In scene five, we see Blanche’s dismissive attitude towards the offer of a simple coke, minus any alcohol:
“Well, honey, a shot never does a coke any harm!”[page 61]
Proceeding this she:
“finds a glass and pours a shot of whiskey into it.” [page 61]
Directly after this, Blanche resumes her role as an emotionally unstable character and airs her emotions with her sentimentality. Perhaps the drink she had prior to this was for the purposes of letting her guard down and escaping from the pretence and the façade she has come to be accustomed with.
In scene six Blanche strives to create a somewhat magical ambiance between herself and Mitch. In order to produce such an atmosphere, however, she feels that there is a need for a substantial amount of alcohol. She says to Mitch:
“I want you to have a drink! You have been so anxious and solemn all evening, and so have I; we have both been anxious and solemn and now for these few last remaining moments of our lives together – I want to create – joie de vivre!”
Clearly Blanche wants to escape from the trials and tribulations of everyday life and create between themselves a fantasy world. She craves for Mitch to join her in this fantasy by drinking with her and therefore distorting his visual accuracy.
When Blanche is brutally rejected by Mitch in scene nine after Stanley having revealed to him the truth about her past, she is totally and utterly devastated.
“Blanche staggers back from the window and falls to her knees.”
In one swift scene, Blanche has now lost her hope of regaining a stable future. In the stage directions in scene ten Tennessee Williams describes how
“a few hours later that night. Blanche has been drinking fairly steadily since Mitch left.”
Blanche resorts to becoming intoxicated as she can find no other way to deal with the harsh reality that presents itself to her. Her hopes to marry Mitch are completely shattered and thus so is the dream.
Although it is mainly Blanche who uses alcohol as a form of escapism, it can be argued that Stanley and the men also use it for the same means. For example, at the poker game in scene three the men enjoy a few shots of whiskey. Considering Mitch’s relationship with his sick mother, it is understandable that he wants to escape from his responsibilities and for once, play a game. Stanley on the other hand becomes quite inebriated, perhaps trying to get away from worries about the intrusion of Blanche on his territory, and to escape further into the game.
Sexual Promiscuity
Williams also highlights the tendency of Blanche to use sexual relationships to flee into a world of fantasy.
In scene five she reveals to Stella in her expository monologue:
“I’ve run for protection, Stella, from under one leaky roof to another leaky roof – because it was storm – all storm.” [page 60]
Blanche here admits that the reasoning behind her sexual promiscuity was in aid of getting away from the predicaments and dilemmas she found herself to be in. Her sexual intimacies with strangers enabled her to escape from what was happening and
“make a little temporary magic” [page 60]
The flirtatious behaviour of Blanche with the Young Man later in this scene and of how she
“crosses quickly to him and presses her lips to his” [page 66]
displays her need to have attention and to be noticed. Blanche knows that her looks are fading, but wants for even a moment to believe that she is still as desirably as she ever has been. She is desperately trying to preserve the fantasy.
Bathing
In light of her efforts to forget and shed her illicit past in the new community of New Orleans, these baths represent her efforts to cleanse herself of her odious history. Yet, just as she cannot erase the past, her bathing is never done.
Stanley also turns to water to undo a misdeed when he showers after beating Stella. The shower serves to soothe his violent temper; afterward, he leaves the bathroom feeling remorseful and calls out longingly for his wife.
After explaining to Stella the situation at present concerning the loss of Belle Reve, Blanche bathes soon after.
Light
Stanley also turns to water to undo a misdeed when he showers after beating Stella. The shower serves to soothe his violent temper; afterward, he leaves the bathroom feeling remorseful and calls out longingly for his wife.
Blanche covers the exposed lightbulb in the Kowalski apartment with a Chinese paper lantern, and she refuses to go on dates with Mitch during the daytime or to well-lit locations. Mitch points out Blanche’s avoidance of light in Scene Nine, when he confronts her with the stories Stanley has told him of her past. Mitch then forces Blanche to stand under the direct light. When he tells her that he doesn’t mind her age, just her deceitfulness, Blanche responds by saying that she doesn’t mean any harm. She believes that magic, rather than reality, represents life as it ought to be. Blanche’s inability to tolerate light means that her grasp on reality is also nearing its end.
In Scene Six, Blanche tells Mitch that being in love with her husband, Allan Grey, was like having the world revealed in bright, vivid light. Since Allan’s suicide, Blanche says, the bright light has been missing. Through all of Blanche’s inconsequential sexual affairs with other men, she has experienced only dim light. Bright light, therefore, represents Blanche’s youthful sexual innocence, while poor light represents her sexual maturity and disillusionment.
Phone Calls
Lack of escapism
When examining this topic, one also has to think of the lack of escapism that Blanche so desperately seeks. This insufficiency of escapism can be seen due to the confining Kowalski apartment in which she stays in. The claustrophobic flat and the hectic incidents that occur within these walls leave little room for a way out.
