins a sort of afterlife, in which she is paying the consequences for her life’s actions. It can be questioned as to how the audience feel towards Blanche here, however both the traits of desire and ambition are almost universally seen to be negative and so, Blanche DuBois could be interpreted as representing aspects of the classical tragic hero.
Williams uses a range of effects in scene ten to dramatize Blanche’s final breakdown and departure from reality in the face of Stanley’s physical threat. One example of this is, ‘Lurid reflections appear on the walls around Blanche.’ Williams uses this stage direction to represent the final demise in Blanche, and show her descend into madness. Here Blanche retreats entirely into her own world, however before, she chooses her perception on reality, according to her fantasy and what she wants.
However – does this slow descendance into madness create an aurora of sympathy and victimization within the audience towards Blanche? I think to a certain extent it does, but Williams has created a play whereby I feel sorry for Blanche, yet think to myself that she somewhat deserves it for her naivety and treatment of others upon arrival in New Orleans. In the words of Michael Billington in his review of the play in The Guardian – “One ends up marvelling again at Williams's play” and that is exactly how I feel; a sense of astonishment over the situation Williams has created in this wonderful play.
Word count: 1500
Bibliography:
Enotes
The Guardian – A Streetcar Named Desire review, 29th July 2009
Spark notes
http://www.allgreatquotes.com/a_streetcar_named_desire_quotes.shtml
